Lindsey Mastis

At first glance, St. Thomas‘ pristine beaches and ideal weather leads visitors to believe they landed in paradise. That’s until they step off the plane or cruise ship. After climbing into a taxi to get to Red Hook or Charlotte Amalie, attitudes begin to change.

There is no denying the beauty of the island. But when visitors look out the window, they see a St. Thomas excluded from brochures.

I saw many homes that appeared to be abandoned or falling down. School children boldly walked on the side of narrow roads to get home. Islanders in general, did not seem happy. I wanted to know why. I found some answers in the words of a taxi driver named Stanley.

Before coming to St. Thomas, I never considered the Virgin Islands to be a part of the United States. It’s not that I dismissed it; I simply never thought of the island. Stanley told me islanders like to know what is going on in the mainland. They like to talk about it and debate. But they cannot vote in any of its elections. While it seems as though islanders see this as an injustice, Stanley said people have no desire to become a state.

St. Thomas relies on tourism. Taxi drivers (see taxi rates) know which ships are docked and what times passengers need to board. The main shopping area in St. Thomas is Charlotte Amalie. It’s designed to remind visitors of the island’s Danish history. Visitors are encouraged to buy duty-free jewelry, rum and tobacco. Each visitor is allowed $1600 in duty-free goods.

But by 5 pm, the area shuts down. Stores abruptly close and its windows and doors are boarded up for the night. Even some of it’s famous restaurants close down when the ships horns summon its passengers back to the bay. This entire experience is not authentic. It was created for tourists.

I wanted to watch the local news. Stanley told me Channel 2 (CBS) and Channel 8 (ABC) had local affiliates on the island. Although their news is much different from what I’m used to seeing, I found the newscasts and its local commercials very informative.

One of the commercials was about incest. Incest. That topic is definitely not mentioned in any brochure. The commercial seemed to be a public service announcement attempting to educate islanders about the topic. The narrator kept repeating: “Incest is illegal.” It had dramatizations of an older woman, a middle-aged woman, and a child saying it happened to them. And again, the narrator repeats: “Incest is illegal.” It encouraged people to contact authorities and report the abuse. My jaw dropped.

Could it be that this is a new concept to people living in St. Thomas? I wonder how islanders receive sex education. I didn’t know who, or how, to ask. I’m still baffled.

On Channel 8, a topic about sexual assault echoed the same theme. This time, a counselor was interviewed. She again repeated that it was wrong and should be reported. But she also mentioned that sex is difficult to talk about on St. Thomas. She was promoting a public event geared toward high school students to educate them about what is and is not considered a sexual assault.

Many of the local commercials promoted restaurants and shops. I noticed that most of the people featured were white. Yet, according to the CIA World Factbook, more than 76 percent of residents in St. Thomas are black. Why the disparity?

The island bends over backwards for tourists. But in doing so, it seems it has lost some of its identity. I had a hard time figuring out what the island is all about. I had a hard time understanding its culture. What are it’s traditional dishes? I still don’t know.

I got to know Stanley the best during the last hour of the trip. I asked him question after question. I learned the most about the island’s culture from him. In retrospect, I wish I would have gotten to know Stanley better. Instead of staying in the tourist areas, I would have asked him to show me his island. Perhaps meet his family. Learn what he and his neighbors care about after the tourists leave. That would have been a treat.