I was disappointed recently with the actions and comments made by a professional clown who became infamous for boisterously and arrogantly intimidating passengers in a taxi.

He was seen forcing them to exit the vehicle as he had determined that the passengers ought not to be travelling during a strike by taxi operators. With a big stick in hand, a face looking menacingly at the passengers, and shouting, “Uno come out a dis,” he gave the passengers the impression that he was on a mission for owners and operators of buses and taxis and he was zealously guarding and acting in the best interest of stakeholders. Passengers obviously felt the need to exit the vehicle, no doubt based on fear for their safety. This they did, albeit reluctantly, in response to the outrageous and abusive behaviour and demands made by the clown.

It was, however, fortuitous that, at about the same time the clown was carrying out the uncivilised behaviour, a police patrol spotted what was being done, accosted the young man, and proceeded to arrest him. With videos circulating on social media indicating he was crying in the police station, he immediately denied that was the case and is reported to have said he was simply responding to the irritation in his eyes, consequent upon being tear-gassed by the police.

Readers may find it interesting that majority of the passengers threatened by Ramone Silvera, 32, of Kellyman Terrace, were women. When asked if he would apologise he said there was no need to do so as he did not physically harm anyone. Responding in this way is to overlook the psychological, mental, and emotional harm done to a person or individuals who are subjected to verbal abuse. Yet it has been well established that emotional and psychological abuse include mostly non-physical behaviour that the abuser uses to control, isolate, or frighten girls and boys and women and men. Verbal threats are sometimes used by abusers to undermine the self-esteem and self-worth of others, usually the most vulnerable. This is in a bid to create a psychological, mental, emotional, and spiritual dependency on the abuser.

In these 16 days of activism in which the alarming rate of one in three women and girls are affected by gender-based violence (GBV), down from one in four a few years ago, we may be seeing the effects and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason it is helpful to keep in mind some of the tactics used by abusers to frighten, intimidate, and oppress victims of abuse. These include:

• humiliating the victim in front of others;

• calling the victim insulting names, such as stupid, disgusting, or worthless;

• getting angry in a way that is frightening;

• threatening to hurt the victim, people he/she cares about, or pets;

• the abuser threatening to harm himself/herself when upset with the victim;

• saying things like, “If I can’t have you, then no one can.”

These strategies used to perpetuate GBV are classic signs of the broader challenges of the epidemic of violence confronting us as a society, and my focus in this article is just one aspect of a far more complex and difficult malady. GBV is any harmful act/s directed at an individual based on his or her gender and is rooted in inequality, the abuse of power, harmful norms, pathological religious values, serious violation of human rights, and a threat to life, health, liberty, and protection. All these are evident in one clown’s act of intimidation and threats in what was a displaced and ill-informed zealous attempt to show support and solidarity to transport owners and operators.

It was very heartening and heart-warming, however, to see the overwhelming response of condemnation, utter disgust, and, frankly, a denunciation of the radio presenter who provided airplay, publicity, and recognition for a behaviour which does not reflect the values of a civilised society. Values are norms, principles, or a standard of behaviour which people choose to live by based on tried and tested results from individuals, groups, societies, and nations that have adopted and lived by them for centuries. It was, therefore, very encouraging to know that all is not lost when it comes to things that people value, and it’s very useful to know that bad, brutish, and brawling behaviour are not among the things that are cherished and supported.

All forms of violence are to be renounced, condemned, and rejected and, even in the case of State violence, which is often presented as the solution to social problems, or individual cases of mental illness, which needs treatment, these are to be rejected as defeatist and destructive and can in no way contribute to the development of a modern society. Rather, the way forward is greater reliance on values, principles, and norms which support love of neighbour, the golden rule of do unto others as you would have them do to you, respect for the environment, tolerance of differences, and being patient with our development trajectory.

If given the chance, I am confident each one can and will make a positive difference to a Jamaican society in which all is not lost despite the bad behaviour of a few, including the professional clown.

Garth Minott is Anglican Suffragan Bishop of Kingston.