When my husband sent me an email last week about the Volkswagen Super Bowl ad, the message line said “VW Yard Style.”

“Yard” is another name for my native Jamaica, and I immediately knew this was something I’d like. I loved it! The ad was laugh-out funny. Everyone in my family loved it, including my American children, as do all other Jamaicans I know.

But online, some commenters are claiming it’s racist because it features a white guy from Minnesota cheering up his dreary office colleagues with a Jamaican accent. And all Jamaicans are black, right? Wha dat?

First of all, anyone with an inkling of Jamaicans would know that yes, while the majority are black, we have Jamaicans who are white, as well some whose ethnicity is Chinese, Indian (as in the subcontinent) and Arab, among others. And all take pride in calling themselves simply Jamaicans. Our motto: “Out of Many One People.”

And the fact that he’s able to cheer up his colleagues by using a bunch of catch phrases? No problem, man. After all, it’s simply meant to be funny and overthinking it is what leads to folks taking offense.

As for there being an issue about Jimmy Cliff singing the Partridge Family theme song “Get Happy?” It simply brought back memories. “The Partridge Family” was a big hit in Jamaica - we even had the bubble gum cards. Matter of fact, I had a teen crush on David Cassidy. So, having one of our icons singing a song that was familiar to Jamaicans of a certain age? No problem, man.

Our little island of about 2 million is probably the most well known of the Caribbean islands, mainly because of the reggae music that the likes of Bob Marley and Cliff helped to spread across the world. It also has gotten publicity of the sort that makes us wince.

But we are proud whenever we hear our country mentioned in a positive or even neutral light. Many of us delighted in the Jamaican character in “Meet Joe Black” and liked that Tia Dalma/Calypso in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” spoke with a Jamaican accent.

We loved when our bobsled team took the Winter Olympics by storm in 1988 - and we embraced the subsequent movie. Usain Bolt and the rest of the Jamaica runners at the past two Summer Olympics have brought untold pride to a people.

Jamaicans are neither simple nor preternaturally happy - after all, we love, live, die like everyone else, but we are ever hopeful. The meaning behind the black green and gold colors of our flag speak to that: hardships there are, but the land is green and sun shineth.

We also are proud of our Jamaican patois. English is our official language and we speak it, but we embrace our patois - which basically is English turned on its head. It’s mainly a spoken language so the spelling is inconsistent when it’s written. The key is in the accent.

And perchance you want to brush up on the language (and maybe cheer up your office colleagues today), here’s an abbreviated Jamaican 101:

Whap’n - What’s happening?

Mi no kno - I don’t know

Mi hed a hat mi - I have a headache

Wha gwan?/Whe yu a seh? - What’s going on?

Mi caan stan fi wait pon di bus - I don’t like waiting on the bus

Rahtid! - Oh my! Oh gosh! etc

Nuff respect - I value you/your opinion

Dis taste good yu si man - This is yummy

Him dung deh so - He went that way

Mi bruk dis week - I’m broke this week

Howdy - Hello

Wha dat? - What is that?

Lata - Good-bye

Big up - kudos, I applaud you

Cum ya - come here

A who dat? - who is that?

Seet ya - here it is

Cho - Sigh (frustration)

Nyam - Eat, as in: I love to nyam food

Kiss mi neck! - What!? I don’t believe that