The Editor, Sir:

The University of the West Indies, being my university of choice, exposed me to the reality that my island Jamaica ranks as one of the most rigidly socially stratified countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. For example, Duke Street where I and many other lawyers ply our trade, is separated by a three minute walk from Gold Street, part of an inner-city community where adequate housing, social amenities and gainful employment are woefully lacking.

There are pockets of upper middle class housing communities, where the standards of living are comparable to that of any first-world gated community, including the famous Beverly Hills of California. These communities are separated one from the other, so rigidly, that those who enjoy the fruits of affluence are totally ignorant of an existence where you share a dilapidated bathroom with dozens of others and respect is given to the 'big man' based on his proven ruthlessness. In short, we have two distinct and deeply contrasting Jamaicas.

Mass communication, in the form of cable television, has now created an information bridge so to speak, eliminating the communication barrier which existed between the two aforementioned contrasting and previously isolated lifestyles. The curious uptown resident can now sign up for the dancehall channel and in the luxury and safety of his uptown living room, gain access to the life and values of a people who, before the advent of cable TV, were unknown. The DJ's of the dancehall tell a story vividly captured by the video camera, of what many will agree is nothing short of social degradation. Firstly, the gun is constantly and eminently glorified. Secondly, the use of violence as a tool to resolve conflicts is highly recommended often articulated with the repeated chorus of "a boy fe shot" or "a boy fe dead." For them public enemy number one, is any civic-minded person who reports a crime. The label 'informer' is attached to that individual and the sentence of death immediately imposed.

For adults only

These cable stations are for adults only, as the women are filmed whining with underwear being the focus and in some cases underwear is absent. Against this setting women are rated based on the attributes and 'goodness' of their sexual organ. There is the subtle but obvious high ranking of light-skinned women, whose complexion is either inherited or attained from the careful and assiduous bleaching of black skin into the desirable browning.

In dire contrast to the negatives pointed out above, DJs from time to time speak out against rapists, and give praises to God and motherhood. This seeming contradiction in the message often laced with expletives is symptomatic of the contradiction where we have one of the highest murder rates, co-existing with seemingly deep Christian values. We have, it must be remembered, one of the highest densities of church buildings and crusade tents in the world. We need to check on our international ratings regarding the density of dancehalls.

The need for fun and frolic is human. However, the situation begs the question whether the social commentary of these DJ's proves that we have become an ungovernable society in decay.

I am, etc.,

BERT S. SAMUELS

bianca@cwjamaica.com

Attorney-at-law

4 Duke Street

Kingston