The dangers of activism

Keith Noel, Contributor

'Everything in moderation' is a tenet of immense value. It seems that the type of commitment to a cause that leads to activism often leads to blinkered vision and unreasoning action.

In the Caribbean, after independence, we have experienced many 'causes' as we found our footing in the world. Our real first internal struggle came in the 1960s with the wave of black nationalism, the seeds of which were sown by our own Marcus Garvey.

Black Power was an idea that fascinated young men at the time and it led to many an enriching debate.

Intellectuals like Rodney, Beckford and Best, the philosophy of Garvey and the insights of the New World group deepened the discussion of race, of 'emancipating ourselves from mental slavery', into issues of class and political structures. And the insistent presence of the Rastafari movement rooted the debates in a practical reality.

BLACK POWER

However, Black Power bred its radicals - and then its fanatics. Extremist views became the rallying point for some activity. It became fashionable among some to become an 'angry black man', railing at women who still 'burnt' their hair and dismissing civility as white-mindedness.

Then came the feminist revolution. Women in the Caribbean began to demand that their voices be heard and to flex their formidable intellectual and moral muscle. The society was forced to begin to contemplate its attitudes to women and to rethink many of the usual assumptions. But, during all of this, the extremist views of some elements of the revolution demanded that 'no quarter' be given to any but the most 'progressive' views. Some women became abusive and intolerant of anyone who espoused a view that hinted of moderation.

The latest cause celêbre is that of the gay movement. For years there has been discrimination against, and abuse of, people who are gay. Gay bashing, especially of men, was for a time quite rampant. This was especially so when they were accused of being the source of the spread of AIDS. The society as a whole, including the Church, has condemned gays in the most strident fashion. Regrettably, this has been used to justify the violence that some persons still mete out to gay men. It also led to young gay Christian men becoming suicidal because of the inner conflict it bred. Organisations like J-FLAG have been at the forefront in the battle to protect the human rights of gay people.

Again, there came the extremists. For them, anyone who disagrees with any position that gay-rights groups take is immediately accused of being hateful and 'wanting to deprive gays of their rights'. Even someone who simply states that they think the lifestyle is wrong because they believe that God disapproves of it is seen as the enemy and is attacked viciously and sometimes personally.

For example, it is known that Rastafari, being an Old Testament-based religion, says homosexuality is wrong. The concerted effort to destroy the career of any Rasta reggae singer who expresses this view is shameful. Recently, a senior police officer stated that evidence suggested that most gay murders were crimes of passion committed by other gays. This seemed worthy of research to me because I suspect that there could be a connection between the pressures of existing in Jamaica as a gay man and violent outbursts directed against their lovers.

DEAFENING BARRAGE OF ATTACKS

However, the barrage of attacks against the officer has been deafening, and one writer to the editor of the Observer ranted that Jamaica, because of its backwardness, has lost the services of his brilliant gay son, who has an MBA from an elite United States (US) university. The son chose to stay in the 'progressive' US. The US where, a couple of decades ago, a man walked into the office of a lawmaker and shot him dead because his was the crucial vote in legislation in support of gay rights!

But then, here comes another 'activist', and true to form, a normally intelligent woman makes the amazing statement that the buggery laws must not be repealed because children are being buggered by pederasts! Wow! Does that mean that if Ms Blaine's party ever wins power she will outlaw heterosexual sex until women are no longer raped?!

Keith Noel is an educator. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and keithanoel@gmail.com.