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The Caribbean is undoubtedly characterized by severe intolerance and mistrust at all levels. The reasons for this stem from the history of the Caribbean and by extension the society developed in this region. Hence, one must consider the ideologies of the stereotypes created in this society which becomes a relative measure of what is deemed ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Furthermore, this grave intolerance and mistrust that the Caribbean is today associated with not only occurs in everyday interactions between citizens but at the governmental and regional level as well. Although some of the factors that stimulated this mistrust and intolerance may have diminished in recent times, other factors undeniably persist in the contemporary Caribbean at all levels. Some of these include intolerance of various gender roles and gender identities as well as mistrust for local products.

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This notion of gender roles is certainly visible in this region. However, there is a specific stereotype of the ideal male and female in the Caribbean, which when deviated from leads to grave intolerance. For example, hegemonic masculinity is seen as the norm and is dominant over all other forms of masculinities in the Caribbean space. As Reddock noted, “Some masculinities are hegemonic and dominant while others are subordinated and marginalized.” The males are expected to not show any emotions, have a domineering personality and be confident while simultaneous being the breadwinner and typically successful.

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Further to this, these institutions exaggerate the male-female union which is regarded as the basis of civil society, that is heterosexuality as the norm. This inevitability leads to the fact that varying gender identities within the Caribbean are not tolerated as they do not align with the heterosexual discourse. According to Human Rights Watch, some Caribbean “countries have versions of buggery and gross indecency laws, relics of British colonialism, that prohibit same-sex conduct between consenting persons”, further illustrating the intolerance of particular gender identities in the Caribbean. Hence, the LGBTQ+ community is alienated from society as males and females do not conform to the stereotypes created.  “Homosexuality is generally seen as the negation of masculinity and thus effeminate” (Reddock). This grave intolerance is frequently illustrated in the music created in the Caribbean. Jamaican dancehall music is “often cited in reference to homophobic tendencies in Caribbean culture” (Reddock). This is illustrated by Buju Banton’s “Boom Bye-Bye,” which even generated protests in international media.

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Differentiating Sex, Gender Roles and Gender Identity

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Differentiating Sex, Gender Roles and Gender Identity

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The ideas of sex and gender may be difficult to comprehend as the complexity of both concepts increased in recent times. According to the World Health Organization, “‘Gender’ describes those characteristics of women and men that are largely socially created, while ‘sex’ encompasses those that are biologically determined.” Therefore, sex refers to being assigned the label of male or female at birth while gender can refer to the role of males and females in society, called gender roles, or an individual’s concept of themselves, referred to as gender identity.

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Numerous institutions, such as the church, school, media and family, definitely influenced gender roles in the Caribbean. Juedo-Christian religious values have dictated the development of Caribbean society immensely. Ideas of men being victims of their passions while the beliefs that women were supposed to be conservative and responsible for the men’s behaviour, as they were the ‘temptress’, justified by Eve being the temptress inducing Adam to sin, were definitely promoted. Additionally, top hierarchical positions in traditional Christian churches were occupied by males, further emphasising a patriarchal society and intolerance and mistrust for women in these high positions.

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Although the conservative, socialist and Evangelical-Christian perspectives are ideologies that support Caribbean patriarchal societies, there is now considerations of the Gay Male Perspective and the Pro-feminist Perspective that support the opposition. In addition, “the Belize Supreme Court made a historic ruling in favour of gay rights activist, Caleb Orozco, and struck down the country’s anti-sodomy law” (outrightinternational.org). Although it was only the first case in the Caribbean, intolerance with respect to gender roles and identities, certainly has decreased, as evidenced by women’s right to vote, becoming leaders in religious institutions and in high governmental positions as well. This is illustrated by The Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar becoming the first female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago in 2010.  Nevertheless, mistrust and intolerance are still existent today.

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As observed before, mistrust and intolerance can occur towards a group of persons who do not satisfy the standard set by the Caribbean society, mainly due to its history. However, mistrust also occurs between Caribbean producers of products and consumers, specifically the citizens of the Caribbean. There seems to be a general preference for items that are produced out of the region rather than those crafted by the locals. “There was and still is the belief strongly held by many in the entire Caribbean that foreign products are better, more durable, and by definition, much more fashionable than those manufactured locally” according to Greene. This mistrust occurs at all levels, from daily interactions in stores and fast food outlets to a regional level. Therefore, support for local entrepreneurs appears to be almost non-existent, implying that there is a level of mistrust of their products. For example:

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The first picture illustrates food products made in Trinidad and Tobago while the second displays edible products that were not made in the Caribbean region. When asked for the preference between these two options, persons of the Caribbean will most likely choose the second. The reasons for this may be considered subtle, but undeniably relates to the history that was formed in the Caribbean.

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After sugar cane was introduced and there was the decline of the white indentured labourers, chattel slavery became a reality in the Caribbean. Consequently, the transatlantic slave trade or triangular trade was created. It was a very lucrative system which took place in three distinct steps. Firstly, goods were transported to Africa from Western Europe which were to be exchanged for captive slaves. Some of these goods included weapons, textiles and other manufactured goods. The second step involved the Middle Passage, connecting Africa to the New World.

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Increasing Mistrust for Local Products in Contemporary Caribbean

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Increasing Mistrust for Local Products in Contemporary Caribbean

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For example, these fast food restaurants are located throughout the Caribbean and are supported daily by many Caribbean persons. On the other hand, the latter picture shows a local vendor who receives significantly less sales than these fast food chains as there is mistrust for her items. To add to this, clothing products worn by most locals are all usually manufactured in metropolitan nations, symbolizing the mistrust citizens have for those clothing materials made in the Caribbean. According to Greene, Michael Roberts stated that “Caribbean nationals have now developed a fixation with things American in the minds of people living in the Caribbean . . . Things manufactured and made in the region are seen as inferior.” In addition, the increase in technological availability and advancements undoubtedly allows for easier purchasing of items online or e-commerce, amplifying the issue of mistrust and intolerance for local products.

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The Caribbean, at one point, may have been defined by the terms intolerance and mistrust. However, in recent times, these attitudes have gradually diminished, but they definitely still exist at all levels. Intolerance of gender roles that diverge from the stereotypical female and hegemonic male persists to this day. Likewise, relationships that do not conform to the heterosexual discourse receive a vast amount of intolerance. Communities such as the LGBTQ+ are isolated in the Caribbean space as is presented in songs and the media. Mistrust and intolerance do not only occur against persons but also towards products made in the Caribbean. There seems to be the mindset that foreign products are superior to the local counterparts. As such the Caribbean today is absolutely characterized by grave intolerance and mistrust at all levels.

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                                                                    Works Cited

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                                                                    Works Cited

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“Caribbean.” Global LGBT Human Rights, Outright Action International, 2019. outrightinternational.org/region/caribbean. Accessed 26 Nov. 2019.

“Gender and Genetics.” World Health Organization, 2019. www.who.int/genomics/gender/en/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2019.

“Gender Inequality Remains Persistent in the Caribbean - CDB Report.” Caribbean Development Bank, 2016. www.caribank.org/newsroom/news-and-events/gender-inequality-remains-persistent-caribbean-cdb-report. Accessed 26 Nov. 2019.

“Gender.” World Health Organization, 2019. www.who.int/gender-equity-rights/understanding/gender-definition/en/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2019.

Greene, Gladatone F. Caribbean: Economics, Migrants and Control: An Analysis of Socio-Cultural and Economic Dependence, 2013, pp. 34-35. Google Books, books.google.tt/books?id=aoMCSZ0jxHEC&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=local+preference+between+local+and+foreign+products+in+the+caribbean&source=bl&ots=ZJq4onpU4Z&sig=ACfU3U3RzyakxT_jQyl6IvyOI0zl04oIXA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiysPGpw4_mAhVlplkKHQm1DfkQ6AEwCHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false.

“I Have to Leave to Be Me": Discriminatory Laws against LGBT People in the Eastern Caribbean.” Human Rights Watch, 2018. www.hrw.org/report/2018/03/21/i-have-leave-be-me/discriminatory-laws-against-lgbt-people-eastern-caribbean. Accessed 26 Nov. 2019.

Parry, Odette. “In One Ear and Out the Other: Unmasking Masculinities in the Caribbean Classroom.” Sociological Research Online, vol. 1, no. 2, July 1996, pp. 10–22, SAGE Journals, journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.5153/sro.12.

Reddock, Rhoda E. Interrogating Caribbean Masculinities: Theoretical and Empirical Analyses, Edited by Rhoda E. Reddock, The University of the West Indies Press, 2004, pp.7-148. Google Books, books.google.tt/books?hl=en&lr=&id=YPDHXd0fOroC&oi=fnd&pg=PR8&dq=hegemonic+masculinity+in+caribbean&ots=KH1d-qROs6&sig=m_O3HoKXiVQgr0UunJyjyboEsMs&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false.

“Transatlantic Slave Trade.” United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2017. www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/slave-route/transatlantic-slave-trade/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2019.

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This picture represents the stereotypical Caribbean female and the duties they are expected to perform in the household.

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Note: Click on pictures to enlarge

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Absence of Washrooms to Facilitate Other Genders in the Caribbean

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Of course, the society did not choose this level of thinking, but it was rather constructed and developed by the unique history of the Caribbean. In the Neo-Indian society, the division of labour based on sex was present and polygamy was practised. However, women were not allowed to have multiple partners, therefore enforcing a patriarchal society and gender inequality which is still seen in particular aspects of the contemporary Caribbean. This is illustrated by females getting “lower-waged occupations in the economy and a lower female labour force participation” (caribank.org), further emphasising intolerance of women in the workplace within the contemporary Caribbean. Moreover, in plantation and East Indian societies, domestic work was done by women and they usually did field work and house management activities. Even from the discovery of the New World, one can see that history was told through the perspective of the powerful, male Europeans.

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Intolerance surfaces when any of these traits are not present in the males of the Caribbean society and they are generally referred to as ‘unambitious’. Similarly, females are expected to stay at home and perform domestic work rather than providing for their family through working for fair wages. As Reddock expressed, “Males exercise the freedom of the public space while females are considered more ideally suited to the private, domestic space.” Furthermore, this ideology implies that women should be subordinated to men and it emphasises the existence of a gender order where men have power over women and other men due to ethnicity, sexuality or physical prowess. As such, any divergence from this norm leads to intolerance in the Caribbean.

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To add to this, there exists the tradition of educating boys in schools where there is under-representation of girls in STEM subjects. Although “In the Caribbean females are currently outperforming males at both primary and secondary levels of schooling” (Parry), advancement of females in higher education is still seen as problematic. Furthermore, family traditions unquestionably encourage intolerance because of the attitude of resistance that has developed in Caribbean society. Finally, media has a major impact on intolerance and mistrust as it portrays the stereotypical man, objectification of women and homophobic violence.

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Finally, in the Caribbean, “slave traders brought back mostly agricultural products, produced by the slaves. The main product was sugar” (unesco.org). This cycle continued for several centuries and is the basis of grave mistrust and intolerance of local products. For many years, the raw materials produced in the Caribbean were taken to European nations in order to be manufactured and sold back to the region. This draws parallels to the contemporary Caribbean where mistrust of local products still occurs. It almost becomes natural to purchase foreign products as the media promotes this idea as well. U.S. imperialism and the ever-increasing rate of globalization further facilitates this mistrust.

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Fast food restaurants at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine dominating local vendors

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Vendors of the Caribbean where citizens seem to have mistrust in the products produced