The Caribbean today is characterized by grave intolerance and mistrust at all levels by https://padlet.com/kaelah_ross/al3s3daoenpg Made with an open mind en-us 2019-11-29 01:39:37 UTC 2025-11-10 14:34:21 UTC hello@padlet.com Religion in the Caribbean kaelah_ross https://padlet.com/kaelah_ross/al3s3daoenpg/wish/417647190  Religion is a hypersensitive topic not only in the Caribbean but worldwide. Nevertheless there are certain issues that one can agree on when this discussing such topic. One of these issues is that in the Caribbean today there is mistrust and grave intolerance when it comes to religion particularly for example the Baptist faith. The Spiritual Baptist faith dates back to slavery and was an issue for colonizers since it was founded by George Liele who was an ex-slave. The faith played an integral role in reaching to the oppressed and fulfilling the need for religious instruction and education to ex slaves. The faith is a mixture of Christianity with traditional African religion. In today’s society the religion is often feared or associated with discrimination in the workplace due to the belief that Baptists are known as devil worshippers or obeah a common misconception. The fear is associated with some of the rituals performed and beliefs practiced. This common misconception dates back to the time of colonial rule however where once upon a time the practice of spiritual Baptist was condemned and banned. At that time the colonial authorities was particularly concerned with the resilience of African influence in many forms of popular culture. The memories of slave insurrections as well as post-Emancipation conflicts remained strong, and therefore the idea of African-based customs and communal activity was anathema to those in power. The most conspicuous of cultural expressions was that of the Spiritual Baptist Church. In 1917 to 1951 the faith was banned by the colonial government for ostensibly the syncretic tendency of the religion and the shouting and clapping which was seen as a threat to the colonial law and order. The roots of the Baptist faith were eclectic, mirroring the colony’s ethnic diversity. This led to the prohibition of Shouter Ordinance which made it illegal to practice the faith. The Baptist fought for many years trying to counteract the perceptions of their faith while fighting court battles. Although this ordinance was repealed prohibition shaped the attitude of people of the Caribbean. The faith is usually viewed as negative because it does not conform to the norms of Christianity. It is easy for one considering all these factors to say or believe that the Baptist faith has not yet obtained the respect that most of the other religions have today.
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 However there has been progress in terms of the Baptist faith and its tolerance in the Caribbean. For instance in 1996 the Spiritual Baptist was granted a public holiday to commemorate the repeal of the prohibition of ordinance and to celebrate the freedom to practice their religion openly. While there are still people who are fearful of the faith as years progressed it has become more tolerant in the Caribbean. There are often articles and documentaries that explain the origin and ideas behind the practices and beliefs of the religion educating citizens so that the common misconceptions or ideologies of the faith is clarified. The religion is now also taught in schools for the first time as part of religious instructions as well as new schools and childhood centers has been established which the Baptists believe places the intellectual and academic development in their hands. Grants for land to build schools, churches and spiritual parks has been given. Another important progression is the revision to the Table of Precedence to include the faith. Regardless of some intolerance the stigma is slowly diminishing and there has been significant movement. While there are a few setbacks it is safe to agree that the Spiritual Baptist faith is not where it once was twenty years ago. It is important to note however that intolerance is not subjective to Baptist other religions experience intolerance or mistrust in one form or another. For example the belief of not eating food from different religions due to the belief that some food is sacrificed, or the acceptance of the decision of certain religions not to eat common foods like pork with respect to Muslims and seventh-day Adventist or beef with respect to Hindus is just one example. Religious intolerance goes all the way back to slavery and indentureship where Hinduism and Islam was viewed as paganism and the personal manners and laws were criticized by planters. The issue of racism, ethnicity and religion are all issues that are not frequently talked about and have some form of intolerance and mistrust by people who live in the Caribbean however there is also progress in improving the tolerance and the trust of these issues in the Caribbean. Whether it be the establishing of new churches or holidays strides are being taken and intolerance and mistrust is slowly but surely disappearing .]]> 2019-11-29 03:45:05 UTC https://padlet.com/kaelah_ross/al3s3daoenpg/wish/417647190 Racism and Ethnicity in the Caribbean kaelah_ross https://padlet.com/kaelah_ross/al3s3daoenpg/wish/417658199 The Caribbean is known for its diverse culture and population of people from various countries but the issue of intolerance and mistrust to different ethnicities is prevalent both historically and presently. Discrimination towards different ethnicities usually is centered on the belief that one race has to be dominant and other races are coming to take over or steal what is rightfully the others. For instance Chinese immigrants have been a part of Trinidad culture since 1806 when they arrived on the ship Fortitude. Although there were four waves of Chinese migration the two main waves  of Chinese to the Caribbean region being mentioned is the first wave of Chinese ,which consisted of indentured laborers who were brought to the Caribbean predominantly Trinidad, British Guiana and Cuba, to work on sugar plantations during the post-Emancipation period. This first wave of Chinese immigration was intended to set up a settlement of peasant farmers and laborers in order to populate Trinidad the newly acquired British colony and more importantly find a new labor source to replace the African slaves who would no longer be available once slavery and the slave trade were abolished. It was felt that the Chinese immigrants could work on the sugar estates. The second wave was comprised of free voluntary migrants, consisting of either small groups to British Guiana, Jamaica and Trinidad from the 1890’s to the 1940’s. Most of the modern Caribbean Chinese descended from the second group. The immigration of the Chinese to the Caribbean was expensive and required a lot of time and a large distance and for these reasons the immigration scheme did not last long. The Chinese also preferred a more commercial enterprise rather than agricultural labor. They became shop vendors, farmers, traders and owners of restaurants.
  In today’s society there is not much difference as Chinese immigrants are a huge part of Caribbean culture owning large retail shops and many Chinese restaurants however the issue of intolerance is still observed regardless of the length of time the Chinese has been present in the Caribbean. There is still mistrust and attitudes observed surrounding accepting Chinese into the local communities. Just recently the issue of renaming a popular street in Trinidad (Charlotte Street) Chinatown raised a lot of feelings of abhorrence from Trinidadian Citizens. Citizens saw the re branding as a sign of colonialism by the Chinese calling it an intentional scandal. Even in historical times blacks were not very accepting of immigration since it reminded them about the oppression they faced.They often expressed that they felt emigrants were there to harm them or they were upset about the houses and money being given to them while they felt as they got nothing. They felt as if they were thieves and the country should be left to themselves and these feelings are still being reflected today, where Trinidadian citizens are expressing that taxpayer’s money was being wasted to put up the Chinatown sign and the feeling of being dominated or being pushed out by the new reaffirmation of the Chinese presence is apparent. Expressing feelings of anger that Charlotte Street does not belong to the Chinese but to Trinidadians.
 Although there are several negative feelings toward the rebranding of Charlotte Street showing the intolerance and mistrust of citizens there were those who had constructive thoughts towards the idea and are more accepting of the change. People who expressed that it was a good idea and it would make the Chinese community feel at home. Some people believe that the Chi­nese have a rich cul­ture which is sup­port­ed by many per­sons in Trinidad and To­ba­go and they have worked hard to­wards the de­vel­op­ment of not just the Char­lotte Street area but all of the country. The Chinese have a deep her­itage in the East Port-of-Spain area in­clud­ing George Street, Char­lotte Street and Nel­son Street with es­tab­lish­ments in the 1960s like Yet Ming, Ng Chow, Chooquan Su­per­mar­ket, Cheewah, Tam Pack, Aleong’s and Chin’s Gro­cery. The lack of acceptance would then seem absurd considering the contribution of the Chinese community to Trinidad moreover the Caribbean.
  The mindset of pinning one ethnic group against another all stems from colonization where planters would often put East Indians against Africans. The role of European planters in implementing indentured servitude had a tremendous effect on shaping social attitudes in colonial Trinidad. For instance, the Indian indentured laborers were kept apart geographically and culturally from the rest of captive labor force. This separation then fostered an atmosphere that perpetuated the negative stereotypes initiated by the white planters. This tactic was used in attempts to further divide the labor force from uniting. The planter elite rationalized the division of labor by claiming that Africans were poor workers, lazy, irresponsible and frivolous while East Indians were characterized as industrious, docile, obedient and manageable. This later led to some East Indians adopting this view of the enslaved Africans. East Indians are also stereotyped as stingy and prone to domestic violence. The division of labor was therefore created by the planter elite as a means of effectively controlling the labor force.

The social hierarchy in colonial Trinidad consisted of whites as the plantation owners, the Chinese and Portuguese in trading occupations, Africans and colored people were in skilled manual occupations and East Indians in the agricultural fields. The "commodification of ethnicity" caused by the division of labor has had extensive implications on the process of symbolization for those that it involves. This meant the subordinate groups could not fully develop their own-shared ethnic and cultural standards. Instead the images and stereotypes were superimposed on them by more powerful "outside" groups. Even today these stereotypes are still seen in society. Therefore it is safe to see that racism is not only against Chinese but against all groups. There would also be racism on the path of the Chinese against blacks and not only vice versa. Simple things such as the color of one’s skin are issues seldom discussed. Where light-skinned people are the preferred population who is more likely to attain high status jobs. The color complex also goes back to slavery where the light-skinned enslaved captives were preferred to be domestics and darker-skinned Africans were put into field labor. When the enslaved Africans were auctioned, those of "mixed" ancestry and light-skinned tones usually generated the highest bids. Through their contact with white planters, the light-skinned and colored population were exposed to and cultivated what was considered proper speech, dress and etiquette. Enslaved Africans that were light-skinned were also the chosen population for sexual unions with masters. The children of these unions were more likely to be allowed to purchase their freedom and land and have opportunities to obtain an education and better jobs.

Although there are exceptions, the unequal treatment of slaves fostered a light-skinned upper class and a dark-skinned lower class. Lighter blacks were consistently offered better opportunities than their darker counterparts and therefore established higher socioeconomic status. Today this view proves to still be an issue.
 Whereas racism is still a prevailing issues not only in the Caribbean but in the World there have been progression in the way people are viewed. Not all people are judged on their race or their ethnicity as in colonial times. Things such as the Chinese bicentennial and Indian arrival day all commemorates and recognize the arrival and contributions of these groups to Trinidad. The more people have an understanding that the Caribbean is made up of many diasporic groups which all contribute in its unique way to culture the greater the progression would be.

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