Disrespectful Citizens Of T&T

[LadyDeath]

Long ago people used to talk about Trinidad & Tobago being one of the most friendliest countries of the Caribbean. You can stop and ask for help and people would do the best they can or your car could be broken down at the side of the road and someone would surely stop to offer assistance. I know one thing is for sure that if you enter a business place and say good morning long ago, people used to answer you back.

Not at all ! Most Trinis cannot even say a proper good morning to you, no one respects elders anymore , people don't respect personal space , many speak before they think . We are living in a time where everyone is caring about themselves and not how their actions affect people.

What brought me to make this topic is that i realize that citizens of our country no longer respect others, even their own personal spaces. I went Tyrico beach on Sunday and we crossed the river to park under a small almond tree branch .
We were there until half day when a group of people with a silver ford ranger and black fielder came and parked close to where we were.
Next thing you know 3 ladies and two men took out chairs and put it right next to us in our family's personal space, not even a 'good afternoon or can we sit here ' etc. They just stared us down and stuck their chairs in the sand . They kept on laughing loudly and the more people came they pulled their chairs closer to us like if they wanted to sit untop of us ! Our chairs were literally jamming and these people had no concern for others. The reason why we left the busy beach to park far away from others is to have our personal space and out of all the spaces they came right by us . Smh !

 

[nirtime]

I have lots and lots and lots of stories I can tell but I will simply choose this:

There are times when I would sit in UWI to have lunch or discuss certain things/do work with friends and there are some very out of place people who will come and ask for the spot. "Fellas all yuh not doing nothing lewwe geh d space nah"

There are people who would come and move you out because you are sitting in a place that is designated for them since they are in control of activities in the area but there is absolutely no rush to use the space and there is blantant disrespect for the fact that someone is sitting very quietly, minding their own business and having lunch

This happened more than once and I made no big deal of it because I just did not want to take up any more stress on my body.

Thirdly, I remember going to Maracas and there is a male who comes and sits at a table where there are two of us sitting and waiting for the rest of people. The man comes, sits down and begins to eat his bake and shark like there is nobody else at the table... When the other person I was with got up, the male doesn't even wait two seconds, he instantly switches over to the seat that the other person was occupying. This happened outside of Richard's Bake and Shark. I shook my head, watched the man in his face and got up and walked off because I get the strong urges to get violent with these people when they do these stupid things.

The day someone jams their chair against mine I am sorry but I will not take it. God will have to be on my side because my patience is wearing very very thin with these type of disrespectful, brain rotting, low IQ people that walk the surface of the earth and I am a very gentle and kind person, quite the opposite of violent so I can just imagine how it is for some of the other people.

I highly believe this don't care, me me me attitude is displayed heavily in the driving that we encounter daily on the roads. From the simple disobedience of an amber/yellow traffic light to the cursing when wrong, it shows a lot about the general disrespect that has overrun our population to a great extent.

There are but a few good people left in this place. I am always very happy to meet these people as I am accustomed to having to face up with rotten attitudes and absolute don't care, its all about me attitudes.

 

[Lorenzo]

We're living in a sinking ship. When you're dressed and have a certain look people tend to stay far, far away from you. You could have 1 or 2 of these individuals in your group and people keep their distance because of fear. The day before yesterday I went to the shop for some snacks and a fella was "watching meh hard" so I looked at him in the same manner, he twisted his face and walked out. These kinds of people robbing any and everybody. They're disposable and won't be missed -- for long.

As for people invading personal space, haven't experienced it much. I remember one time where it did happen but we all got along. I smile and greet everyone I meet, say please and thank you, it's like an automatic thing for me to do. Some people just look at you and hate you for no reason. They will do anything to mess up your day, I've met a few people like that. I tried to help but to no avail. As my sanity comes to an end, my anger grows internally day by day ever so slowly. It screams to be released as it's being built up for so long. One more push, one more mistake by the wrong person, it will be released. That unlucky person would wonder, is this the wrath of a God?

 

[nirtime]

Lorenzo the encounters I had with invasion of personal space, those people want nothing but to bark and bite at you like a stray dog without human intellect. I would not smile and greet them because the motives behind the act were very negative.

 

[Shadowhunter]

I am told that it is rude to go about your business straight to and from without stopping to greet and chat with people along the way (who usually just want to get and/or spread gossip), and polite people are gracious and oblige others (aka pushovers) etc. Flick that! I used to be very giving, generous, friendly etc. but I've learned my lesson many times over. When you are quiet and polite and kind, people damned well take advantage!

Examples:

• People grabbing your food/drink out of your hand or table to eat/drink from and put it back or just take it away.
• People walking right up to you while you're eating and begging you for food (even people that purchasing their things and do not appear in need).
• People grabbing you randomly, or in a few instances, random strangers coming up behind me with no warning and trying to snatch my son out of my arms as a baby, or walk right up talking to him like they know him and trying to pull him out of my arms.
• Don't talk if you're a woman on a beach! I've bathed in layers of shirts and pants already (because anything less than that is "asking for it" ent Trini mentality?) and still there are always these creepy men and teenage boys that come in trying to circle around women in the water, even if she's with other people!
• Strange people trying to photograph you and being so bold as to try to bring their phone close to you, aimed at your [fully covered] body parts.
• Random people coming right next to you, jamming you real close even when there are other places to sit/stand.
• Yesterday, a guy stopped us pulling out the yard while we were hurrying to get somewhere for a certain time and he insisted that there was a road block up at his destination......then insisted on getting a drop in the opposite direction in the car we were still getting accustomed to and had yet to christen with drives with any of our friends. There was no polite way to decline, so we had to drop him off to his destination. It would have probably been very rude if I said something about it....or about his very smelly cheap perfume filling up the car and staying in the car long after he was gone (I am allergic to fragrance). Best I go back to flicking traveling to deal with this sh*t! Thankfully I did not wash the car the day before or I would have had to go back and clean it again yesterday to get rid of the smell: double work for his boldness! (but don't wanna be ruuuude)

 

[Saxman642]

It have no room for a being a "good guy" in this place.

You have to be hard when the situation calls for it. F*** politeness if you have to.

Be soft and you will get steamrolled. I learned this too many time the hard way.

 

[Shadowhunter]

Very true! Worse yet is when you tell people "no" or walk away from those people they have the gall to say you're the one being disrespectful by not tolerating or obliging their rudeness. I get this a lot from guys catcalling. Apparently it is rude to not stop and smile and happily thank people for sexually harassing you.

 

[Lorenzo]

Lorenzo the encounters I had with invasion of personal space, those people want nothing but to bark and bite at you like a stray dog without human intellect. I would not smile and greet them because the motives behind the act were very negative.

Tell them you politely decline. Good people like myself would get forced away but I wouldn't resist. Some people would wait a few months then kidnap the person, beat them mercilessly and throw them at the side of the road. The person wouldn't even know what it was for. If it gets traced back to the person that organized it and that person is jailed.. Well.. Prison is like a luxury hotel for them. This is the country we live in.

 

[nirtime]

Tell them you politely decline. Good people like myself would get forced away but I wouldn't resist. Some people would wait a few months then kidnap the person, beat them mercilessly and throw them at the side of the road. The person wouldn't even know what it was for. If it gets traced back to the person that organized it and that person is jailed.. Well.. Prison is like a luxury hotel for them. This is the country we live in.

I don't know about that. What I do know is that theres a lot of news that never makes it to the newspapers and local mass media. Also, there is almost no awareness of courtesy or respect anymore.

 

[Shadowhunter]

Agreed. A lot of people get desensitized to mistreatment and inappropriate actions and eventually exhibit this themselves, seeing no problem with it. I think it is sometimes easier for them to judge those who dislike and discourage that behavior rather than to realize that something is wrong with what they themselves are doing. Crime that is chalked up by gov't officials and police is not all the crime we experience at all. I know someone that was robbed twice, once by blade, the second time by gunpoint, and never filed a report or went to any authorities and sadly, many people are like that. Though in terms of respect etc., I've met some extremely polite criminals that could teach society a thing or two about respect (except for the criminal activities lol).

 

[nirtime]

Yes and I don't blame the citizen, authorities themselves treat people like they are criminals.

 

[Lorenzo]

Some people get the police to do it for them, some of them even dress up in police uniforms and do it themselves. Money is power.

 

[Shadowhunter]

Some people get the police to do it for them

I would think those police officers are people they know who are doing them a favor or officers doing it for a price. I have yet to encounter an officer doing the job they are supposed to for random citizens just because that is what they are being paid to do. But if you defend yourself expect them to wake up and decide to be police at that point eh.