While I am sure there are things about the whole Gully-Gaza affair that have stuck in the craw of many a person, there is one particular aspect that has enraged me. The predictable public resolution of the cutting edge of Mavado and Vybz Kartel's conflict has done nothing to quell that nauseous feeling of familiarity yet discontent.

(Aside: Anybody ever thought that Gully and Gaza was used to distract us from the gully of taxes that we were heading into and the Gaza that our bankbooks - if we have any - are soon to look like? Think about it.)

Two boys on a playground

I saw Messrs Brooks and Palmer sitting together, smiling, and thought that this is the reward of unprecedented publicity for being essentially two boys fighting on a playground though, of course, their conflict never went past the verbal. And would never. The wealthy are not stupid enough to actually risk even a scratch.

It is the same way that little boys who behave disruptively are rewarded with attention, while the good boy is often dismissed with token appreciation at best. In many cases, it is openly questioned if 'suppen wrong wid im'.

How many times have we seen women, especially, expend time and energy on rescuing some little boy or the other from whatever evil fate will befall him if 'him no change him ways'? At the same time, the boy who is the picture of helpfulness and social graces and caring is overlooked.

I do not know if it is a case that as a society we expect boys to be bad and in need of corrective action so much that we actually embrace those who meet our expectations and are discomfited by those who confound our sense of how the society is expected to be. Or maybe we are so accustomed to the image of the macho Jamaican man who 'nah kin teet' that we are secretly repulsed by the boys who do not obviously fit into the mould.

So the government found it necessary to 'intervene' in the Gully-Gaza affair. Fine. So how about rewarding what is good in the same sphere where the bad needed such strong action. How about calling Agent Sasco into Jamaica House and publicly congratulating him on his pole-vault level high lyrical standards, his tremendous performing ability, pursuing higher education, not wearing his pants around his knees and making a serious impact without ever once resorting to gutter tactics.

Not holding my breath

Agent Sasco is deejay Assassin - who, by the way, refused to clash with Vybz Kartel a few years ago - whom I have seen 'lock down' an audience of mainly children at the Jamaica Library Service's recent Reading Fair, the hard-core audience at Sting just before last year's Kartel/Mavado clash, and the roots lovers at Rebel Salute.

I am not holding my breath waiting for that one to happen. For that is how, as a society, we treat good little boys as well. When there is a playground scuffle, we swoop down and cart off the combatants, determined to get to the root of the matter, while little Mikey who is improving his sprinting every day in the corner of the same field is virtually ignored.

It is maddening, it is sickening, it is wrong.

- Mel Cooke

( L - R ) Agent Sasco, Mavado, Vybz Kartel