We are a nation full of entitlement. The rich believe they have the right to be treated with VIP status, because they have lots of money. The poor believe they have a right to be looked after, because they don’t have any money. In between, we have a small, but luckily growing, middle class, who are working very hard. Not that the rich and the poor aren’t working hard also, but what I really mean is that regardless of our financial stance and of the efforts we put into our jobs, most Jamaicans have a sense of entitlement.

Have you ever given something to someone in greater need and then that same person keeps coming back for more? No “Thank you”. No “I really appreciate your help”. They simply continue asking for more. They become used to being given something for nothing, not even gratitude. Almost like they are owed.

Handouts are not the only things people have come to expect. Twelve years ago, while at a music festival, I was walking through the crowd to get close to the stage. There was so many people there that I had to dodge artfully and skillfully through everyone, so that I would not step on anyone’s feet, nor bounce them around. I came across a large number of patrons sitting on the grass, so I apologised as I stepped over them. There was no other way around and these people were not getting up. All of a sudden, one lady jumped up and screamed at me: “You can’t see this is my spot, lady? Is my spot this.”

I looked at her right in the eyes and replied, “The US$50 you spent to get in did not buy you this plot of land.” She seemed shocked and turned away in a strop. I continued on my way.

A couple of weeks ago, while attending an exercise class at a gym I have recently joined, I was minding my own business, making great effort to respect the personal space of all those around me. The lady next to me told me that I needed to move, because I was in her space. This time I was shocked. I moved behind her, but that didn’t stop her from ensuring that I didn’t get too close. The moment at the music festival all those years ago came to mind. The cost of gym membership does not buy a patron a piece of the studio. The only thing that stopped me from saying anything is the fact that I did not want to embarrass all the other women, who were well within earshot. There’s a time and a place to make a scene, and that was neither. With that said, I have absolutely spoken out, over the years, when someone has pulled a “Do you know who my father is?” Not only is it cliche to pull that line, it is also incredibly self-indulged.

So where does this entitlement come from and who perpetuates it? The answer is it comes from us and we allow it. The irony, of course, is that it also annoys the crap out of many of us. Unless we are reaping the benefits ourselves, we don’t like it when others get special treatment.

Jamaicans suffer from a seriously classist society and we do ourselves a great disservice by letting this be. And don’t think that this behaviour is not catching. It is. I have seen expatriates from all over the world come to this country and eventually many of them, but by no means all, act in the exact same way. These culprits waltz in here, thinking that they are better than us and the expats who don’t behave like this, and again we allow it. A nation of pride. A nation full of talent. A nation that is strong. Yet we have lived like this for hundreds of years. Has it been, and is it still, worth the cost?

There has been much discussion, within Jamaica’s public forum, about the way in which one’s appearance does influence another’s judgement. This is nothing new, really, as we Jamaicans have always loved to comment on that man’s exposed briefs and this woman’s tight-up skirt. However, more recently, the ‘dress-code’ within our schools has been in the forefront.

On a radio programme, which aired at the end of August, it came to my attention that the head of a school had rescinded a job offer upon noticing that the said hired teacher, who was qualified for the job, had a tattoo. On another radio programme, which aired a week later, it became apparent that a girl student, who attended another school, was refused entry due to the school citing that her skirt was too short, even though the skirt’s length was indeed within the school’s rules. It also came to my attention that what the school did was in fact wrong, as any student registered to a school cannot be refused entry. On the same day, I read an article, which was in one of our newspapers, that informed us of a parent of a very young boy being told that she had to cut his hair or else he would not be allowed to join the school.

If any of you are nodding your head in agreement with what happened in these three cases, I would like to know why. Like seriously, why? For those of you who think that all of the above is r@@s (a Jamaican expression, for all you foreigners) ridiculous, congratulations on moving past the last century.

Let’s get back to the tattoo. The principal of that particular school said that he felt an exposed tattoo would send a negative message to the students, hence why the policy was in place. At the interview of the teacher whom he hired, the tattoo had not been seen. I am desperately trying to view all of this from the principal’s perspective, but I am finding it incredibly difficult. How does a tattoo on someone else influence a child’s behaviour or performance? Are tattoos magical? Do they somehow jump off someone’s skin, draw a knife on a kid and force him or her to hand over lunch money or cell phone? Are they able to mystically climb through a student’s ear, get into the brain, then tell him or her to be rude, disrespectful and mean? Do they force people to steal? Pay attention, people, I am still talking about tattoos. The teacher is qualified, yet what he chooses to put on his skin affects his qualification and capability? I was under the impression that one’s upbringing, and the way in which they are treated and taught, are the main aspects that influence a child’s actions and academia.

Now to the skirt. Uniforms are chosen by schools, and in many cases places of work, so that those in attendance may be identified as going to that institution, they appear ‘uniform’, and they aren’t exposing private parts of their bodies. Hence why it is best to wear the uniforms as intended – a certain length, buttons done up, pants pulled up, etcetera. However, as a minister stated, the girl should have been allowed into school and her parents should have been contacted, so that the matter could have been discussed and dealt with appropriately and without discrimination and media attention.

Finally, the hair. A photo of the little boy was printed in the paper. Firstly, I fail to see how his hair was considered long. Secondly, had hair been even longer, why would this matter? I’m back to the question about magic. Does long hair (on a boy) mean that said child magically becomes a bad person? Are girls at this school allowed to have long hair? I’m actually laughing as I type this blog. Seriously…..LONG HAIR. Why do you care?