Very interesting point. I think this goes hand in hand with us sometimes putting a lot of emphasis on what someone's last name is. Whenever I meet older (or old school) Haitians, they always want to know what my last name is and where my family is from.

They ask me stuff like "Eske fanmi'w se Jean-Baptiste Gonaives yo, ou byen Jean-Baptyste Jacmel yo?"

We are very preoccupied and quick to judge someone based family relations and what other family members have done, rather than the accomplishemnts of the individual. Why is this?

They still have start from scratch once they move to the US. Mommy and Daddy status in Haiti doesn't help them learn english any faster.

OH YOU ARE SOOOOOO RIGHT...cherie! I am a prime example of starting over. My great grandfather put the first theater in Haiti and nobody knows his name and nor do I have the wealth to prove it.  I am related to Jacky Ambroise of Strings but I am not famous and I don't even know the dude lol.  It is good to take pride in certain things your predecessors did but you are not supposed to feel that others are supposed to kiss your behind for it. After all, just because your father was a great inventor, it doesn't mean that you will not become a crackhead!

Ahhh here in the U.S., you start from scratch baby. In Haiti, anything that was once yours can become government property or zenglendou property real fast.  How many of you, who like me, had family in Haiti that had alot of land and ended up selling them to come here?  I hardly have anymore history in Haiti cherie.  Most of my family is here in the U.S. I wasn't born in Haiti and I only visited there once.  When you come to the U.S., they do not know nor care about your last name's history! What have you done for me lately is what they ask you. They think Haitians all stink, can't talk right, or they think we are all devil worshippers. No matter how rich daddy was in Haiti, your status is HAITIAN here in the U.S.  We all know that we are not loved alot here either. We have to work for our respect. That means forgetting about that last name BS and unifying our people.

Some one need to tell jean and jacques ect ect that we don't care about his parent wealth....lol..

AN PINPAN

You have to sit for 45min in a Haitian barbershop too?

This is AN_PINPAN  I am to lazy to sign in..lol..

lol...oh okay I understand now...well since I am a girl I will not be in no baber shop..thanks god I would hate to hear those lame fabricated story

TO ALL ABOVE POSTERS;

If you are saying that Haitians tend to boast and exaggerate, I agree.

If on the other hand you are saying we should forget about our family's past accomplishments, you are dead wrong.  Imagine if other groups told you that as a Haitian you should forget about Haiti's past and not talk about it. Just as we have a national past, we also have family histories that tells us of were we came from and also what is expected of us.

If your parents or grand-parents did accomplish something in Haiti, you should be proud and free to talk about it.  If yours did nothing; tough.

And NO we do not all start from scratch. The values, education, morals, lifestyles instilled in us from our families have a direct impact on our behaviors in our new countries.  In my family for example, every generation has outdone the previous one in terms of income and education. I knew that I had to outdo or at least match my parents levels.  Someone else because their parents were uneducated might gain a special drive to overachieve.  What this great coutry provides is opportunity; so the son of the "machan pistach" can outdo the son of the doctor or the senator. 

So do take pride in your origin, humble or not. Tell stories of your illiterate grand-mother or your grand-father who brought movie theaters to Haiti. Listen to others' stories so you can better understand them. We all have inspiring tales to pass on to the next generation.  Keep the stories coming for they instill pride, provide laughter, and open the imagination.

kreyolbro@aol.com