Winston Sill/ Freelance Photographer
Socaphiles in motion.Tanya Batson, Staff Reporter
GOOD QUESTION. It seems to be carnival again. The Baha Men's hit may be more pop than soca but it is quite relevant to the carnival experience. While it may no longer be true that the freaks come out at night (as these days they are always out), it is definitely true that the dogs come out for carnival.
For many, the greatest attraction to carnival is the loss of inhibitions. The wild gyrations, the very skimpy clothing that often borders on technicalities, the intoxicating rhythms, all create a very potent combination that leads many of the usually conservative to 'get on bad'.
While carnival in Jamaica has not yet reached phenomenal proportions, it has attracted quite a following. There are two major groups of carnival lovers. There are those who simply love soca and are very glad to have a space in which they can enjoy that kind of music, and express their enjoyment to the fullest. On the other hand, there are those persons who are willing to go almost anywhere in the eternal pursuit of a good time, and thus they also flock to carnival events.
There is a third group, however, which is not as large as the other two. This group may be termed the Dogs of Carnival (no offense intended to our canine friends). These Dogs of Carnival are those humans of the male persuasion who attend carnival sessions for one reason only, to get several eyefuls of the skimpily clad women and hopefully get at least a one 'wine' if they play their cards right.
These Dogs of Carnival (DOC) can be easily spotted. During the early hours of the given carnival event (they especially flock to beach events, a fact which needs no explanation), the DOCs choose an area from which they will hunt. As the women pass by, they lean their necks to get a better view of the area from the neck down, and slowly swivel their heads as the intended prey walks past. This activity will be repeated several times during the evening as they assess the most likely targets.
The important thing to note about DOCs is that they are not usually among the male eye candy, which can also be found at carnival events. Instead, they are among the males who suffer from stomach overhang, and view carnival as a once in a year opportunity to gaze upon a feast of female flesh and hopefully also partake of a tasty morsel.
DOCs also tend to travel in packs. The pack is necessary to provide backing to each DOC as he makes his charge. Whenever a potential prey approaches, the other DOCs in the pack encourage their fellow to make his approach. As he makes his move they will further give him strength of purpose with the requisite yells, barks and grunts.
Fortunately, DOCs are for the most part harmless and there hunting patterns continue to be of anthro-pological interest.
