A Fool's Paradise
Lucy Bennett
Copyright © 2020 Lucy Bennett
All rights reserved
First Edition
NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING
320 Broad Street
Red Bank, NJ 07701
First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2020
ISBN 978-1-64801-028-6 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-1-64801-029-3 (Digital)
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
Introduction
America was always considered by most people in other parts of the world to be a great country. It is a country which is respected by many nations and believed to be a beacon of hope for those countries that has less of the material things of the world and military power to adequately support and defend themselves. America is usually one of the first to come to the assistance of its allies in times of disasters, wars, and whenever help is needed. Like other countries, it also has its faults and failures. Slavery and racism are some of the highlights of the American history. Racism existed from the colonial days when the whites were given special privileges while black people and other minority groups were used as slaves and discriminated against.
In the 1950s, things got even worst. The discrimination, segregation, and cruelty to black people took its toll. Many were beaten or killed, houses were burned, and they could not even travel on a bus with whites. The American whites believed that they were superior to blacks because of the difference in skin color. The Civil Rights Movement brought some slight change to the situation, but the racism still existed to this day.
Coming to America was the beginning of a new story in my life. It opened my eyes, and only then did I realized that America is like living in a fool’s paradise. I believe that I was coming to a country where people were all treated alike and had equal opportunities. This is what you hear when you are outside of the country, but I realized that this was not the reality. Few black people got the opportunity to make it to the top, and even then, they did not get the same treatment as the whites. Poor people in this country is not given much chance to better themselves. They are overworked and underpaid. I realized that poor people were not even protected by Federal laws. Vacation, sick, and holiday time off are at the discretion of the state and the employers.
For the first time, I had an eye opening, and I realized that America was not what I thought it was. It is a democratic country, but the voice of the minority (the rich) is drowning out the voice of the majority (the poor) and racism still exist.
We all have a story, but I now have two stories—one in a real world and another in a world that is divided by race, color, greed, and racism. Sometimes I wish I had not experienced this type of lifestyle. I loved the laid-back lifestyle I left behind. I loved not being seen because of the color of my skin but for whom I am and for the content of my character. Writing this book is another part of the story in my life. A new story which I hope I will never have to live again.
Chapter 1
I was born and grew up in Jamaica. If you have ever been to this island, you will realize that we are a laid-back set of people who believe that enjoying life with friends and family is very important. We are a proud, resilient, compassionate, caring, and no-nonsense group of people. “Jamaica no-problem man” is really a part of our culture. We believe that life is not only about the accumulation of wealth but more importantly is how we enjoy what we have worked hard for. Our motto, “Out of many, one people,” is our core belief; therefore, whether you are black, white, red, or yellow, you can find a place in our country without ever feeling that you are unwanted or not welcomed. Maybe we understand fully well that no one is here to stay forever, that we are just passing through; therefore, the land is not our land. Like Bob Marley, we believe that “every little thing is going to be all right,” so regardless of the problems, we do not believe that they are insurmountable but that we can always find a solution.
Racism is not one of our concern, and it will never be. Although this is an island with mostly people of color, we do not discriminate against anyone, whether Americans, British, Chinese, Syrians, or whatever nation the person is from. We accept everybody regardless of race, color, or language. We do not characterize people by the color of their skin. We believe that we are all created in God’s image, that we are not perfect but at the same time no one is superior to the other.
Most Jamaicans had this weird belief that America is the perfect place on earth where everyone is treated with respect and given the same opportunity How could we believe that this perfect nation was overcome by so many “isms”—racism, colorism, corruption, intolerance, hate, etc.? We believe that in America, you just had to blow a whistle and everything falls into place. We believe that a road which would take one year to repair in Jamaica would only take one month in the United States. That was what we believed until my eyes were opened.
In Jamaica, our politicians have many faults, but we believe politicians in America were above board. They would not lie, steal, or commit adultery, etc. They were people whom the society looked up to. Maybe we believed this because we heard so much about the good things America offered and less of the unsavory things, or we were not paying attention. We were not aware that black kids were not welcomed in some high schools and universities. Worse, we were not aware that there was still a problem with a black person going to live in a neighborhood which was considered to be a white community. We believed that these were civilized days and that everyone was considered to have equal rights regardless of skin tone, race, or the language they speak.
Although I did American history in school and was aware of the American civil war and slavery and racism in the United States, I thought that these were in the past. I believed America was on a new path, that America had discovered its soul and was making amends for all the wrongs they did to colored people. Maybe I was naive because I should have known that a leopard does not change its spot, so why did I thought that the great America had changed? You see, I was thinking about America instead of Americans. I forgot that the place cannot do any wrongs; it’s the people who are responsible for all the wrongdoings in a country and that a country is as strong as its weakest link. I don’t think that all American whites are racist. I think it’s the minority that gives the majority a bad name.
Kingston, Jamaica, is 580 miles, 1 hour and 35 minutes to Miami by plane; however, I can remember several of my relatives heading for England instead of the United States up until the early 70s. The reason, I believed was that we were under British rule up to 1972 when Jamaica gained independence, and it required no effort to travel to England. I also