Dear Editor,

How many of you out there are criticising the content and or videos of recent dancehall songs with weapons? Where were you when lyrics from Mad Cobra, Bounty Killer, Ninjaman and Merciless reigned supreme?

Now, be truthful. Do you, like me, prefer action-packed movies? Did you watch John Wick, John Wick 2, The Mechanic, 007, Taken, Shooter or Run All Night? What’s the major theme on display in those movies, and what is the most used weapon in each?

It is time for us to be fair to our artistes. They too are human. I’m not saying that they should flaunt guns or sing about violence constantly, but they must have gotten their worldview from somewhere. What do you think?

You’d be surprised to know that they could get it from their communities, their friends’ experiences, the nightly news, or the movies. By the way, it’s the Internet age, so rating a movie PG18 or showing it only in theatres makes no difference. Every child has a tablet or smartphone with YouTube.

If you are going to censor dancehall videos and call in deejays for questioning, Hollywood is where you need to begin. Plus, Carib and all other theatres should with be closed or be showing only movies without a gun or shots being fired.

Double standard is too rife in Jamaica. This is but one example.

Joseph Edwards