Jamaica is always in the news…world news, sporting news, music news. You name it, we are being mentioned.

Now it might seem mind boggling to some (it is to me) how a nation of over 2.8 million people, who cannot build a stable economy, cannot rein in one of the highest murder rates in the known world, can at the same time have such a profound impact on the world as we know it.

From Garvey to Bolt to Sean Paul and many more in between, we have, decade after decade, created individuals who routinely seem to do the impossible. Some would argue that it is due to our greatness as a people, but personally, I beg to differ.

I believe our countrymen are successful in spite of rather than because of us. Jamaica is world domination bootcamp! if you can succeed here in spite of the odds…you can succeed pretty much anywhere.

If we look back at history, while Marcus Garvey was educating the world and being hailed by many as a prophet, in Jamaica he was naught but a criminal, jailed on multiple occasions, then exiled from Jamaica, before dying in an alien country.

Bolt after showing early promise as a junior, went through a period of injury and no-shows, and was written off by many of the wagonists who are currently comfortably astride Boltmania. Sean Paul was a third tier DJ at best until he exploded overseas and only then did he ‘get a light’ from the local populace.

Jamaica is an island of paradox and ironies. No wonder foreigners often misunderstand and stereotype us. So let examine 10 popular myths about Jamaica/ns and bust them.

1. Weed is Legal in Jamaica – No weed is ILLEGAL. It is not as ardently policed on a spliff to spliff level as it was years ago…but it is still very illegal and you will still very much go to jail for smoking or having it on your person. It gets even more serious if you are caught trying to export it.

2. Jamaicans do not speak English – By virtue of being a former colony of Great Britain (England), the official language of Jamaica is English. A patois is spoken by many of the locals. It is a combination of their accent and mispronunciation of common English words, with the insertion of a few native phrases, which gives Jamaican speech the appearance of a foreign language.

3. Jamaica is very Dangerous – Jamaica is as dangerous as say…anywhere else in the world. Much of the famed Jamaican murder rate happens in ghettos where gangs and political forces are in constant struggle for scarce resources. If you avoid these hot spots, then the chance of you being killed is about the same as any other country with low to moderate murder rates.

4. All Jamaicans smoke Weed – This is about the same as saying that all Californians are surfers or all Texans are rednecks. Many of us do, but the majority does not.

5. Jamaicans are always Late – Hmmmm, this is a much more reasonable stereotype than #4, but again this is not true. Yes we tend to be laid back and loose in regards to time but that is not due to our nature as a people, rather to the culture of where we live. We are on time when we need to be. Try not showing up at the tax office on a month end half an hour early and see what happens.

6. All Jamaicans are Black – Nope! Our motto is “Out of Many, One People” and that is exactly what we are. Here is a more accurate breakdown – Black 91.2%, Mixed 6.2%, Other 2.6%.

7. Jamaicans laze around all day at the Beach – I wish, but then again I am not that fond of the beach. Indoors with the AC going is more to my taste…after all this is a tropical island.

8. All Jamaicans want to Migrate to the US or elsewhere – Many of us do, and a lot of us want to, but not everyone seeks the greener grass of foreign soil. The US Government is especially guilty of this very myopic viewpoint. While the opportunities of living in the US are vast compared to living in Jamaica, for some of us home is home and the beauty and vitality that is Jamaican daily life just cannot be found anywhere else. Also for a good number of us, the freedom and flexibility we gain from living here would have to be given up while living in a country like the US or England.

9. All Jamaicans are Aggressive – Nope! Of course many of us are outgoing and vocal and we pride ourselves in not taking crap from anyone…but that is a myth even Jamaicans have about Jamaica. Do not let our high strung nature fool you…most of it is like a summer breeze, gone as soon as it has blown its steam.

10. Jamaicans are Homophobic – The jury I would say is still much out on this one. If I was asked to debunk this myth 10 years ago I would have said yes we very much are, but seeing many openly and obviously gay individuals all over on a daily basis going about their business unharmed, I think we have become much more tolerant. However, public affection between gays, especially gay men, still seems to make our blood boil and incite a riot.

So there you have it…If I have missed anything please leave it as a comment and I will help you determine whether it is Jamaican fact or fiction.