ONLINE READERS COMMENT: Shame on you Babsy Grange
Dear Editor,
I honestly do not know what Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia “Babsy” Grange was thinking when she had Spice as a performer at an event that was billed as a family event, notwithstanding that $80 million were spent on that event.
Dancehall in Jamaica has become quite distasteful, it has become an event where women see themselves as props to be used by men, where the vagina is on full display, where people like Marvin the beast who treats women like pieces of furniture to throw around, are seen as real men, and where quite honestly one has to wonder if these people are savages.
To then have a woman who is the epitome of this kind of nastiness, based on her performances, speaks volumes.
It speaks volumes that this kind of behaviour is accepted even by those who are supposed to be the ones to ensure that what we have as our culture not seen as nastiness, but as something we can embrace as a people.
It speaks volumes that as a woman that type of nastiness is acceptable by Minister Grange, much to the point that she had no problem having someone who exemplifies that kind of behaviour to perform at an event where children would be in the audience.
I saw videos of the event, and the looks of “what the hell is this” by many in the audience while Spice gave her performance spoke volumes.
It spoke volumes that many were shocked that this kind of nastiness was actually thought of as a performance worthy enough to be on that stage.
From what we glorify as women, both in the dancehall and during carnival, speaks volumes that as women we need to better.
We cannot hug up this kind of behaviour and then have a problem when people like Donald Trump and many of our Jamaican men say they will “grab us by our private parts”, because in all honesty if we do not respect ourselves no one will.
I say shame on you Babsy Grange that as a grown woman you actually thought that Spice would be an okay performer for an event where you wasted $80 million and an event that had children in the audience.
Michelle Bradshaw
