Great Dads: Freddie and Chino

[Assasin]

if he follows his father footstep I have no doubt he will be.

[Exile]

What I described is already the case Don1, we only pretend it is not...well maybe not on the supply side of the equation. Even the so-called 'uptown' man also has his 'outside' children some of whom he doesn't maintain. In addition, most of us in Jamaica grew up with an extended family - even if two parents (not necessarily biological) were present ie part of the skewed 'nuclear' family.

The role of the extended family in Caribbean life is grossly underplayed and we often take for granted the inputs of Granny, Grandpa, Uncle, Auntie, cousin etc. and dismiss and diminish their collective contributions. I don't disagree that the fathers sometimes don't play a major role in their biological children's lives -(too busy with new woman and the stepchild?) but maybe it is not as bad as we make it out to be.

So often,in the absence of empirical data to understand our failures (demographics, education, urbanization etc.) we turn to proverbial beating stick (wont use the term whipping boy) - black man 'nuh mind dem pickney'.

Now we we look at some the historical antecedents, we may be able to foster a better understanding. Certainly for men of the Muslim faith, they take care of their offspring even from different mothers.

So while you may not be idly chatting, I think your comparison of two different socioeconomic scenarios may not do justice to the comparisons. One must always remember too that Jamaica is not just 'uptown' St Andrew and 'downtown' Kingston - even if it is a broad brush, since the majority are either from 'country origins' or still in the country. Yu zi mi?

[Exile]

I did some reading on the subject since and found views similar to mine, clearly I'm in the wrong field:

Ethnocentric bias was found to dominate many of the earlier studies on Afro-Caribbean family and kinship practices. This bias is demonstrated
by the adoption and uncritical use of European norms as the standard. The
ethnocentric bias implicit in these perspectives invariably compares slave or
Afro-Caribbean family and kinship practices with those of a mythical European norm. In some instances, slave and Afro-Caribbean family and kinship practices are interpreted as promiscuous, unstable and deviant. In other cases, they are interpreted as functional for the individual or group, but dysfunctional for larger society. In both instances, it is assumed that that individuals and groups will achieve upward social mobility only through the adoption of European family norms.

Source: A feminist review of the idea of Africa in Caribbean family studies
Theresa-Ann Rajack-Talley. Feminist Africa 7. pg 32-48.

http://agi.ac.za/sites/agi.ac.za/fil..._article_2.pdf

Also this:

http://uwispace.sta.uwi.edu/dspace/b...pdf?sequence=1

[Bricktop]

Was just aksing a question...I dunno...but unless all the kids are under one roof, it would hard to be the best father you possible could be

[Hortical]

Historian, what about Freddie's other kids?
What involvement wid dem???

[Islandman]

You tun christian overnight? What is with all this self-righteousness?

[Assasin]

The fact is though that even if them nuh under the same roof we sometimes the men them can do better.

Things happen but how an you be a good father when you have 10 pickeny with 5 different women? When we beat down European standards most times we fail to set any for ourselves.

[Hortical]

Artists like Bounty Killa like fi chat sey him father neva pay him any mind, and history repeats itself with Bounty haffi pickney all over the place. Jamaican men lack the moral discipline and continue to have multiple children who are not nutured and provided fatherly love & advice. And then we wonder why we have so many devils & dutty nawgas running around slaughtering people without empathy.

[Lazie]

Artists like Bounty Killa like fi chat sey him father neva pay him any mind, and history repeats itself with Bounty haffi pickney all over the place. Jamaican men lack the moral discipline and continue to have multiple children who are not nutured and provided fatherly love & advice. And then we wonder why we have so many devils & dutty nawgas running around slaughtering people without empathy.

" dutty nawgas"

Wow ... never heard that one before.

[Hortical]

Haffi write it another way, due to the censors.

[Mosiah]

It's called Lee Malvo Syndrome.

[Mosiah]

When we beat down European standards most times we fail to set any for ourselves.

That's deep, Sass! Coming from you - beyond profound!

[Rudi]

So being a good dad is having three different baby moddas? Inneresting

Very good point Bricky. Is Edward Seaga or Butch Stewart a good dad. I won't call the others which you and I would both know but not prominent names. Tru you a mi bredrin we naw go mention your situation. LOL.

[Gamma]

yuh saying that bricky is a ~gasp~ HYPOCRITE??!!! or that he is not a good dad? which one?

[Rudi]

Could be neither and both at the same time. what a precky.