Suzen,
Ignorance is not bliss. And to that end, since the first Negril.com webpages became active in 1995 and especially since I came back to redirect the site in late 2009, Negril.com has provided people with the best information to make their vacation time in Jamaica as great as possible. This includes the good, the bad and the ugly as long as it is the truth. Rumor and speculation does not provide useful information to anyone, but the truth does. And that may include truth that the poster may not always find agreeable.
In the last month or so, there have been two threads regarding thefts. This one seems to be genuine, honest and without speculation about who is conspiring regarding the theft. The first one was less than honest, made with a blackmail agenda and pointed fingers at other innocent people. Maybe the frequency of these less than genuine stories is higher than you think, making it less of a minority situation. Visitors to Jamaica do have the right to know that not all the stories that they hear should be taken as gospel. They are adults and deserve to know the truth, the whole truth. Which can include the fact that some people do set themselves up to become a target.
While no one stands on their veranda and shouts "please steal my stuff", visitors to Jamaica do have the right to know that some behavior does make you more of a target to crime. Essentially the behavior does send the message to those who want to do you wrong that you are the optimum target. And that behavior often does come from the fact that some behave different here than they do at home. It is very good advice that if you dont invite strangers back to your home, then dont invite them into your room. If you dont normally hire a prostitute, then dont do it in Negril - whether the prostitute is called "your friend" or not. This is common sense advice, but not everyone uses common sense. This is one of those truths that not everyone finds pleasant to find out, but all visitors to the island deserve to be informed about this situation.
I am glad that you appreciate Negril.com since it provides the truth - good, bad and ugly, but it is also an unfortunate truth that some people do behave in ways that makes them a target for those wanting to do wrong. And our readers deserve to know the truth.