BU is on record chastising the academics of the region. Indeed there is an old saying that a little learning is a dangerous thing. BU is waiting to see if the yellow bellied, weak kneed media in Barbados is going to remain passive and allow the whole Caribbean to heap their bullshit on Barbados.

Bajans

I hope you are waking up and realising the envy and hatred directed to Barbados.

11 % our population non-national – they are here eating and drinking and enjoying the best we have to offer yet they hate bajans with a passion and would like to see this country destroyed.

If I got a 5 cents piece for every guyanese,vincy,jamaicans,lucians,trinis,antiguans etc who speak about looking forward to the daywhen Barbados fall and is humiliated, I would be rich by now.

And you know what ain’t funny a lot of them that saying so live right here in barbados and would not leave for hell.

David,

I saw this article on the Dominica news online site. For what it is worth I will copy my response here to add to the discussion…..

I have to admit, I have been educated to the postgraduate level and I had to struggle to get through the above article. As a suggestion for the future I would ask Ms. Theodore to consider one of the most eloquent sentences ever written; “Jesus wept” , one of my old professors used to hold that as the gold standard in writing.

Ok on to the above article, I think wrapped up in all the jargon Ms. Theodore attempts to pin the blame on some nameless faceless white person or bureaucrat. Easier to blame a “colonial legacy” or “elite” than to look at the actual evidence on the ground.

Barbados has always been in the forefront of the regional integration movement, when one looks at the track record of Caricom endeavors that were actually implemented you will see that Barbados is near the top of the table. This includes the CCJ which actually is a final court of appeal for Barbados unlike most of the Caribbean. To suggest that it “has authority to set policy and make decisions about accusations of criminal behaviour.” betrays a fundamental lack of understanding of its role and function both in Barbados and in the wider jurisdiction.

Yes there is a xenophobic backlash in Barbados but I would submit that it is not driven from the top down as Ms. Theodore seems to indicate, but rather it stems from the bottom up. The Barbadian electorate has punished politicians who got “too far ahead of the curve” where regional integration is concerned, and continues to be fiercely nationalistic.

In most circumstances, the most vocal cases are in the working class who see more “foreigners” coming in and feel that they should not have to compete for jobs in their native country. Reasoned arguments about the benefits of a single market space have little comfort for someone who is trying to put food on the table.Similarly, the comment reported by Ms. Myrie about “foreigners” “coming in and taking the Bajan men” is often heard in certain female circles. Why should a Bajan woman have to compete with outsiders for a Bajan man? (or so the reasoning goes).

From a macro level the influx of qualified immigrants is only a benefit for Barbados, at a personal level for a working class Bajan with no qualifications and limited options they represent a real threat to the future.

Further… while the vast majority of immigrants are decent people who are simply seeking a better life, very often immigrants who are not decent find their ways to our shores. Almost daily one can see immigrants in the newspaper in Barbados before the court answering charges related to theft, drugs etc. They are a small minority, but a very visible one. One Guyanese or Jamaican before the courts for theft or drugs, is far more visible than a hundred immigrants (with work permits) holding down jobs and paying taxes.

So in summary, yes there is xenophobia in segments of Barbados society, but Ms. Theodore has completely missed the mark in her opinion on where and why it exists. To get into statements about “supermarkets that serve tourists” just shows how fundamentally off base her understanding of the situation is.

The existence of the xenophobic mindset represents the failure of the policy makers to explain the benefits of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy in terms that have a resonance with the man in the street. Certainly the concept is popular with the Business Classes and the Middle and Upper Classes (they feel equipped to compete in the new reality) however until the grass roots man in the street can see a benefit to him or her the mindset will persist.

”they will in time be treated the same by immigration officials on the international scene and their tourist industry will suffer as well.”
—–

One must wonder that these are similar words and threats made by one commenter on another blog title…I think the poster was titled ‘Carol Boethe’.

Interesting.

I still read BU and BFP regularly. Sometimes I even miss the work involved in keeping a blog going 🙂

@Moneybrain

You wrote: “I have never been overawed by persons holding or in the process of attaining a PhD and her diatribe confirms that there is absolutely no need for me to reconsider my view.”

I am almost to the end of my PhD sojourn and I have no problems with your opinion or the measure for which you would want to place as your standard (I hope honesty and integrity are considered). However, I hope that you too do not make the error of taking or citing 1 example and suggest that it makes for reasonable argument and general conclusions. To me that would be counter-productive.

“From a macro level the influx of qualified immigrants is only a benefit for Barbados, at a personal level for a working class Bajan with no qualifications and limited options they represent a real threat to the future” – notesfromthemargin

From a macro level the influx of qualified immigrants is NOT a benefit for Barbados as most of them will require high paying jobs, spend unearned foreign exchange and produce very little or nothing. Now who the hell needs more consultants? Maybe the it is the working class Bajan that truly has a clear grasp on the situation

Ms Theodore would probably do better were she to put some energy into investigating the experiences of Native Canadians. Barbados has the best kept National Archives in the region and the social history is pretty well preserved in the oral history as well as the otherwise recorded passage of almost five centuries. Barabdos has nad has had its racial and racist issues but no more than many other former colonies in the Caribbean and further afield. There is much that can be said to this academic whose expertise seems to exclude the subject about which she has written. I say “seems” because some people do sacrifice many things including but not limited to morality and ethics so that they may gain in other areas, however transient that may be.
I enjoyed your harsh but well oiled editorial reply.

“Supermarkets in Barbados only cater for tourists”

If Ms. Theodore wrote the above statement she is an unmitigated falsifier of veracity.

When I am in Barbados I shop at Jordans,Super centre warrens,Supercentre in sunset crest and Emerald city.

What Ms. educated phd candidate did not consider is that for several years Barbados has had a fairly high standard of living and the Supermarkets are stocked with a variety of items on par with those in the USA and Canada.

Does she think a supermarket in Barbados could survive catering to Tourist the majority of whom eat in hotels and restaurants?

When a person claims “higher learning” they should not have to lie to present a point of view.

I will resort to an old bajan saying. She mussee a educated idiot.

Does anybody take this joker seriously! Well, if she can b an academic, i can b one too!! 🙂

Most people, not surprisingly, tend to regard commodity brokers as the carion-crow of international finance! i wonder woi?!!!!

Ms Theodore, I do not make it a habit to reply to articles such as yours which seek to cast aspersions on my country, but on this occasion I feel it is my civic and moral duty to do so. The boldness of your assertions, and the fact that some people may repose confidence in what you say given your stated level of academic accomplishment necessitate that I set the record straight. I have read your article and am frankly stunned either at the level of misinformation or the malice intent I see oozing from your words. I will be charitable and assume that you have been grossly misinformed. As a fellow academic, you should know that words have meaning and that the word apartheid refers not just to social segregation, but institutionalized and legalised segregation. Ms Theodore, blacks in Barbados are not kept down or oppressed. I am a young black middle class Barbadian woman and the free education that my black-run Government gives to ALL of its citizens (black, white or other) has given me just as much opportunity for social advancement as my white friends. It is these strategic social policies of our government which account for Barbados’ being classified as a developed country in terms of social advancement on the UN Human Development Index (2010). I therefore, ask where is your evidence that there is apartheid in Barbados? There is no business in Barbados that has refused to hire me or grant me service because I am black. Ms Theodore, how have you arrived at the conclusion that all supermarkets in Barbados cater only to tourists? Have you conducted an empirical study to ascertain this? If so, please state your methodology and give us a copy of your findings so we may learn from them. What you say is patently untrue. Another false assertion you make is that of an oppressive white bureaucracy in Barbados. Ms Theodore, a modicum of research would have shown you that Barbados’ bureaucracy has not been lily white since colonial times. Our civil servants are predominantly black from the police force to the government ministries and agencies. What I believe you mean is that there is a white economic elite. It is true that whites (and non-blacks) in Barbados continue for the most part to own the majority of big businesses. However, this is slowly changing as more blacks move into entrepreneurial activity. Moreover, this phenomenon is not unique to Barbados. Across the Caribbean, non-blacks, due to cultural and other societal factors, tend to typically be the ones to gravitate towards entrepreneurial activity, while blacks usually enter the civil service or established professions like medicine and law. I encourage you to read the book “Entrepreneurship in the Caribbean: Culture, Structure, Conjuncture” by Ryan and Stewart (1994) for more substantive discourse on this subject. While I myself have been annoyed at times at the way SOME, though, not all, service providers in Barbados treat whites and tourists as against how they treat persons of darker skin, this inequality of treatment again is not unique to Barbados and I have encountered it in other Caribbean islands as well. It is symptomatic of mental slavery born of centuries of brainwashing to believe black is inferior, and white superior. The shackles of mental slavery, of which Bob Marley had sang so poignantly, strangle the minds not just of some Barbadians but many Afro-communities across the Caribbean and the world. I also take issue with your suggesting that Barbadians all ill-treat our fellow CARICOM nationals. We do not. I am aware that there is this false perception by some in the Region, particularly given the alleged incident with Ms. Myrie, that Barbadians do not like non-nationals. While I agree that there is a very small minority of Barbadians which may harbour some xenophobic sentiments, this is by no means the majority and in every country, one can find these kinds of ignorant people. I consider myself fortunate to have friends across the length and breadth of the Region. Lastly, you argue that we Barbadians have protected ourselves by pseudo-nationalism. What you call false nationalism, we call national pride. It is pride that arises from our high standard of living, our never having a civil war, our rule of law. A pride that we can vote freely in elections and not worry about being shot or victimized if we support the “wrong” party. It is a pride that no matter where we go, Barbados is recognized as a country that cares about its people. Barbados is not perfect. No country is. But the Barbados of which you speak, is a Barbados that does not exist and I find your use of the term apartheid to describe my country as highly irresponsible and malicious. I leave you and other people in this forum like yourself who seek to take pleasure out of spewing untruths about my country with the sterling words of the second verse of our anthem: “The Lord has been the people’s guide for past three hundred years. With him still on the people’s side we have no doubts or fears. Upwards and onwards we shall go inspired, exulting, FREE. And greater will our nation grow in STRENGTH and UNITY!”

‘A Proud Barbadian’, an excellent reply except for one or two grammatical errors. However, it always amazes me how a pretty well educated Barbadian like you, so often writes a long piece without regard to the obviousl paragraphs which you should insert.

Anyway, on the main subject, I mostly agree with you. I think these detractors won’t be happy until we open our borders and allow every Tom, Dick and Harry to enter our country freely without control. Hopefully, that’ll never happen. Again, it seems to amount to jealousy, plain and simple – jealousy!

George C. Brathwaite: Gentle Response To Ms. Rebecca Theodore’s Commentary: Is Barbados An Apartheid State?

Laws don’t do-away with apartheid no more than law do-away with common criminality and criminals
When it comes to legislation you cannot write into the heart of people what you have written on paper
The US civil rights Bill is a clear example…yes fifty years later it made possible a half-white half-black president but one swallow doesn’t make a summer. The majority of black people have not gotten any further than from the plantations to the Ghetto. Prisons are still full of black people who are there 13 to 1 for the same crimes as whites and the ‘plantation overseers’ are now prison administrators and the ‘whipping boys’ prison guards. Look at South Africa…the (Anti-Apartheid) settlement agreed with the ANC (African National Congress) had cleaned-up and sanitized the white racist to the extent that they are more powerful and are now in possession of greater parts of continental Africa. In the UK and Europe as a whole apartheid keeps thousand of black youths in prisons instead of university.
Whilst I do no support Ms Theodore’s total analysis regarding the matter of ‘Apartheid I think that it is you who (to use your very words) ”…are suffering from illusions of grandeur and really, your thinking has long left reality.”
It is a fact that people internalise suppression and oppression and then practice it on to others (usually themselves) Similar to the case of the ‘whipping boy’ in slavery. There many present day whipping’ boys present in the Americas today needless to say that includes the Caribbean.

PROUD BARBADIAN you almost convinced me that there’s nothing wrong with Barbadians attitude towards the any of the Caribbean neighbours. However when you started to talk about ‘National Pride’ the cat-jump-out-de bag “vote freely in elections and not worry about being shot or victimized if we support the “wrong” party. It is a pride that no matter where we go, Barbados is recognized as a country that cares about its people.” Well PROUD BARBADIAN, one does not have to be a Psychoanalyst to understand what your statement is implying. Let’s be honest most the pleasurable and pleasurable places in Barbados, the average Bajan don’t know, has never seen, and most likely will never (in the near future) see unless they work in the ‘service industry’

In some cases, laws are no better than a ‘disclaimer’ The root of apartheid is buried deep in the psyche of Barbadian people like myself i.e. African descendant Bajan (Please note I did not use your favored and often used term ‘black.’ The last time I looked on a map I couldn’t find it. Anyway I thought you might qualify the term ‘black’ with the dignified qualifier ‘people.’) That Barbadians have internalized apartheid ism is a fact; a fact of historical circumstances that does not deserves criticism no more than flawed elections
If the barriers are now down then I hope the fishes in the aquarium perceives this and know that the glass partition that, once, prevented them from swimming the full length of the aquarium no longer exist. CONDITIONING is a SERIOUS thing.

@George C Brathwaite
Thanks for challenging me to provide examples of why I am not in awe of Phd s, candidates for and indeed holders of Masters degrees including all of the above from the very best Universities eg Harvard, Stanford etc.
I am in the investment business and have built up my knowledge from practical experience, reading what very successful people have written as well as business degree level academics in my youth. I am tired of the nonsense spewed by so called highly educated eg In 2007 I asked my neighbour who is a PhD Econ (Harvard), Prof Econ UofT what his opinion of Fed policy and the US Economic situation was as I thought it was heading for deep trouble. He was in no way concerned. Many other academics were blissfully happy on this topic too! We all know the result.
Portfolio managers with Masters regularly come into my office spouting BS and it gives me great pleasure to blow them out of the water.
PhDs in Math who have designed Portfolio Insurance and other programmmes in the investment markets that make ridiculous assumptions about markets that have little resemblance to reality and eventually prove faulty eg Black Swan events that should occur once in 10,000 yrs happening with considerably more regularity, like 3 times in 3 years.
Please forgive my skepticism but at 54 life has taught me that there are many educated idiots in the real world but dont get me wrong, because if they were all truly clever it would have been much tougher for me to have accumulated$ millions coming from a lil boy on the cliff and in the village on the Rock.

Quoting Frank Talk “most the pleasurable and leisure able places in Barbados, the average Bajan don’t know, has never seen, and most likely never will.

And can you name some of these “pleasurable and leisure able places” That average Bajan like me know nothing about and have never seen.

Ms. Theodore’s surely touched a nerve. But it would be dangerous of us to simply suggest ” another one bashing poor us again” so let us wrap ourselves around the flag, discredit the messenger and her credentials, and beat the home drums.
Time and time again on this very blog, complaints of black on black discrimination, selling out of the principles that our foreparents have instilled in us, the merchant class gouging the middle and poor class and the list goes on.. nothing to do with illegals or a different race or culture but what happens in the every day life of Barbados.. even Scout in one of his stranger assertions.. that foreigner lawyers working here is preferred because of accents. and by whom ? sounds idiotic but there is some truth to it.
Barbados has been hammered for the last 3 weeks but one has to honestly ask the question : Is there some truth in all of this ? Are others seeing what we don”t want to see or unwilling to admit ?

When I was very young I had a friend who talked like Ms. Theodore writes. He had a master’s degree, but he’s spent the last 40 years in and out of Jenkins, and has been unable to maintain relationships with his wife, children, parents or potential employers. I am sorry to say but he was and is a nice guy but mad as a shad.

@ FrankTalk
You say that Bajans dont know the most pleasureable and leisureable places in Bim and by that I assume you mean places like high quality hotels eg Sandy Lane, best Golf Courses etc.
This is true of any country even communist places like China. So What? In Bdos you can come from the very poorest family and make very good eg the son of orange cart vendor went to HC and became a top lawyer and very rich, he could certainly take his wife to Sandy Lane for dinner. On the other hand your average white Bajan could not afford to pay for such an expensive dinner. Personally, I have no desire when I holiday in Bim to go to such places because being a true lover of my homeland, I love what is available for all to enjoy eg the beach, cricket at Kensington, beautiful scenery, interacting with Bajans from all walks of life etc.
You talk about conditioning, which people certainly use to oppress others and worst still many people use against themselves as in I cant achieve I am being held back.
What Bajans need to do is focus on how they personally can achieve because that is how the successful ones progress regardless of colour. Does anyone think a poor white Bajan is welcomed at the Yacht Club? Should they care?

Barbados an Apartheid state! what will they think of next?

and the beat goes on!

What about the black on black racism that exists. Being told not to marry blacker than them, marry someone with soft hair and that they must not stay out too long in the sun cause they will become too black.

M anasseh all societies where there are people of colour and lower economic levels are structured on racism. That is no secret. It seems that some comments are attempting to come close in agreement with Ms. theodore by introducing racism .

racism deals with the belief that one reace is supperior to another race . There is a difference between racism and discrimination.