The Editor, Sir:

Countries all over that Caribbean are proud to celebrate their cultural heritage. In many different forms, we express to the world how proud we are about where we came from and so revel in the traditions of dance and drums and music.

Over time, we have evolved culturally and have seen the reggae era catapulting Jamaica to the pedestal of the international music stage with a worthy ambassador, Robert Nesta Marley, carrying the banner.

Unbridled vulgarity

But it is not our cultural glory that is the theme of this missive. Rather, it is its bastardisation into a degenerate form that seriously threatens to destroy our youths. The dancehall culture, with its 'passa passa', is setting up our young people to shoot themselves in the foot.

Why is that our street parties and 'passa passa' fêtes must be the showcase of seemingly unbridled vulgarity? What is more frightening is the fact that a lot of those vulgarity, particularly the role-playing of bawdy and lewd sex acts and 'skin out' (women showing off their genitalia), are happening right here on the streets of Jamaica in full view of minors and school children.

If we are wise enough as a nation to understand the potency of sex to young people then we would know that we should not be playing those games, which has the effect of teasing bystanders, as I have said, including minors of every age and destroying our young people! Usually, those young people are heavy on alcohol and weed!

Positive presentation

If we want to protect our youth generation we need to do something to arrest this vulgarity. I would prefer to see Jamaica presented as a nation where its youth are positive and aspire for great heights of leadership and success.

I would rather see Jamaica sold as a place where you can come to improve your track and field capabilities and not the devil's chamber of sexual perversion.

I wonder why is that all the role-playing that is being done in those fêtes must be depicting lewd sex acts?

I am, etc.,

THE PATRIOT

relentlessly@hotmail.com