Gason Ayisyen

If I had $100 dollars for every time a Haitian woman complained to me about how she hates Haitian men and refuses to date them, I would be pretty well off.  The word around town is that Haitian men are inconsiderate, unfaithful, ungrateful, expect to be treated like a king when they are really paupers, and the list goes on.  I have heard so many stories about how horrible Haitian men are, that I'm surprised I still date them (I jest).  It never made sense to me though, why all Haitian men were lumped together to be held accountable for the actions of their fellow countrymen.  I don't like to generalize too much, and when I do, it's done half jokingly, because I have not encountered everyone in that group in order for the generalization to hold water.  I think that all men act (insert list of grievances), to their respective partners; regardless of their ethnicity.

*Updated---> Pale Franse pa di lespri pou sa

I'm part of several social networks, including Facebook and Twitter. On Facebook, I'm a member of a Haitian Facebook group. A couple days ago, I suggested that if people are posting documents in French or Kreyol, that they should also provide an English translation or a link for people to translate it themselves. I surprisingly received mixed reactions. Below are screenshots of the convo. That post is what brought today's topic to mind.

 French was the primary and only official language in Haiti for a very long time. However there was a movement to recognize Kreyol as an official language as well, partly because the majority of the population does not read, speak or write French. Kreyol was legally recognized as an official language in 1987. French is the language of instruction in Haitian schools however I think there is often a disconnect because most students are not using the language in their home lives.