The Editor, Sir:

As I read through the comments about the 'artwork' at Fern Gully in your Hospitality Jamaica magazine dated September 6, 2006, I could not help but chuckle. It seems as if the writers of these letters are suggesting that the wooden carvings are a major societal problem and inevitably contribute to the 'moral bankruptcy' which exists in Jamaica.

Now, I do not claim to be either an art critic or one who is able to fully discern the root of our social problems, but I am certainly inclined to think that we here in Jamaica have much 'bigger' problems than a few carvings with exposed penises.

The first thing which is amusing about the letters is that the writers seem to be saying that the overseas visitors to Fern Gully are offended by the carvings and are utterly disgusted. Do any of these people have a clue what (quite a large number of) tourists engage in when they set foot on this island?

There is an event called Spring Break which seems to be a tribute to binge drinking, rampant promiscuity, and just general over indulgence. Don't you hear stories about what the 'nice foreign gentlemen' do with the 'attractive young dark skin girls (and boys)' at the various hotels? Wasn't it foreigners who had the first nude wedding here? It would seem to me that if we really want to prevent moral decay, we need to get rid of some of these foreigners and not target the craft vendors.

Influence on children

The second point which is raised in the letters deals with a slightly more serious issue - the impact this type of art may have on children. This, of course, is a valid concern any parent should have, as there is some empirical evidence to suggest that children are indeed influenced by the constant stream of information with which they are bombarded from the various types of media-electronic, print, audio, etc. But, I ask us to disengage our ultra-prudent thinking for a second and ask the question: "Will my child be affected by seeing an abstract representation of the male reproductive organ?" And then I think we should consider whether our children aren't more affected by the blatant violence, openly homosexual overtones, and rank disregard for a sense of spirituality which is present in many of the video games, cartoons and literature which we allow our children to indulge in. I would be surprised if a mere penis could do more harm than these.

Essentially, what I am trying to say is, let us try to address the real social problems before we 'beat up our gums' about an issue which has virtually no impact on societal well-being. (Do you remember the big one' in the middle of New Kingston? Is that one misbehaving?) We constantly nit-pick at the very trivial issues, like the size of a penis on a statue. Why do we have to call a dance 'dutty wine' and so on, while completely ignoring the real issues we face in our country?

Whoever wants to bow down to these pretentious foreigners as they turn up their noses at the artwork in Fern Gully, go right ahead. But in the mean time, let's deal with the real issues.

I am etc.,

CLIVE FORRESTER

clive.forrester@uwimona.edu.jm

Via Go-Jamaica