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Usain is our Othello — Love, sex, power and racism
Franklin Johnston
Friday, May 25, 2012
Colour and race are powerful symbols and we are in danger of losing our cachet — a tolerant, "out of many one" nation. In 1947, Seretse Khama married a white woman in the UK and tribal elders balked but "forgave" him. White racist South Africans had him exiled so he could not return to rule Botswana.
Love is blind and colour prejudice an abomination. We are one people in many hues but history is made by others, not by us, and so often our own actions validate their centuries-old racism. Did blacks invade white nations? We never needed others' resources? Less brave or less gifted at creating myths? We are a palette in shades of black (or white?), we even describe ourselves in colours "brown man, light-skin gal, 'im dark, dark" and our politics is awash with oranges and greens.
Usain Bolt kissing his girlfriend Lubica.
Usain Bolt kissing his girlfriend Lubica.
But are we racist? Jamaicans here and in the UK were seen as such in their recent discussion of black Mr Bolt and white Ms Slovak. You don't like it, but do some self-examination. Check yourself!
The UK has a history of black invaders. Rome gave the first global platform as black generals force-marched rainbow troops across the country building roads, forts and Hadrian's wall. The English are well blacked-up. The Domesday Book of 1086 notes black people, and we made print in the 1570s.
Black groups in the 16th century held balls and had pubs. Equiano married a white woman and had no wish to return to Africa. Up to the 19th century some black men were the toast of white society. The UK is not the USA; prejudice yes, but the UK had no Jim Crow laws. The common factor is colour prejudice, and Bolt's recent experience says even Jamaicans may be colour prejudiced. Back then, for black intellectuals, musicians, singers, writers, life was good in the UK. It is still so and better than here for poor people.
The first report that Usain was dating Lubika was electric. He likes people, the UK; he loves clubs; his face wallpapers UK news; well-known, well-liked, welcome — huggable. Colour is a magnet. Experts say a mate of another colour adds excitement, mystery and the sex is good. Country folk, including mine from St Mary, went to England on a banana boat and found true love in white women.
Our black girls (not browning) did so in Germany; they were the real "Black Forest" cake. Hitler missed a lot. They found a love black men denied them. Opposites attract! No surprise that mixed race is the fastest-growing demographic in the UK! So why were Jamaican women in the UK so angry at Usain and hateful of Ms Slovak? Many black men, including Rastaman, proudly push prams with brown babies in London. So why?
Lubica is not Usain's last love. UK clubs are awash with white and Asian girls looking like Miss Jamaica in skimpy clothes; a rich premier league baller or a good time is life for them. You think our people, the scion of slaves, cannot be colour prejudiced? Think again.
I tracked the international media. They cited criticism in local media, racist cartoons and letters to the editor which the law would not allow in the UK. They missed nothing. No headlines said we were racist but our vaunted "yes iiah, man free fe du weh im want" is as empty as "Jamaica no problem". We have big problems! We just won't take the medicine. Our homophobia, our colour prejudice, our ignorance are on show "to de worl!"
I monitor UK talk radio. Their talk diva, a buxom, blonde, Jewish Vanessa, was not amused. Her live-in man is eye candy — very black, intellectual, ripped and funny. Simon Cowell and his black muse are also an item. The majority of Jamaican women who came on air were opposed to the Usain and Lubica relationship; they said he was rejecting his own. I don't remember a Jamaican woman telling me she is mine. She was "stealing" a black man!
White women had no problem. Black women married to white men spoke of finding love, caring and of bad days with crude black men. Black men married to white women spoke of calm, respectful relations. Some 40-year mixed and black couples were aired — love, respect. Not the whole story, but blacks came across as colour prejudiced and none could say directly why they opposed Lubica.
The diaspora is not as conscious as we imagine, though they live in the home of change. The UK has laws against racist talk so they would be cut off by the host. In the hours of monitoring, not one Jamaican spoke in support of Usain's freedom to choose.
The issue of miscegenation is not new. Shakespeare's play The Black Moor Othello, who married the white Desdemona, was staged around 1600. General Othello was played like a lute by the wily Iago, his trusted aide — rumour, lies, deceit; true love turns to doubt, jealousy, rage, murder of a good woman and febrile Othello takes his life when he learns he was manipulated by Iago. Unable to live without his love or with himself; most noble tragedy!
Colour is a conundrum. We like difference, but difference can be a threat. Yet the same thing over and over is boring. We suffered because of our colour, yet we visit the same suffering on others. The white man spent time rationalising our inferiority to assuage his guilt about his business of selling black people; the market failed, he got compensation, we were human again.
Long before Europe, Arabs enslaved Africans with no compunction. Nothing new, they merely joined in what was normal trade among Africans. Their dhows also raided English villages and took many as slaves. Equal opportunity slave traders. In many cultures the brave man was killed in combat or, to avoid humiliation, gutted himself to preserve family honour rather than be captured and enslaved.
Cowards lived on as slaves. Did Africa have such traditions? All men have choices. Tainos jumped off cliffs rather than be slaves. Some of our ancestors jumped off the slave ships — clearly not enough did — we are here.
Usain moves us one stride forward and our racists take us two steps back. Jamaica can have 10 million tourists, but not if we send the world mixed signals as to who we really are. It is amazing how many of us live in the US or UK but want to keep our own society to ourselves. Usain has not one prejudiced bone in his body — an equal opportunity lover. I cannot say the same for those who bash him with their illiterate colour prejudice, homophobia, jealousy.
Poverty and illiteracy affect the brain. Brand Jamaica suffers at the hand of such people... a few build and many break down. Check yourself. Are you as open-minded as you say you are? Are you a closet racist? The educators have a lot of work to do with our adults. Stay conscious, my friend!
Dr Franklin Johnston is a strategist, project manager and adviser to the minister of education
franklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1vzGoO2OL
Franklin Johnston
Friday, May 25, 2012
Colour and race are powerful symbols and we are in danger of losing our cachet — a tolerant, "out of many one" nation. In 1947, Seretse Khama married a white woman in the UK and tribal elders balked but "forgave" him. White racist South Africans had him exiled so he could not return to rule Botswana.
Love is blind and colour prejudice an abomination. We are one people in many hues but history is made by others, not by us, and so often our own actions validate their centuries-old racism. Did blacks invade white nations? We never needed others' resources? Less brave or less gifted at creating myths? We are a palette in shades of black (or white?), we even describe ourselves in colours "brown man, light-skin gal, 'im dark, dark" and our politics is awash with oranges and greens.
Usain Bolt kissing his girlfriend Lubica.
Usain Bolt kissing his girlfriend Lubica.
But are we racist? Jamaicans here and in the UK were seen as such in their recent discussion of black Mr Bolt and white Ms Slovak. You don't like it, but do some self-examination. Check yourself!
The UK has a history of black invaders. Rome gave the first global platform as black generals force-marched rainbow troops across the country building roads, forts and Hadrian's wall. The English are well blacked-up. The Domesday Book of 1086 notes black people, and we made print in the 1570s.
Black groups in the 16th century held balls and had pubs. Equiano married a white woman and had no wish to return to Africa. Up to the 19th century some black men were the toast of white society. The UK is not the USA; prejudice yes, but the UK had no Jim Crow laws. The common factor is colour prejudice, and Bolt's recent experience says even Jamaicans may be colour prejudiced. Back then, for black intellectuals, musicians, singers, writers, life was good in the UK. It is still so and better than here for poor people.
The first report that Usain was dating Lubika was electric. He likes people, the UK; he loves clubs; his face wallpapers UK news; well-known, well-liked, welcome — huggable. Colour is a magnet. Experts say a mate of another colour adds excitement, mystery and the sex is good. Country folk, including mine from St Mary, went to England on a banana boat and found true love in white women.
Our black girls (not browning) did so in Germany; they were the real "Black Forest" cake. Hitler missed a lot. They found a love black men denied them. Opposites attract! No surprise that mixed race is the fastest-growing demographic in the UK! So why were Jamaican women in the UK so angry at Usain and hateful of Ms Slovak? Many black men, including Rastaman, proudly push prams with brown babies in London. So why?
Lubica is not Usain's last love. UK clubs are awash with white and Asian girls looking like Miss Jamaica in skimpy clothes; a rich premier league baller or a good time is life for them. You think our people, the scion of slaves, cannot be colour prejudiced? Think again.
I tracked the international media. They cited criticism in local media, racist cartoons and letters to the editor which the law would not allow in the UK. They missed nothing. No headlines said we were racist but our vaunted "yes iiah, man free fe du weh im want" is as empty as "Jamaica no problem". We have big problems! We just won't take the medicine. Our homophobia, our colour prejudice, our ignorance are on show "to de worl!"
I monitor UK talk radio. Their talk diva, a buxom, blonde, Jewish Vanessa, was not amused. Her live-in man is eye candy — very black, intellectual, ripped and funny. Simon Cowell and his black muse are also an item. The majority of Jamaican women who came on air were opposed to the Usain and Lubica relationship; they said he was rejecting his own. I don't remember a Jamaican woman telling me she is mine. She was "stealing" a black man!
White women had no problem. Black women married to white men spoke of finding love, caring and of bad days with crude black men. Black men married to white women spoke of calm, respectful relations. Some 40-year mixed and black couples were aired — love, respect. Not the whole story, but blacks came across as colour prejudiced and none could say directly why they opposed Lubica.
The diaspora is not as conscious as we imagine, though they live in the home of change. The UK has laws against racist talk so they would be cut off by the host. In the hours of monitoring, not one Jamaican spoke in support of Usain's freedom to choose.
The issue of miscegenation is not new. Shakespeare's play The Black Moor Othello, who married the white Desdemona, was staged around 1600. General Othello was played like a lute by the wily Iago, his trusted aide — rumour, lies, deceit; true love turns to doubt, jealousy, rage, murder of a good woman and febrile Othello takes his life when he learns he was manipulated by Iago. Unable to live without his love or with himself; most noble tragedy!
Colour is a conundrum. We like difference, but difference can be a threat. Yet the same thing over and over is boring. We suffered because of our colour, yet we visit the same suffering on others. The white man spent time rationalising our inferiority to assuage his guilt about his business of selling black people; the market failed, he got compensation, we were human again.
Long before Europe, Arabs enslaved Africans with no compunction. Nothing new, they merely joined in what was normal trade among Africans. Their dhows also raided English villages and took many as slaves. Equal opportunity slave traders. In many cultures the brave man was killed in combat or, to avoid humiliation, gutted himself to preserve family honour rather than be captured and enslaved.
Cowards lived on as slaves. Did Africa have such traditions? All men have choices. Tainos jumped off cliffs rather than be slaves. Some of our ancestors jumped off the slave ships — clearly not enough did — we are here.
Usain moves us one stride forward and our racists take us two steps back. Jamaica can have 10 million tourists, but not if we send the world mixed signals as to who we really are. It is amazing how many of us live in the US or UK but want to keep our own society to ourselves. Usain has not one prejudiced bone in his body — an equal opportunity lover. I cannot say the same for those who bash him with their illiterate colour prejudice, homophobia, jealousy.
Poverty and illiteracy affect the brain. Brand Jamaica suffers at the hand of such people... a few build and many break down. Check yourself. Are you as open-minded as you say you are? Are you a closet racist? The educators have a lot of work to do with our adults. Stay conscious, my friend!
Dr Franklin Johnston is a strategist, project manager and adviser to the minister of education
franklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com
Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/colum...#ixzz1vzGoO2OL