Bad-mind’ active – Crime, violence, corruption and envy the worst things about living in Jamaica
Crime, violence and ‘bad-mindedness’ have emerged as the main issues that cause most Jamaicans to not be so proud of the country.
Corruption, unemployment and poverty also figure high on the list when Jamaicans were asked about the things that make them not so proud or ashamed of the country and cause them to dislike living here.
That, according to a recent Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll that tested the pulse of the nation on the perceptions of Jamaicans after 55 years of Independence.
The poll, which was conducted from June 9 to 11 across the island with 1,500 respondents and a sampling error of plus or minus two per cent, found that 74 per cent of respondents listed crime, violence, bad-mindedness and corruption as the things that made most ashamed to be Jamaicans, with poverty, unemployment and ineffective government added to the list, for 92 per cent of the reasons persons don’t like living in the island.
The findings are not surprising for Professor Trevor Munroe, executive director of the anti-corruption group National Integrity Action (NIA).
“In 2016, Kingston ranked 32 among the top 50 cities in the world with the most murders per 100,000 population and if St James and Westmoreland were cities, they, too, would also be in the top 50,” Munroe told The Gleaner as he reacted to the poll findings. According to Munroe, white-collar corruption remains deeply entrenched at high levels of politics and businesses in the Jamaican society, and there is a definite link between crime and corruption.
That is a view shared by psychologist Leahcim Semaj, who charged that Jamaica’s political system contributes to a high level of crime.
“A large number of our people are still living in garrison communities, and criminal behaviour is tied to many of those communities.
“We can’t really take the politics out of it. It is the fabric that makes up the Jamaican culture,” said Semaj as he charged that bad-mindedness is a “pervasive part of our culture.
“What goes into bad-mind is jealousy and envy, whenever somebody is doing well, you always hear, ‘No, man, a thief him thief it, man, a somebody help him.’ Instead of trying to see what they can learn from that person who is excelling, they look at ways to drag him back to their level,” added Semaj.
He charged that this crab-in-a-barrel mentality must be remedied in order for Jamaica to develop as an independent country.
– Myesha Broadie
Well he certainly got the bad mine part correct.
Mi have a big sister a JA who claims that she’s a Christian now. While that’s good, if she shoulda dey round me, and say let’s pray, me a go pray wid my 2 eyes dem wide open!
I think the vast majority of Jamaicans are so focused on their day to day survival they have no energy left over to really concentrate on anybody. Badmnd does exist, but I don’t think the average poor person has that energy. Perhaps the badmind is more in the middle class and upward groups because they don’t have to worry where the nextmeal is coming from.
Well said
Also bare in mind that it’s only 1,500 people that they questioned out of the millions of people that live in Jamaica
You should take a basic course in statistics before making should bold declarations. A properly designed survey with a representative sample (n) can yield actuate results that are representative of the total population (N). Just a FYI!
**actuate should be accurate….sorry about that.
I disagree with your assessment of the issue. One could argue the reverse, that it is the low income (poor) people with a bad case of “badmind-ness”. You just have to read this site daily to see how badmind Jamaicans are. Most of the threads on this site is driven mainly by badmind, low class, crab-in-barrel Jamaicans. IMHO.
Don’t be quick to assume the economic level of visitors to this site. There are many very well educated, financially bouyant, well travelled, well raised regular bloggers on this site. The majority of the original bloggers all had a post secondary education and were gainfully employed in their fields of study. I am not sure why ppl automatically assume that visitors to the site are poor or low-class. I don’t even classify humans by such terms, there is no such thing as a high class or low class human being.
I have been poor and the last thing on my mind was someone else’s life. I had no energy to worry about a soul, but bettering my condition. As in wealth, in poverty there are levels. I wasn’t dirt poor, but I was poor enough to not have money for anything outside of basic food. I would say the dirt poor person is even more focused on their survival, eating one meal or no meal a day does not provide enough calories to create the energy to badmind a soul, the only though that will be on that person’s mind is their hunger pangs and how they will get the next meal. Your new hairstyle, outfit, home or car won’t even be a blip on their radar because they are too hungry to care.
No love no deh yah! Every man just for themselves. That a one a the main problems we facing. At my work place me see old woman weh deh close to retirement a hold on to knowledge fi them life. I mean you in a good job how long, pension solid, you own mutliple homes and if a new person join the company you no willing to teach them ntn! Can you just who first reach church on a Sunday???
You touch on a deep topic that transcends the simplicity of badmind. I have always noticed how many older women do not mentor or have a natural love for young ones. Men I think are quicker to mentor and guide the youngins, but I find an overwhelming amount of older women who hold animosity towards younger ones for no rightful reason. They will see you walking into a snake pit and will sit and watch you get consumed and just laugh about it. I do not know if it the gossipping and watching culture that breeds this, but it is a huge problem I find. Because of this I take extra effort in young ladies, if is even a positive word of encouragement I give it, and any knowledge I have it’s free for them. I don’t think it is badmind, it’s more like hatred, or on the lower end of the emotional scale a sense of being threatened. Whatever it is I wish older women would treat and speak of the younger ones better. Even if a young girl promiscuous, you never hear them question if it could have been triggered by a history of childhood sexual abuse, she just bad. If she not succeeding no questions asked, she just wuckliss. This topic needs to be delved into more deeply, as it is a disturbing phenomena. As an elder you have a spiritual responsibility to use your life experience and knowledge to help guide those ones coming up to avoid certain pitfalls in their life. Some prefer to die with them knowledge than share it, like it will matter in the afterlife.
People attitude, young or old determines their altitude. The older folks need to show respects at times, they cant be disresoectful n when the younger ones taking a stands they complain how young people are rude. It work both ways, while we know u have some giddy headed young ones, but most of our young peoole are mannerasable. Some of those in early 50’s esoecially women live in social media a compete with each other to see who goes where with whom. The ones is 30’s n 30 full a dem self dem a try ketch man fi marry dem n breed dem at dat age so the poor early 20’s dem pon dem own more time. The late 30’s early 40’s n run dung richess n people man so they have no time fi help teenagers n young adults.