Various studies have explored the relationship between sex and violence, not just from the perspective of domestic abuse, rape, or perverse acts, but also the connection between libido and machismo.

Libido is described as sexual desire and in psychoanalysis as the energy of the sexual drive as a component of the life instinct. Machismo speaks to strong or aggressive masculine pride.

Meanwhile, over the years, various scholarly studies have sought to link sexual dysfunction (SD) or erectile dysfunction (ED) with the ownership and use of guns. The American Journal of Men’s Health, for example, has posited that,“The psychosexual theory of gun ownership suggests that men with SD may also obtain guns in the pursuit of lost virility and masculinity.

The idea is that men with SD are initially attracted to guns because they have been socialised to see guns as symbols of male genitalia and masculinity. With this ingrained cultural knowledge, men may seek guns through processes that are unconscious — because the loss of virility is too painful — or conscious — to communicate manliness to themselves and to others — to overcome their impotence and to somehow make themselves ‘hard’ again.

By allowing men “who have felt disempowered to engage with an archetypal symbol of power”, guns may provide some men with the virility that their aging bodies have surrendered.

The phenomenon of the gunman or “gunboy” on the Jamaican socio-economic landscape in recent years has been idolised in many instances in the highly popular dancehall culture which, for the most part, glorifies ‘badmanism’ in tandem with gun violence while degrading the female of the species.

Women and girls are seen as mere sex objects that must be brutalised (literally) during sexual intercourse, hence such terms as “stab up di meat”, “wickedest slam”, “beat the plate”, “wreck a pum-pum”, among other violent images that Jamaican males, mostly in the ghettoes, visualise and embrace in a quest to prove their manhood.

This behavioural pattern extends to how many Jamaican males are socialised to treat females as mere sex objects and ultimately babymothers.

Needless to say, this oftentimes volatile relationship between young men and their babymothers may result in the latter being beaten frequently, not taken care of properly, or sometimes killed if caught cheating.

Anecdotally, there is much evidence to suggest that numerous women, more so in the ghetto, are not ‘feeling’ their men in the truest sense of the word when it comes to sexual satisfaction.

Of course, part of the reason for this is that the male’s perception of how to satisfy his woman tends to vary from that of his female partner as his manhandling is not necessarily what she wants. Research has shown that many Jamaican men do not relish foreplay and are violently opposed to oral sex, which many women yearn for as this makes them feel completely satisfied at the end of it all. But, alas, as research has revealed, in many cases it is wham, bam, slam, no thank you maam!

In this context, guns are clearly phallic symbols and are usually associated with masculinity. Against this background, there are many stories making the rounds that speak to widescale sexual dysfunction among Jamaican males, including, surprisingly, many young men who have had to resort to all kinds of stimulants in order for them to ‘stand’ and deliver.

Apart from Viagra and Cialis, which are recommended by medical experts, many desperate men have resorted to imbibing a variety of potions, usually ingested before consummation. Cocaine-snorting and ganja-smoking also add to this menu of substance arousers, in addition to various herbal concoctions such as “strong back”, “chiney brush”, and “stone”.

Of course, one of the downsides to the prevalent use of these substances is that the males eventually cannot ‘rise’ to the occasion because of overuse, a scenario which may well make them angry, cross, and miserable, and could even lead to them feeling like “making a duppy”.

Then there is the issue of penis envy, which, again, is sometimes played out in the gun culture, whereby the gangster who has the bigger or biggest gun is seen as the don gorgon/alpha male.

Recent videos of gunmen showing off their weapons depict an almost sensuous scene as the gun-toting males caress and show off their huge ‘weapons’, again another example of masculinity embodied in this phallic symbolism.

In a recent newspaper article, clinical psychologist and family therapist Dr Sidney McGill noted that many Jamaican men, regardless of sexual orientation, are affected by what is known as penis envy.

He is quoted as saying, “Somehow they think that the next person has a larger penis than theirs and somehow penis is a symbol of alpha masculinity.”

Interestingly, his comments came in the wake of a recent worldwide survey by Target Map that revealed the countries in which men, on average, have the largest penis sizes when erect. But, alas, Jamaica did not make the list at all, thus shattering the perennial bragging about the legendary “big bamboo” in the “land of wood and water”.

There has been much speculation as to why Jamaican men, especially those in the lower socio-economic bracket, are so violent and brash in their behaviour, including how they treat women. This pattern of behaviour is deserving of some serious study and professional evaluation in a bid to see if certain interventions can be made at their early stage of development in order to prevent this scourge on the Jamaican society.

Incidentally, this sociopathic path being pursued by so many Jamaican males is also being manifested on our roads, as seen in the way many of them drive in an almost suicidal charge. Indeed, it has been posited that men who choose to drive certain “souped-up” vehicles that are more suitable for the racetrack are usually having a problem with their masculinity, in terms of penis size and performance. Vroom!

Interestingly, most, if not all, gunmen usually have a very special love and adoration for their mothers — some of whom wash their bloodstained clothes — as is oftentimes noted in many dancehall and reggae songs, which in a twisted way also speaks to the great level of absenteeism among fathers. Interview any gunman and he is likely to tell you that he never knew his father or had very little interaction with him. One young gun-toting individual once told me tearfully that his father never, ever told him that he loved him.

In the final analysis, not enough is being done to understand the plight of the average Jamaican male and why he does not fit into the preferred mould of who or what should be the true or real Jamaican guy. And, yes, we have a Usain Bolt, but he is an exception to the rule.

So much for the embracing of values and attitudes that has seemingly become a lost cause.

Lloyd B Smith has been involved full-time in Jamaican media for the past 45 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.