Devon Dick

Last week, I heard a song with the words 'dutty gal' in it. This is a derogatory reference to females. Such degrading reference to persons based on gender, race, religion or class should not be permitted in the media.

It reminds me of a scene I watched on a local cable station in August. It was a 'dutty wine' competition in which the top 'dutty winers' got a bottle of aerated water and an undisclosed gift from a jewellery store. These prizes seemed inadequate for the dangerous acrobatics that these women had to perform. In addition, the show was 'spiced' up with a scene in which females were required to 'wine' on males. Some of these acts seemed exploitative.

It also seemed that some of these scenes are too explicit and left nothing to the imagination. Things that should be private or personal becoming available for public consumption. The society is descending into a 'dutty wine' culture.

Where 'dutty' connotes anything derogatory and not earthy, a 'dutty wine' culture is one in which that which should be private or personal becomes public. There is failure in recognising and distinguishing between the private, personal and public. Such a culture is exploitative of women and it makes dis-respectful reference to that which is special and sacred.

Something is private when it relates to the person only. It is personal when it is restricted to a closed circle while public is that which is available to all. A wedding ceremony in Jamaica is a public event and the public cannot be prevented from attending. The wedding reception is a personal event for invited guests only. Sexual intercourse is a personal affair between the husband and wife while masturbation is a private occurrence involving one person.

Private vs public

Expressions of grief are usually private, but it can also be communal mourning among family members. Some sections of the electronic media have developed a bad habit of displaying pictures of persons in mourning. Capturing and showing these pictures of persons in the throes of mourning can be consi-dered an invasion of privacy and personal space.

Eating can be a private affair, that is, eating alone or a personal affair, that is, eating with family and friends at home. Eating can also be a public affair when it occurs at a public function. However, it is distasteful to take a picture of someone putting food in his or her mouth, even at a public function.

It seems that one's drawings on a piece of paper is a private affair, which should be respected and not published to the public without the consent of the author. Similarly, writing a letter to a friend should be a personal affair and it should not be published without the consent of both the sender and the receiver. There ought to be respect for privacy and personal space.

In the United States, the media cannot display pictures of body bags of dead soldiers returning from Iraq. In the United Kingdom, certain things about the activities of Prince Charles' children cannot be reported. Boundaries are created in the national interest and to protect privacy. Let us not get to the stage where if a politician sneezes it is an opportunity for a picture.

Let us respect privacy and personal space and not descend into a 'dutty wine' culture.

Rev. Devon Dick is pastor of Boulevard Baptist Church and author of 'Rebellion to Riot: the Church in Nation Building'.