Boyne: Notions of masculinity need to be redefined.
Ian Boyne, journalist:
FOR US to deal with this pandemic in Jamaica ... we have to take a multi-pronged approach to dealing with this issue. There is no way we can deal meaningfully with the pandemic in Jamaica unless we look at the structure of our society, the various factors which are continuing to produce inequality and poverty which leads many of our young people to early exposure to sexual activity.
We must also look at high levels of incest, levels of overcrowding in the urban communities and the fact that many young persons don't really have a chance to nurture any innocence simply because of their living conditions.
MASCULINITY CRISIS
All of these things are compounded by certain cultural factors. Our distorted notions of masculinity (which) also relate to the socio-economic oppression in the society, the fact that not enough men have healthy avenues for the expression of themselves and not enough sources of self-esteem so that they have to turn to anti-social behaviour and manifest anti-social attitudes in order to have self-esteem ... What we see very clearly in Jamaica is that we have a serious problem with self-esteem, with honour, with validation and these worsen the gender relations.
Issues have to be raised about our very high tolerance level for promiscuity and this high tolerance level is manifested at all levels. Our music which glorifies promiscuity, glorifies the view of women as just objects of men's pleasure. This objectification of women worsens our challenge.
CULTURAL REVOLUTION
I believe that in order to deal with the grave issue of HIV/AIDS in Jamaica, we have to tackle them on all fronts. We have to deal with the socio-economic problems, inequalities, the poverty (and) the lack of the generation of wealth. We have to deal with the strong patriarchal culture, the strong levels of chauvinism in the society and I think also that the increasing individualism, the increasing hedonism in the society also worsens the problem.
We need to develop a culture of restraint, a culture which places emphasis on character (and on) matters such as chastity, faithfulness. (These) should not be seen as things only limited to people who are not quite normal. I believe there has to be a cultural revolution that focuses on the changing of values and the changing of attitudes in the society.
