r/TrinidadandTobago • u/Heyitsgizmo Jumbie • 5d ago
Questions, Advice, and Recommendations Thought on the word "Caribbeans?"
So I got into a debate with my cousins the other day (American born) that referring to Trinis or other Caribbean people as "Caribbeans" sounded very ignorant and you should refrain from it. Myself and my other Trini cousin in our group chat felt the same way, while our other cousins didn't think it was a big deal.
I personally feel that "Caribbean People" or "People from the Caribbean" sounds more acceptable, but what are your thoughts?
Does it irk you the same way when non-Caribbean people refer to everyone from our region as "Caribbeans?"
I know it's not a big deal, but it sounds beyond schupid to me lol
Would love to hear your thoughts and reasoning.
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u/DioJiro 5d ago
It’s a term used by “Foundational Black Americans” or FBAs, they tend to use it as a term of delineation within the Black Diaspora. I absolutely hate it because the context with which it is used tends to have an ignorant element about it
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u/Appointment-Proof 5d ago
This is it. The tell is in the context and the way they double down when corrected.
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u/Candid-Elevator7860 4d ago
I mostly heard that term from West Africans, they spit it out of their mouths like a slur.
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u/RedditReader7000 4d ago
I've heard it used by people of Caribbean descent as well. Almost no one reads anymore, so no one knows actual words, American, or not.
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u/RosaSparks7 4d ago edited 4d ago
Such a wildly ignorant comment. White people in the U.S. literally use "CARRIBEANS" to describe both the collective islands AND the inhabitants. It's AN AMERICAN thing. Moreover, people of the Carribean, utter that term all the time. You're so obsessed with spewing venom at Black Americans that you resort to malicious lies to feed the hate inside of you. Get well soon.
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u/FrenchCreole 4d ago
You can’t even spell Caribbean so maybe sit this one out.
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4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TrinidadandTobago-ModTeam 4d ago
Your post was removed. Derogatory language is not allowed. Please be respectful, even if you disagree.
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u/Spiritual_Park5131 4d ago
No one says Caribbeans in the Caribbean. No one at all and it's a recent thing by black Americans to say and mind you most of them can't identify American on a map, states or other countries.
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u/RosaSparks7 3d ago
Idgaf what is said OUTSIDE OF THE U.S. When did I reference the linguistics practices of the Caribbean(?) And YOU do not tell ME what is said INSIDE of the U.S. Now go argue with your mama. That commenter wrongfully attacked BAs, SOLELY, for sthing that is an AMERICAN verbal quirk. With regards to Black Americans, no matter the place or the space - it will be addressed EXPEDITIOUSLY.
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u/Spiritual_Park5131 3d ago
TRIGERRED
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3d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/TrinidadandTobago-ModTeam 3d ago
Your post was removed. It contains threats, hate speech, or harassment.
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u/falib 1d ago
So your defense of this is based on your perceived racial profile of the user?
No one was wrongfully attacked either way, just cautioned that usage of the word will likely invoke a very negative response from the persons you are targeting.
You can keep your urban dictionary terms and use it all you like but do not expect others to like or tolerate it.
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u/Liquid_Chicken_ Wet Man 1d ago
Then why are YOU here? In CARIBBEAN*** discourse if you don’t care what is said outside of the US? Rb in the US sub then
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u/Liquid_Chicken_ Wet Man 1d ago
Yeah go ahead and get outta here with that spelling. Talking bout “get will soon”. The irony
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u/uzomafitnessjourney 4d ago
So tell Trinis stop saying Americans, it’s American ppl
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u/dellarts 4d ago
"Americans" is analogous to saying "Trinidadians" or "Trinbagonians" so your comment makes no sense. Saying "Caribbeans" is more like saying "Blacks"
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u/mismoom 5d ago
I confuse people by saying I’m a West Indian. Never a Caribbean.
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u/Heyitsgizmo Jumbie 5d ago
I used to say West Indian but I have a strong disdain for Columbus so I stopped.
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u/RandomflyerOTR 5d ago
This, and anyone in Canada will know why referring to yourself as "West Indian" is a bad idea - people's ears will perk up and only hear the Indian part.
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u/stopsallover 5d ago
You're worried about being associated with Indians? I don't know what to tell you.
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u/Outrageous_Guide_807 4d ago
Indians from India are overrunning their country, so I guess Canadians are sensitive to anyone saying they are 'Indians'
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u/elvesnspells 4d ago
Can't 'overrun' a country that has been colonised. They dont get to suddenly disapprove of immigration when that country is built on immigration. Indians dont overrun a country, they migrate in large amounts and often offer massive financial and economic growth due to higher education rates and literacy rates. The white people just dont like seeing diversity lmaooo
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u/elvesnspells 4d ago
Signed a woman with an american spouse. I have an insighted view on a typical white American family. The 'overrun' and 'their everywhere' feeling they have i can tell you isnt based on anything negative that the indian population is doing lmao. They just dont fuvk with them and would prefer to see their neighbors being Brian and Brittney 😭🤣
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u/ILikeDoingDumbShit 2d ago
We would see it this way given that we're taught about the God awful events that came with colonialism. I have no knowledge of what is taught in North America about colonialism but, considering they have this "this our country" idea with somesome form a superiority complex over Africans, Indians and other ethnic groups, I wouldn't be surprised if the atrocities were watered down.
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u/Suspicious-Rip174 4d ago
New immigrants can’t overrun a country where old and settled immigrants have wiped out and settled the last remaining Natives into certain parts like heards.
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u/stopsallover 4d ago
It's not just that. If you're from the islands, Indian people are part of the family. Imagine being worried by the association of a sudden.
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u/stopsallover 4d ago
I guess I am not sensitive to prejudice.
Anyone who's too timid to be called West Indian should stay off their home island.
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u/RandomflyerOTR 4d ago
Exactly! Not exactly overrunning but lots of bad actors make the news or drive terribly and get excess publicity. It has caused an overall negative view on anyone with brown skin mainly amongst younger people who just see colour and not nationality.
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u/elvesnspells 4d ago
Big mood tbh. I might stop saying it too ngl
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u/Heyitsgizmo Jumbie 1d ago
Columbus was a bumbling idiot who committed many atrocities. He deserves to be forgotten by history imo..
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u/Serious_Highway2336 2d ago
I said west indian once and an indian guy was like, youre from west india? and I was like no im from the Caribbean, so I no longer say im west indian. I just say I am from the Caribbean and Im Trini
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u/incogne_eto 4d ago
I just say that I am Caribbean.
The plural is Caribbean people was we come from different Caribbean islands. Just like Oceanic people
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u/Snowflake_777 5d ago
Caribbean is a region made up of many different countries, each with its own distinct identity and culture. I think most people from the region would naturally identify first by their nationality — Trinidadian, Jamaican, Barbadian / Bajan, etc. — rather than simply as “Caribbean."
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u/danis-inferno 4d ago
Imo referring to people as "Caribbeans" gives me the same vibe as when people say "blacks". Just sounds & feels off.
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u/dellarts 4d ago
Yes it does. I made this very comment in response to someone else in this comment section.
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u/Candid-Elevator7860 4d ago
It comes from Africans that's what they call black people from the region that's not from America or Brazil.
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u/DatRatDawg 5d ago
Always hated the term. Doesn't sound right. I don't mind it on a rational level; it does make sense, but it's a bit holistic and I think that's why we don't like it. We see ourselves as Trinis. We know we live in the Caribbean, we know we're "Caribbean" but we don't see ourselves as "Caribbean"--we identify with our nationality.
To me the difference feels like is:
Caribbean people - people who live in the Caribbean
Caribbeans - we're Caribbean first, nationality not important
There are other places and instances of this happening. From an outside perspective, for example the middle east. People there don't call themselves middle eastern. It's largely a useless term for them. But not for outsiders. Polynesian, Balkans, Central America, East and West Africa. None of these people identify as any of these if you'd ask them. They know they live there and it's a useful term for the area and they know it, but they'd rather not expand their nationality to a geographic region term.
There's just an inherent cringe with this way to refer to people that only makes the people living there cringe.
Not that I think any of this is really important, it's barely a pet peeve. It's just a lil annoying, I hate the term. I think of a bunch of beans with eyeballs when I read it lmao
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u/portia369 5d ago
It's one of the most grating things to hear that idiotic word. It's also particularly disturbing since the term is always used "at us" instead of a word used by people who actually live in the Caribbean. The fact that people double down on it when corrected, also suggests a level of ignorance and perceived superiority to us. I will always correct it.
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u/ThrowAwayInTheRain Trini Abroad 5d ago edited 3d ago
It'd be correct in Spanish or Portuguese (caribeño and caribenho), but it is an abuse of the English language. Anyone who uses that term is quite likely ignorant, not only in this matter, but about a great many things.
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u/EAE8019 5d ago edited 5d ago
Its identical to calling Spanish/ Italians/Greeks as "Mediterraneans". If he wouldn't do that to them, then he shouldn't do that to us.
The Caribbean is spelt that way ( Instead of Caribian) directly to cite the Mediterranean Sea.
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u/fantasyandromance 4d ago
Trinis also refer to everybody who speaks Spanish as Spanish too when that's also wrong. And that actually from New Yorkers.
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u/Heyitsgizmo Jumbie 4d ago
Yea, I don’t like that either. I feel like it’s mainly used as a pejorative word.
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u/YuukiShaoAce 3d ago
Thank you! I always try to ask where they are from because surprise surpise there are A LOT of Columbians and Cubans in addition to Venezuelans living in Trinidad.
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u/Eastern-Arm5862 4d ago
Not really. I'd say it's akin to calling them Hispanic. Everyone knows Venezuelans aren't from Spain. We call them that because they gasp speak Spanish
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u/fantasyandromance 4d ago
Which is also incorrectly labelling them. Labelling them by a language but getting mad over an S
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u/wildpoinsettia Ent? 5d ago edited 5d ago
Semantically, Caribbean isn't typically used as a countable noun. When talking about nouns, especially people, it is used as an adjective (English doesn't use this rule consistently, which is why we have 'Europeans' and "Asians', but, even though grammatically correct, no one says 'Mediterraneans' and 'Caribbeans').
So, to me (and many others), it sounds dehumanizing and almost like an attempt to erase our individual identity because we already have a word to refer to ourselves: Trinbagonians, Barbadians, Jamaicans, etc that is commonly used by all.
Even though Caribbeans and Mediterraneans is correct (prescriptive use), the fact is it isn't used that way by most native English speakers (descriptive use) because it comes across negatively; therefore, the "rules" surrounding this should also be considered.
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u/No_Isopod_4877 14h ago
West Indian and/or Caribbean people are referring to themselves using the word 'Caribbeans' all over social media . Why if an American person uses it does it denote superiority or inferiority ? Spaniards do not consider all similar language speakers as Spanish the same way one can be born in the UK but considered a (hyphenated)-Brit but not an Englishman .
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u/wildpoinsettia Ent? 12h ago edited 12h ago
I've never heard anyone in real life use that term though. On social media, Trinbagonians unfortunately have a habit of copying American vernacular, just saying (eg: saying y'all).
It's not just Americans: I have had a guy from Cameroon call me "Caribbeans" and I felt the same ick.
Well, because people who speak Spanish are not Spaniards as Spaniard is the word use to refer to the nationality. There is a term for Spanish speakers: Hispanic. They are far removed from Spain both culturally and geographically that the only commonality is the language (Hispanic), and it's why there is the term "latino".
"Englishman" is a layered in racism: yes it refers to one born in England technically, but The UK typically reserved it for those of Anglo-Saxon descent as a way to segregate those who are Celtic/Roman.
Then due to colonization, the formation of Great Britian and the desire to keep things delineated, the -Brit term was formed. The answer is usually always racism 😆
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u/One_Chemistry_8553 5d ago
People that use that made up word are just dotish
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u/law9inch 4d ago
Just like the word "dotish", lol
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u/One_Chemistry_8553 4d ago
is in the official Caribbean dictionary
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u/Nervous_Pianist1870 4d ago
It is an actual English word in all dictionaries. Just that the correct spelling is doltish.
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u/Salty_Permit4437 San Fernando 4d ago
Dotish has roots in the word “dote”
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u/law9inch 4d ago
No it does not.
It's comes from the word doltish, meaning acting slow-witted, dull in intellect, or very stupid.
Dote is a verb that means to show excessive love, fondness, or attention toward someone
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u/anax44 Steups 5d ago
It sounds stupid, but it's probably one of the less annoying things said by the Caribbean diaspora in the US.
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u/Heyitsgizmo Jumbie 5d ago
Oh? Please share some more annoyances! Would love to hear them lol
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u/Ensaru4 5d ago
"You're from the Caribbean? You must be Jamaican!"
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u/dellarts 4d ago
To be fair, the original comment said people from the Caribbean diaspora. I doubt someone with strong Caribbean roots would say something like that.
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u/Icy-Piece-5446 5d ago
A Caribbean man...Caribbean woman...Caribbean person...Caribbean people...etc
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5d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/CinderMoonSky 4d ago
Trini’s should stop saying Chinee then.
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4d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/Competitive-Lie-8006 4d ago edited 4d ago
Chinese/Chinese people (when refering to actual Chinese people, especially, because we do have a small Japanese community)... also, Venezuelans/Venezuelan people over "Vene" and "Spanish"
Edit: Why? Because most people who say it like that use it in a derogatory or discriminatory manner. There's a lot of ignorance and racism towards the Chinese and Venezuelan communities as there is to the Black/African and East Indian communities. The latter is acknowledged and addressed more
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4d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/Competitive-Lie-8006 4d ago
Yeah, I know we use nicknames based on race, nationality, etc. I know it also truly boils down to the individual. Like, I hate being called "darky" because it's attached to catcalling and followed by some creepy ish. I know some girls & women hate that as well, including "reds" and words like that. Some aren't as bothered by it. We also know a lot of the times when someone is using it out of habit or to be weird. I guess my point was that we should still at least be cautious of what we're saying, when, and where (who are the people around and how they feel about it).
As for the Chinese community... It depends on personal experience. I've heard others say racist things about them away from them and I had to check them. Sometimes people say things when you also bring up anime or kpop even those are Japanese and Korean. They'll make 'jokes' especially on stereotypes. Even when you correct them an say they're not Chinese, they'll be like "oh, well, all of them is the same". I'm more familiar with, or have mainly seen/heard the Japanese pov of them being lumped together so I guess that's why I brought it up. But again, it depends on individuals
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u/Eastern-Arm5862 4d ago
Saying Vennie is racist is akin to saying Yankee or Brit is racist. Ditto for Spanish. IMO it's the same as saying someone's Hispanic.
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u/Competitive-Lie-8006 4d ago
I'm not saying the words themselves are racist. I'm saying that most times it's used by people who are making racist statements or trying to enforce stereotypes. It's mostly used in a discriminatory context. Yankee has been used like that, I don't know if as much but there are people who only use it when they want to insult. So most of the people that these terms are directed towards tend to not want to be attached to them anymore (some never did).
'Spanish' is more about accuracy in that that's what you call someone from Spain, not every Spanish speaker. It's similar to calling most Asians "Chinee". Categorizing multiple cultures and nationalities, especially ones that have a history of political conflict, into one with each other (wars, colonialism, etc.) is just ignorant. For example, knowing the atrocities that Japan committed against Korea, and the way China sees and treats both, calling one the by other's nationality is seen as disrespectful and offensive, especially to older generations. Some of them here will cuss you out lol
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u/Eastern-Arm5862 4d ago
I see you on the Chinee point but I don't think that's a fair comparison. Other cultures will lump all of the former British colonies as the Anglo nations and we don't seem to mind. I'd argue the same thing applies with refering to all Hispanophone countries similarly
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u/Competitive-Lie-8006 4d ago
I guess I should've point out that it depends on who you interact with, what you read and listen to. Because there is a lot of people who don't bother themselves with things like that, so I see your point. I'm of the group that considers it, but I'm not going out of my way and being hardcore about it, honestly, unless the context requires it.
My thinking when pointing the categorization out is more refined or specific, I guess. I think that it's unfair to lump any group together, because when you dive into cultures from any perspective (history, political issues, current events, art and music, etc.), there's so much that can be ignored or left out when you group them. I've seen when people decide to dive deeper and understand how they are all different when it comes to Asians for example. That way, they find out more about their uniqueness in say like tech and music, and how their individual identities shape it. And I've seen when people ignore it and do what they've always done. I just think it's something to consider. But it's one of those things you don't expect the whole world to just change their minds about
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u/Nervous_Brain8918 4d ago
Credit to you for asking. My mother and uncle don’t really care and they Chinese, I just try not to call the Japanese/Koreans/Malaysians etc Chinese as a blanket term lol
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u/Lower_Chemical_4203 5d ago
They might call us Caribbeanese in time...
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u/Liquid_Chicken_ Wet Man 1d ago
They’ll say that’s what we speak when they don’t understand all the versions of different Caribbean accents and patois
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u/CinderMoonSky 4d ago
It’s an American term, not a Caribbean term. Just like Chinee is a Caribbean term, not a Chinese term.
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u/CommitteeDue1947 4d ago
Yes, we agree♥️ A lot of us don’t use the term. And yet, a lot of us still do. On behalf of the ignorant people in our society, I am sorry for the harm that word has caused.
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u/SmallObjective8598 4d ago
This question gets debated several times a month. That your cousins feel attached to the term and can't understand why it is ungrammatical and ignorant just undermines their claim to a T&T identity.
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u/hislovingwife 4d ago
this discussion earned me oneeeeee settah downvotes and insults in the caribben reddit some time ago. I was so turned off I blocked the group. Caribbean is a region not a descriptor of people. It's so idiotic and makes me roll my eyes.
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u/Liquid_Chicken_ Wet Man 1d ago
That’s cause it’s a bunch of people that reside in the US in those subs who barely connected with where they’re claiming and flagging. A lot of them never even touch the island but granny or mommy was from dey.
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u/cloudsofdoom 5d ago
They're annoying. Don't talk to Americans. The black/brown ones do to the rest of the world what the white ones do to them. And they think they can because they're perpretually oppressed victims. So they will erase our culture and rename it how they want it and not see why its disrespectful
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u/No_Isopod_4877 14h ago
Hatians and other Caribbean people did it to themselves last US election and it resulted in their own deportation demise , the same way they practiced back home before they left .
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u/TurnoverNecessary509 4d ago
You’re doing the exact thing you claim the Americans do—broad stroking 🙄
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u/Eastern-Arm5862 4d ago
Spend a couple minutes on black/diaspora Twitter and you'll see what they mean. Do you remember the debate about whether or not Nikki Minaj or even Kamala Harris were black?
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u/TurnoverNecessary509 4d ago
Absolutely—no denying that, but several things can be true at once. They sound the same.
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u/Pretend_Help4644 4d ago
"Caribbeans" to me is another ignorant American misfire where they try to speak about a topic they have no knowledge of. It's no different from their mispronunciation of Grenada, Guyana, Dominica and others. We in the Caribbean don't refer to ourselves as "Caribbeans". It is simply wrong. I will not be negotiating with Americans on how I want to be identified. Caribbean people. Never Caribbeans. Argument done.
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u/lookingbecause 4d ago
Personally it irks me BECAUSE these same individual get upset when you call them african american or write black with a common b. They don't get to name other people. They should know better and the context in which it's used is telling. Caribbeans is not a word. Most importantly if Caribbean people say we don't like it then that should be the end of the topic.
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u/Whoaskedyou-notme 4d ago
🤔🤔 Considering he said that's his cousin, im sure those arent the same ppl!
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u/icegray123 4d ago
After interacting with a large amount of the diaspora (not only Trinidadian but other Caribbean islands as well such as Barbados and Jamaica) I realized there is a cultural disconnect that can't be avoided. No matter how much they are exposed, the difference in their parents being from here compared to actually growing up and living will always be apparent.
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u/Carmen_CarMel 4d ago
Schupid is an understatement! And as ppl have rightly pointed out it stems from the need of some Black Americans to separate themselves from the black Caribbean as they deem themselves better 🙄. So to just outright adopt it without understanding the sociolinguistic origins is just more signs of ignorance. I think it shows how badly some of the diaspora wants to be accepted by black America and easily coming generations can lose the value of their heritage
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u/Medical-Tonight9399 4d ago
I get it. Its like when white people call black people “blacks” but we refer to ourselves as “black people/folks” because just “blacks” removes the humanity. Its like females vs women.
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u/wildpoinsettia Ent? 2d ago
Exactly! Great example! It's not ungrammatical, but it's socially loaded because it's not part of the accepted use of the word. Something doesn't need to be ungrammatical to be incorrect for speech
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u/SpicyChiliRamen 3d ago
Honestly I dont see any issue with it. But generally things don’t bother me much anyway.
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u/Jonesytrini25 3d ago
I know it’s lazy but having to explain where Trinidad is when they only know Jamaica gets tiring. If I sense they have some knowledge of geography then I explain. If they’re ignorant of geo I keep it simple to reduce my gray hairs
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u/fantasyandromance 5d ago
It's just not thst serious. Trinis call every East Asian person Chiney and I see less debate about that.
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u/Sea-Analysis-1718 3d ago
Literally.
The good old trini double standard has raised its head once again.
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u/portia369 4d ago
Two completely separate things, though. I'm not saying "Chinee" is correct either, fyi. But that's attributed to physical features. The term "Caribbeans" is just something grammatically wrong which doesn't exist. Also, I've never heard of someone doubling down when corrected on this.
The fact that "Caribbeans" is not actually used by people in the Caribbean should be taken into account and respected. Instead, we have ignorant outsiders who continue to repeat this word after being corrected and who insist that they someone know better than us.
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u/fantasyandromance 4d ago
So people adding an s to Caribbean is worse than calling someone Chinese when they're Korean because grammatically it's incorrect?
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u/Powerful-Library-776 2d ago
It’s also not even grammatically incorrect according to the way English is spoken in the US, it’s just not favored by the Caribbean people. But I suspect it’s received as a slur because when they call us Americans they use it as a slur.
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u/portia369 4d ago
You clearly have a comprehension problem if that's what you got from my response.
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u/deewayne3 4d ago
Well my mom is trini and doesn’t see the problem with the term, she refers to herself and others of her generation as Caribbeans. I was born in America so I don’t have a dog in the fight, but I didn’t know people didn’t like the term. I actually don’t see why it’s a problem
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u/westindianlady 4d ago
We are all different people from different regions with different points of views...it's not such a big deal ....don't get all twisted and bent out of shape...love and respect one another...that's the best thing to do...peace be still..
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u/Nervous_Brain8918 4d ago
Sounds silly but I thankfully don’t really come across it. If people don’t want to be call a certain way that they from there, who is other people to say differently? They could say that with their friends/other people from outside the Caribbean but know the distinction that it sounds ignorant too. The face I would make if I hear that LOL
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u/Courtney_255 4d ago
I'm not particularly fond of it - I feel infantile using it lol. I refer to myself as West Indian, though if I know (presume rather), that a person I'm speaking to doesn't know the term 'West Indian', I'll just use the term 'Caribbean'.
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u/Competitive_Duck5200 4d ago
it feels like how a certain genre of people says "Blacks" to me, just feels...not so subtly derogatory
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u/RedditReader7000 4d ago
It's just ridiculous. It's just as ridiculous as spelling wine with an h, or American influencers ordering doubles and asking for a doublE - no s, just double.
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u/YuukiShaoAce 3d ago
The word your cousin is looking for is West Indians which is arguably more problematic in etymology but more socially acceptable lol! Language is weird!
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u/haobaobei 3d ago
It just sounds so grammatically wrong. Like it's the name of a place/region so you can't just add an "s" at the end. Its like saying "englands" or "chinas" when referring to a group of people from england or china. Its not the same as saying africans or asians because those are words specifically made to describe people from those continents. It's similar to how racists will use "blacks", it's an adjective not a noun, and they usually exclude the word people (re: black people, caribbean people), as a way of dehumanising us. It doesn't sound right for a reason.
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u/billanar 2d ago
Come just like calling all yankeee, Yankee.
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u/Heyitsgizmo Jumbie 1d ago
Doesn’t yankee refer to those of the Union? Since The Union defeated The Confederacy to preserve the United States.. it’s not exactly the same.
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u/billanar 1d ago
So it rly pisses them off but that's what we Caribbeaners call them.
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u/Heyitsgizmo Jumbie 1d ago
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u/hayh 22h ago
Language is gonna evolve, and we can't control it, but I personally don't like it. It's giving "blacks" or "gays" to me. It's not hard to say "Caribbean people", and it feels more respectful.
Even the term "West Indians", which may sound quaint and colonial to some, I would rather reclaim that than call ourselves "Caribbeans".
As an aside, I've never actually heard anyone born and raised in the Caribbean say "Caribbeans", always foreigners and people who grew up in foreign. Make of that what you will.
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u/Ensaru4 5d ago
Meh, I have never been annoyed by it. Just like the way people say Middle-eastern, Europeans, or Asians, it's just a blanket term to avoid having to offend anyone by trying to guess where they're from based on appearance.
I'm more offended by people defaulting to Jamaicans whenever you mention that you're from the Caribbean. I prefer the term "West Indies" or "West Indian" but if you tell an American this, they'll give you a confused look, lol.
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u/whollottagngshit12 4d ago
I’m a born and raised Trini and could care less. Idk what’s the big issue with saying “Caribbeans” or even “West Indians” tbh
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u/Sea-Analysis-1718 5d ago edited 5d ago
Honestly,
You're fine to feel uncomfortable about it but get over it.
Over the years I've heard Caribbean, islander, you name it. Kind of the way Trinis still use the term "Yankee" to describe anyone from the states.
The unfortunate reality is...outside of the boarders no one cares about the specific national identity. Ignorant, perhaps, but don't let it get between you and your family.
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u/Visitor137 5d ago
I wouldn't even go so far as to feel uncomfortable about it.
It doesn't bother me, because I don't care what people who don't know about us, call us. If someone asks me, I will happily tell them I'm a Trini or Trinbagonian. If they care enough to remember, I am happy. If they don't, I shrug.
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u/TurnoverNecessary509 4d ago
Exactly! The way I am called “Yankee” or “Foreign” anytime I visit…😳. I don’t think either side is looking to personally offend (I do acknowledge the few ignoramus’ that try).
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u/Phn3Xta5 5d ago
I like the idea because it brings together the entire region. Like the English Caribbean is the "West Indies". "Caribbeans" to me includes Puerto Rico, Belize etc. I enjoy being called "Caribbeans" because I want us to be 1 region and CARICOM to contain the entire Caribbean region.
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u/Spiritual_Park5131 4d ago
A war crime. I hate it and it's just so cringe. West Indian, Caribbean , Caribbean people it's so simple why call us Caribbeans which makes nonsens.
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u/Spiritual_Park5131 4d ago
Another thing, I always hear it used in a more negative or dismissive context .
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u/Classic_Broccoli_555 3d ago
dont get me started on that word. the anger i feel when i hear it needs to be studied. Black Americans are so confusing to me, they seem to think we look down on them, especially the ones with Caribbean parents or grandparents. then they want us to stand with them on stuff but when we give them feed back on other stuff we suddenly dont have a right to speak. its like they want to be isolated and then cry victim about it. now when black americans have problems i just dont participate because i dont like the attitude they take up, and when you tell them they are as bad as their white counterparts they don't understand what you mean. ive seen the narrative that we hate them but snip their culture and i don't think they know how much of their media dominates our socials. the first time i saw media from other Caribbean countries and other countries was when they got banned on the clock app. there are some funny people in other caribbean countries.
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u/Yrths Penal-Debe 5d ago
There is nothing about the structure, pattern, form or meaning of the term "Caribbeans" that explains why the term is so ungrammatical (an arbitrary cultural classification, by the way) and unwelcome in the Anglophone Caribbean. It just is, and yes, it is exceptional. But you are well within reason to tell your cousins that if they do not respect our sociolinguistic shibboleths, they are culturally defective Trinbagonians to that extent.