Cockroaches Are God's Creatures; Let Them Be

Let me first say that this article is in no way an intention for racism, although it may unintentionally scream racism to some people, it is purely based on what I have personally noticed in the area that I live in. I myself am not racist; in fact, I've always dated outside of my race and have many friends who are outside of my race. This is not about race, this is about morals. Moving forward, we're all aware that cockroaches have been around longer than just about any species, including us, but that doesn't really make them any special now does it?

They're very dirty, coming equipped with many diseases and possible infections, they invade people's homes, contaminate food, they're highly capable of causing asthma in children, and they're just downright disgusting and ugly. You would think God would want to create something that is the complete opposite of all the above, something that would benefit the environment. Well, unfortunately, cockroaches don't. So if they really are God's creatures (assuming he is the clean, loving, and caring God that we've all heard of), then he must have created them with his eyes closed.

What's even more mind-boggling is why only 10% of households in America do not see cockroaches as a health threat. I mean do we have to duct tape everyone to a chair and force them to watch 1988's "The Nest" or that one scene from "A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master" to make them realize there is nothing okay about this species?

I live with my fiance and stepdaughter in the basement of a private house in the Bronx. It's a nice area and our basement two bedroom apartment looks nothing like a basement, it's not even completely underground. Our neighbors are jamaican. When we first moved in, there were already roaches in the apartment (meaning that the infestation was coming from the house that the apartment is in and not the apartment itself), the landlord brushed it off and said "Ah, they're everywhere." Mind you, these weren't the big ones but infants and "teenagers", but I'm pretty sure we've all seen "Gremlins" and know what happens eventually, that is, if nothing is done about it. That's right, folks, just like the mogwais, they eat, cocoon, and increase in size.

We set up all sorts of traps and even spread some boric acid alongside the wall outside our apartment. Our landlord saw this and had a look of bedazzlement on his face, even though he shouldn't be bedazzled because he should be the one doing this for us. At my fiance's job, she had a discussion about cockroaches with a jamaican co-worker who was also bedazzled that we actually kill these things when we see them. The co-worker praised them as God's creatures and if she had seen one in her house, she would let it roam free. My fiance then asked her what she would do if they hatched eggs in her food, the co-worker then replied, "Oh, you're just being mean!"

Our neighbors continued to be untidy by leaving windows and doors open in the hallway and all over the house; one of them was even laying on a filthy couch in the hallway, pitch black, his underwear riding off his waist, while talking on a cell phone as roaches run around him in the dark. And I had caught one of them just as it was trying to crawl in beneath the front door.

Native jamaicans are pretty much used to it and I don't blame them, it's not their fault that there isn't more cleanliness on their part, it's how Jamaica is and how they were raised. There is a range of poverty in Jamaica and not everyone there can afford insect-free homes. So, as a result, most of them have grown used to the bugs and the many health concerns that come with them, even though they may not like it, there really isn't much they can do about it for now.

Now it is quite understandable as to why any person of any race (white, black, asian, west indian, etc) who grew up in any inner-city type of environment faced with poverty would have no problem with something that can be squashed with their giant shoes. But when you come out of that environment and into a better one, not necessarily rich, but better off than before, that doesn't mean your old habits should move in with you. That's just morally wrong.

When you come from a poverty-filled part of Jamaica and into a nice private house or apartment in Bronx, New York, there are "options" available. Raid, roach motels, Riddex Plus, roach bombs, boric acid, even doors and windows help. Yes, doors and windows have the option of being shut and locked instead of being carelessly left open for something to crawl or fly in. Holes around the sink, walls, or pipes can be sealed up. Just because you didn't do this back where you came from, doesn't mean you don't do it here. It's either shut the kitchen window and turn on the fan/AC, or leave it open so that Brundle-Fly, freshly hatched from a pile of dog poo outside, can swing on in and take a dip into your child's cereal as he/she eats it. As disgusting as that sounds, it is the truth, and this truth is very, very ugly.