"Jamaicans: How do you perceive them?"

The ones I've met in South Florida are wonderful people;hard working, pious and family oriented. My one weeks stay in Jamaica however, in 1988 was bittersweet to say the least.

Well, I worked with a Jamaican m.d. when I was in my late teens, he was cool; and I haven't known many Jamaicans since then. But I'm from California, there aren't so many Jamaicans who have moved here. Oh, Jamaica Kinkaid is Jamaican, is she not? Now there's a woman.

I've seen the movie, The Harder They Come, and liked it.

But I'm a little perplexed by an apparent Jamaican who needs so much to establish his credentials before each post, and who can't seem to relax and just talk.

(Some of us have a variety of credentials and some don't. Some of the smartest don't. It's not a real concern here.)
I suppose that I am not the only one who wouldn't mind plain old talking together.

Same. I live in Miami, and we have a lot of people from the Carribean over here. I never bought into the stereotype of Jamaicans being weed smoking criminals, because I just never met any who were like that. I met a lot who were family oriented, good people who just want an education and a good career, just as I met a lot of [insert island nation here] people who were the same way.

ossobuco: Perhaps that person feels the need to separate himself from the stereotype. He might feel that, if he talks about all he's accomplished, people won't think he's "just another lazy, weed smoking Jamaican". Or maybe he's just very proud of what he's done, and/or thinks that his accomplishments give his opinions more weight than others.

Well, I agree with those suppositions, Krysia.
Still, it seems he is assuming we wouldn't listen if he didn't post those seeming backups for listening to him. And they probably keep some people from listening.
We have many people with a lot of credentials who post here and many who haven't racked them up. Those aren't why we listen to any person - it's what they say that counts (I know you know that). Problem is, credential furling is a little off-putting to many who don't have them, or many who do.

The ones I've met were very nice people.