- You don’t have to spend vast sums of money to spend time in a nice hotel here in Belize. You are earning US dollars and can afford anything here in Belize. The exchange rate is $2 to $1. In addition, if you spend your time at the Belvue Hotel, which is located not too far from a bar and situated in front of a street that is the hang out site for degenerates, these are the people you will meet. If you understand the principle of real estate, you know that Location matters! If you spend your time in a guest house on the north side, you may not encounter such “low lifes”. You may pay a bit more, but definitely something you can afford.

Anywhere you go in Belize you will encounter locals, whether you go on the south side or the north side. However, those persons who are enterprising work and you will not encounter them hanging out on the streets just waiting to have a conversation with a tourist for the most part. From the pictures you posted it seems that you were looking for what looks old and interesting to you. Should the country be blamed because that was your interest. If you meet a weed smoker, what do you expect to hear from that person who is hanging out on the streets? Do you expect them to speak your language? If they did, they probably would have a steady job. A nice place to have visited is the Bird’s Isle Restaurant. There you would have encountered a different set of people – those who work who chose to have lunch there instead of going home to eat mid-day. These people are locals and would provide the intellectually stimulating discussion it seemed that you craved.

On another note, when you judge certain aspects of our culture for not being original, did you stop to think about your own culture and what aspects of it is original and what aspects are imported. America is a country of immigrants. If today you embrace pizza, for example, and say it is American, did it originate there. As far as I know, and correct me if I am wrong, the indigenous were the Native American Indians. Today America seems to adopt anything….. yoga – this is foreign, all the pagan religions of the east now have a lovely home in America, even the Muslim. Should I then judge America the way you judge my country for being influenced by Jamaica. No, I don’t think so. For when you judge, you condemn yourself because you do not judge from a righteous standard and are guilty, somewhere in the midst of it, of the same thing.

From what a lot of people here have said, I’d say that not all of Belize is bad. It’s just Belize City that I’d steer clear of.

Just about any positive enterprise can’t help but do good, so on that note I’d say go for it.

I don’t think it’s the colour of the Belizean’s skin that is the issue, it’s the fact that they are culturally adrift and impoverished with no prospects.

I’ve thought long and hard about the “badass attitude” and I think it comes from feeling disenfranchised. If you get locked out of the society you live in (for what ever reason, be it race, religion, culture or social status) you will get angry and hate right back at those making your life miserable. Any person who doesn’t feel as though they are a part of society won’t have the feelings of “ownership” that leads to better civic behaviour and a desire improve their surroundings.

Unfortunately, people who have been left on the margins of society with no hope of change, compounded by years of mistreatment, disappointment and belittlement look to anti-hero stereotypes, and that’s where I think the “badass attitude” comes from.

There is a huge difference between the ways how American and British TV show black culture and people. Up until recently, US TV has perpetuated the “jive ass” stereotype for African Americans whereas on English TV, blacks are generally shown as people (which is of course what they are) who just happen to look different to the indigenous people.

When it comes to groups that I don’t like, I’ve decided that it’s not what’s on the outside that matters, it’s what’s on the inside. For me stereotypes are a type of cultural shorthand that has very little worth. To be honest, I don’t like any kind of stereotypes and see such behaviour as an affect. I just wish people would relax and just be themselves instead of picking a personality off the TV to act out.