Racial Harmony?

Trade - who's defensive here?? We are all just sharing our stories. No one has said anyone is insane, or implying that your experience (or others that have found "home" there) is a lie. I understand it can be dishearting to constantly hear and read the less than ideal stories/experiences of those of us that didnt find our utopia in the VI, but if you think about it...if we all really didnt give a sh*% and wanted to never look back...would we still frequent this message board?? Our experiences were obviously so SOUL SEARCHING enough that we are still interested in the happenings there, our friends still there, etc....even if from a safe distance away.

Refering back to the start of this thread.. shows that not only is there a question of racial harmony in the VI..but harmony amongst differing ideals, viewpoints, financial status'. etc.

I appreciate that you dont see the islands the way I did...it was people like you that I shared my time with on the islands,that made it great because they weren't miserable.... that helped the time go by until I could return home.

I couldn't help but notice that whitebrunette's biggest negative seemed to be that there are lizards here that crap on everything. I don't think that the lizards singled her out to crap on as a racial attack. I think that the lizards crap on everyone pretty equally regardless of their race. She opened her diatribe with the statement that she is well educated. I guess she is now even better educated since she's learned that there are lizards in the tropics and they crap on everything. That is something she could have learned prior to moving to the islands, but maybe some things you just have to experience in person before the lesson sinks in. I'm sad to hear that she felt unsafe and victimized by prejudice while she was here. I'm not sad that we have geckos and lizards, even if they crap on everything, because the source of all that crap is the enormous quantity of bugs they eat. Long live the geckos!

What a broad, sweeping statement Mango:
"If your happy in the VI your not paying attention.
IE, you are rich, have a drink in your hand and not having to dealing with it all.
I also think posters here that defend the vi so diligently are people who have businesses here.
realistate or investors. Thus Bias. Or the defenders are the other way. The escapist. People who sleep in a cheap sail boat and avoid as much responsibilities as possible."
I live in the VI (St. John) and I am happy here. I am not rich by any means. I don't drink or do drugs. I also do not live in a cheap sail boat and avoid responsibility. I work a professional job, and I do not have a business or rental property here that would fail if people stopped coming to the VI. Maybe I'm an exception to the rule, but I just wanted to point out that you CAN be happy here and not be rich/a drunk/living on a boat avoiding responsiblity.
To answer the original question, I did feel some discrimination when I first moved here. I felt it was due to the fact that I was new, and people were reluctant to get to know me in fear that I would just up and leave (NOT because of racism). I'm still here more than a year and a half later, and continue to feel more and more acceptance.
I understand the VI has its problems, but the things I love about living here outweigh those problems for me. For others, the same may not be true. To each his own!

To all who live here and love it:

I think it is time for us to just ignore some of the absurdities that have been expressed in this thread and just move onto to another subject.

Some people have expressed some very thoughtful and valid points about the challenges of living here and that was excellent.

And then there are those posters who seem to have nothing better to do than to regularly lurk around this board waiting for any opportunity to say negative things about the VI and the people who live here (and I think we all know who they are).

Any intelligent person reading this board can see that these more negative posters reveal much more about themselves than they could ever hope to say about the Virgin Islands or the people who live here.

By the way regarding "Merde de Lizard:"

As they say in Real Estate, location, location, location! I moved to a different part of STT and I no longer have much of a problem with bugs or lizard poo -- so even when it comes to this issue, one must be careful about making sweeping generalizations.

I do have a couple of Iguanas around here that are lately trying to mate at every opportunity. But as I have already reported ( to East Ender's delight), these poor creatures keep setting off the alarm every time they settle down to do their thing, and thus we have discovered an effective method of birth control.

🙂

"if your not mad your not paying attention.
I think that saying could loosely apply here:
If your happy in the VI your not paying attention."

So again, those of us who like it here are ignorant and "not paying attention". Or falling down drunk.

Nice.

"...People who sleep in a cheap sail boat ..."

To the best of my knowledge, a cheap sailboat is an oxymoron.

My sweetheart and I are planning to move to STX this fall. We have visited twice and are planning another two week trip this spring. I, 54 white male, she 39 white female (1/4 american indian and could probably pass for an islander).

One of the reasons we have chosen STX as our "paradise" to move to is the warmth we felt from the people that we met there. On our first visit we were directed to Villa Morales to eat dinner. It was a Saturday night and the place was a little busy J.T. the owner was more than willing to speak with us and make us feel right at home. Before we left we told him we'd be back the next day. but he said they were closed except for thur. fri. and sat.

INSTEAD, he invited us, two strangers he had just met, to attend a christening party they were having at the beach the next day for his niece. Reluctantly the next day we walked by the area where the party was taking place. As we did, they came running out to greet us and introduced us to all their family and friends. We met people who worked for Innovative, people who worked in the hospital, in the courts, in the restaurant (Villa Morales). And everyone, EVERYONE WE MET, treated us as new found FRIENDS!!!

We fell in love with St Croix that day, BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE, and how they treated us, complete strangers, who became friends in one afternoon.

jt and angie are 2 of the nicest people you could ever meet on stx, truly warm and beautiful souls.

Sorry, Mango. I don't drink, don't own a business, not rich & I pay attention all the time. I have a condo but that's nothing big time & a couple of negative posts on this board won't affect it.

As has been said a zillion times it's not for everyone & when I came here I realized I hadn't been sent for & knew I'd have to adapt because the island wouldn't. That made it easier for me. And I'm the ultimate type A which has worked to my advantage in the workplace.

Good luck to those who left/are leaving & I hope you find your bit of paradise whereever that is. Each of us deserves it.

I agree with you, Kokopelli. (And Mango!!) 🙂
While on STT, I talked to many people who absolutely loved it. And, yes, there were some things that I enjoyed. I enjoyed the diversity, though I definitely felt the discrimination. I tried to learn from it ,as it was a new experience for me. I enjoyed the fact that the people I met were just as they appeared. Labels weren't important. Materialism was minimal. That was a treat.
However, my husband and I did get tired of the garbage everywhere and of the unfriendliness of the island, overall.
Granted, the weather IS perfect and the water IS beautiful, but we were happy to come back home. We now understand why the island is so transient, and that the average person stays for less than six months.

Such a nasty post, Mango and such silly assumptions! Sorry, but in my opinion you really don't have a bloody clue!

Yes, I do have a business here and I bust my old arse running it, and I do pay attention and I do have a drink or two in my hand at the end of a long 16 hour day, and I do get involved in the community and do say my piece and I have made, and continue to make, some differences in both my 'hood and my comunity. I'm far removed from being rich and probably infinitely poorer than the majority of posters on this forum - in fact I'm poorer financially right now than I've ever been.

But that's OK with me and might be a concept that you can't relate to. I do understand that your post was just your opinion as I understand "whitebrunette's" was hers so I've read your opinion and hers but simply beg to disagree with your respective premises which I think are way off kilter. Cheers!

Rypan,
have no fear. As in all societies, if you are honest, people will eventually see that & respect/understand you, let you in.
As far as your girlfriend, it depends on how strong she is.Being a teacher (anywhere) the students will definitely test her, though, if she has been a teacher for some time, she knows all these cruel tricks students play(it doesn`t matter where she goes). If it were me, i`d do anything but teach youngsters...anywhere!Too many games, BS!
Mango(I think I may know you), while your keen observations may of labeled many here, there are many others!
Sure, living here has it`s problems (like the $%&*&$#@# Insurance companies)...OK, OK, Sorry, I`ll be OK!
For instance, what of the rude people who try to teach manors?
OK, I forgot to say good morning, so that gives you the right to suck your teeth & look at me like I`m the Antichrist!
Then there are THE SAME PEOPLE, the ones who tried to teach you manors, you point out they left their purse, or a item they payed for behind at a store(they don`t recognise you from when THEY tried to teach you good manors)so you give them a barrage of "your Welcomes" as they barley acknowledge you as they pickup their item(s) they left behind, & they just don`t get it...
Ah, you just gotta thank the ones who try the manor teachings (even if they don`t practice what they preach, the world is full of hypocrites) have their own insecurities/problems.
But, there are those who, I think, really want everyone to be polite to each other!
Where else can you get that?
What can I say, as the days/years go on, you`ll accept those around you & vise versa.
The others, well, they have their problems, & you yours.
Hey, beats the hell out of New Jersey!
Either it`s for you or not....
I love the ones that come out of church, & get rude on everyone 5 minutes latter!
Yes, it`s true, I met the most miserable, hateful people here. I have also met the most kind & sincere people I have ever met anywhere else in the world (& they weren`t Continentals)
Try it, see if you both fit in, welcome!

I'm seeing a pattern here - the new cruzan moto..."Beats the Hell out of New Jersey!" Stick that on the new flag.
It isn't good manners to make other people feel uncomfortable or "small" just because they omitted a cultural nuance. The true good mannerly thing to do, is to smile and still treat them with courtesy and warmth. I think a lot of times, the "good morning" thing might be used as a form of power play. The office at Central High School was just the pits for that.
However, when in Rome etc....
Speaking of Rome...am i the only person addicted to the HBO series of that name?

Jane,
I put the new Cruzan motto on the flag... remember the rainbow?

Oh right, I forgot, perhaps next flag redesign.

I will add my one half cent to this:

I lived in STJ for 14 years. I always refer to that time something out of a Charles Dickens book.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." nothing can compare! I never regret a minute
even during the worst of times. However, I believe fourteen years ago there was racial harmony
in St. John no one ever saw color. Believe it or not...as the years went by you never even thought
of it until someone mentioned it. We all blended in to one "black, white and everywhere in between" community.

One day at the local rum shop Mooie's we all decided to look at the different colors. Everyone stretched out their arm and put it up on the bar to compare. We started with the darkest arm outstretched to the whitest. Everyone
had good laughs as the rum flowed and someone bought another round for everyone.

_ "As lousy as things are now, tomorrow they will be somebody's good old days."
author: Gerald Barzan

bjh,
Sad how things have changed.

I guess so far I've been lucky. I have only been to STX 5 times for a total of 15 weeks, but I have not met any rude people. To the contrary I have only met warm and friendly people. Twice in the super market, standing in line with only a couple of items, I had West Indian ladies insist that i go ahead of them with their full cart of goods. I have also done the same thing.
I think that the drivers on STX are the most courteous drivers I have ever encountered. On our second trip, we were pulled off to the side of the road with a map out, and a local stopped to ask if he could give us directions. I even find my own driving to be much nicer there. in fact it takes me a couple of weeks back stateside to get my offensive driving style back. 🙂
Last St Patrick's day, I was downtown for the parade. i walked across the street to buy some Johnny cakes. A little later I noticed that I didn't have my wallet. My first thought was that I was the target of a pick pocket. In fact I even told a police officer. then I walked across the street and asked the lady that sold me the Johnny cakes if she had found anything. she pulled my wallet out from under the counter, and with a big smile told me that she was hoping that I would return. Of course everything was in there. of course I gave her a reward. She tried to refuse, but I insisted.

I'm sure there are nasty people there, I've just been lucky? I think that most people there are very nice. That is one of the reasons we bought a condo there, and plan on either splitting our time or even moving there after my wife retires.