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‘Ragashantisation’ of Jamaica
Henley Morgan
Henley Morgan
Wednesday, April 13, 2011THERE is a problem of tsunami proportions inundating Jamaica. It is corrupting the morals of the nation and dividing a people blessed with a vision of oneness into disparate and warring tribes. Simply put, the problem is unbridled and indiscriminate utterances in the public space.
Jamaica, for all its pretence at hospitableness, has been for a long time a place where people trace one another shamefully at the simplest offence. Expletives are hurled undisturbed by education, social status, age or setting. Simple phrases like “I am sorry”, “Forgive me”, “Thank you”, “I love you” have all but disappeared from the everyday language of whole sections of the society. Rudeness, crassness and boorishness have become imbedded in Jamaica talk; replacing our distinctive Caribbean accent as the linguistic feature most identifiable as being Jamaican.
Gutter talk, once thought to be the preserve of rogues and vagabonds, is being mainstreamed throughout the Jamaican culture, thanks to some very talented, privileged and well-placed people. Kingsley Stewart, Adijah Palmer, Everald Warmington and KD Knight are among those contributing to the level of ear pollution in the public space.
Ragashanti Live, the once popular radio programme hosted by Kingsley Stewart, was known for its unabashed presentation of lurid experiences in raw and graphic language. One of the popular innovations of the programme was a no-holdsbarred cussing match between women bordering on the profane. When the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica moved in to put a stop to the sordid affair, it was on the basis of a litany of breaches of the public broadcasting licence of the station carrying the programme. These included material of “graphic sexual content that was not suitable for broadcast at any time”.
Adijah Palmer, who goes by the stage name Vybz Kartel, is the freshest and brightest face (pun intended) in dancehall. The subjects commonly sung about in secular dancehall music tend towards profanity, misogyny, violence and homophobia. By his skilful, lyrical portrayal of some of these themes, Kartel increases in popularity and notoriety with each recording, oblivious to the significant behavioural impact music has on vulnerable audiences.
JLP MP Everald Warmington has on several occasions provided evidence that he exercises little control over what he says in public. His latest diatribe culminated with the offensive words, “Go to hell”, spoken to a CVM TV anchor for all Jamaica and the world to hear. The resulting outcry – by the Women in Media group, the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, the Press Association of Jamaica, the Media Association of Jamaica and far-flung groups like the International Federation of Journalists and the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association – has been proved by subsequent events to have had no observable effect on the acerbic politician.
Queen’s Counsel Keith Desmond Knight used the Dudus/Manatt hearing as a platform from which to launch a derisive attack on high public office, camouflaged as oratorical and legal brilliance. The House of Representatives has Government and Opposition held at bay by the Speaker. The courts have the prosecution and the defence who must acquiesce to the judge. Inside a boxing ring there are two combatants and a referee, whose job is to keep the action going until either party suffers a knock-out or is otherwise defeated. Based largely on Mr Knight's unnecessarily belligerent attitude and verbosity, the most natural outcome of the commission's work is that one side or the other should be declared the winner of the contest when it is truth that the process was intended to reveal.
This brings me to a diagnosis of the underlying causes of this tendency among some people to create for themselves a larger-than-life, grandiose, self-promoting and self-aggrandising image, which rubs many people wrong, even as others are mesmerised by their seeming brilliance. These types appear close to Sigmund Freud's narcissistic personality, named after the mythical figure Narcissus, who died because of his pathological preoccupation with himself.
The word “pathological” used by KD Knight to describe what he sees as a natural disposition of one of the witnesses before the Dudus/Manatt Commission toward mendacity, would be as appropriate in describing his own behaviour and that of others operating in the glare of public scrutiny who give themselves to utterances which demean the human spirit and cause conflicts. Freud recognised that there is a dark side to narcissism.
Narcissists, he pointed out, are emotionally isolated and highly distrustful. Perceived threats, the illusion that enemies are blocking their progress, can trigger rage. Conversely, achievements can feed feelings of grandiosity. Either condition is a recipe for self-destructive behaviour and self-decapitating rhetorical flourishes.
Given enough rope and time, narcissists will hang themselves by their own petard. It is a paradox that because of the charm, brilliance and value of the personalities having this bent, there are always people quick to rush to their rescue. In the case of Kingsley Stewart, Cliff Hughes, the man who is arguably Jamaica's most respected journalist in the electronic media, is on record saying the Broadcast Commission is not sensitive to the financial challenges faced by radio stations and that he will seek legal recourse in challenging the decision to remove the show from the air.
Adijah Palmer found an ally in Professor Carolyn Cooper who rolled out the red carpet for him to give a lecture at the University of the West Indies, listened to by throngs of impressionable young people. Everald Warmington “coopted” Dr Alfred Sangster, a man full of integrity, in a feeble attempt at an apology, and following a recent byelection is back as MP for South West St Catherine. KD Knight is being heralded in some quarters as the knight in shining armour that slew the dragon and kept the nation entertained.
It seems almost pointless preaching to those with a loose tongue – those who defile themselves with their public utterances – in a country that rewards such people with adulation. To halt the greater move in the direction of what may be aptly termed “the Ragashantisation of Jamaica”, it is useful to remind ourselves of the fourway test of things we say and do. (1) Is it the truth? (2) Is it fair to all concerned? (3) Will it build goodwill and better relations? (4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Applying these simple but profound principles will make a better country.
hmorgan@cwjamaica.com
. I also agree fully with your statements above. Jamaica has serious problems, most of which are deliberately or unwittingly created by Jamaicans themselves!
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