The violence now ravaging Jamaica has earned for the island the unenviable reputation of being the world’s second most dangerous country, with a murder rate of 43.85 per 100,000 people. El Salvador has the highest of 52.02 per 100,000 people. (Statista Research Department, May 5, 2022)

The days when teachers were greeted with respect by students standing and a brisk “good morning” when they entered classrooms are long gone. Respect for others and discipline in society were the norm.

The country became unhinged when a comely young girl in a wet T shirt, smiling seductively, dominated the billboards. “Jamaica, no problem” was the message. Blessed, we were reminded, with sea, sand, and sun, and, yes, beautiful girls — how could there be a problem? Good for the occasional beach party and tourists, but bad for instilling discipline and hard work. The message was the problem.

Living in this fool’s paradise, Jamaica breezed along its merry way. In the 80s and 90s Jamaicans greedily looked to our northern neighbour, the USA, tempted by its proximity and its vast riches, hoping for a slice of the American hedonistic, materialistic pie. They weren’t disappointed. The “Bling Culture” was born. Enter the gangs. Statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary listed 379 gangs in June 2021, with the political factions waiting to get in on the action.

Jamaica’s social ills of poverty, unemployment, drugs, and economic inequality which predispose to violence are not unique in the world, yet other countries are less violent. We all make choices, hopefully leading to non-violent and worthwhile outcomes, by being self-aware, having self-control, education, and support. Some, unfortunately, are not so privileged.

Some 90 per cent of male workers employed on our farm over the years did not know their fathers, or had poor relationships with them Where, then, was the guidance to come? Where was the role model? Mothers, bless their souls, by their Herculean efforts, kept families (and country) together. But their roles cannot substitute for those of fathers. The scourge of fatherless boys in Jamaica is rampant. How does this compare with other countries?

Boys growing up without fathers are more likely to be aggressive, drop out of school, addicted to drugs, or end up in prison. These vulnerable, wayward boys easily fall prey to their ne’er-do-well so called friends, the blind leading the blind, gangs, or the bad influence of trashy and violent dancehall lyrics masquerading as stylish (Consider these lyrics courtesy of Mavado: Neva know, so mi AK stay… head buss like bomb bay, kill dat inna church when di pastor ah pray, murder yuh likkle bredda pon di funeral day, cut di newborn throat cause yuh know mi nuh.) Studies from North American Journal of Medicine and Science, 2010 show that graphic lyrical content in music can impact adolescents’ sexual and violent behaviour.

Guns feed Jamaica’s huge homicidal rate. More guns more murder, right? Wrong, not necessarily. There are countries with high gun ownership, but low gun crimes. The Israelis and Swiss, for example, are armed to the teeth, but have low rates. And, among American states, states where almost every home has a gun, like Maine and North Dakota, there are low levels of gun crimes.

Guns don’t kill people, people with guns kill people. Well, not always.

Charlie the dog shot its owner Tex while on a jack rabbit hunt in New Mexico in November 2018. Woof. His foot got caught in the trigger. Luckily Tex survived. Charlie was a little embarrassed by his, shall we say, misstep. I don’t think it was intentional. Dogs don’t commit murder, humans do.

It’s tempting to conclude that Jamaicans are an exceptionally violent people. Some ethnic groups may be more violent or more aggressive than others, but this may depend on the particular period of their history. Today, docile Scandinavians descended from bloodthirsty Vikings. Jamaicans were a relatively peaceful people 80 years ago. Can’t say the same for the thieves who decimated the citrus trees on our farm. They came from a long line of undesirables dating back to their grandparents. Their reputation for aggression and crime may be learned, but it’s hard not to imagine that a hereditary component of bad genes lurked behind this family history. We do know aggression is highly concordant with identical twins (they share the same DNA), even when raised in different environments, and, in this instance, there is most likely a genetic basis.

We are aggressive animals as we share 96 per cent of the genes of chimpanzees, our closest primate relative (we are not descended from monkeys). We also have hormones like testosterone implicated in aggressive behaviour. Fathers with higher testosterone levels tend to have a poorer quality relationship with their children’s’ mothers (Journal of Human Nature: Testosterone in Jamaican Fathers). Violent criminals have higher levels than non-violent criminals. Testosterone, however, does not make a man more aggressive, but correlates with libido, self-confidence and the drive for dominance. It doesn’t cause violence directly, but since violence is mainly a problem of young adults and adolescent men (they have the most testosterone levels) competing for dominance, then violence really is a problem of there being too much testosterone in the world.

A genetic association with aggression is also found in the MAO-A gene (monoamine oxidase), the so called “warrior gene”. But other genes also are implicated. It is therefore impossible by looking at a single gene to say one race is genetically more prone to violence than others. In fact, there are more genetic variations in individuals within a race, than in individuals between races.

Do Jamaicans have genes which predispose them to aggressive behaviour? We don’t know, but if Jamaican slaves originated from warlike African tribes, this information might be useful in providing answers. More telling is that most Jamaicans are descended from slaves, an institution which not only perpetrated violence, but made a stable, secure family life difficult if not impossible. Brutalised people tend to become brutal (slaves against slaves, male violence against women) and this evil may have been passed down through generations, resulting in disintegration of families at the present time.

Do genes dictate violent criminal behaviour or is aggression learned specific to particular situations and cultures? Our parents brought us into the world. Parents should probably not blame themselves for the fact that their child had murderous and violent impulses. They had no choice. But they may blame themselves for failing to teach their child enough self-control to stifle those urges. In some cases, however, sadly as we all know, they probably had no chance.

Ethon Lowe is a medical doctor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or ethonlowe@gmail.com.