Source: Unconditional Support of Women, No Matter What You Choose To Wear

Man, Oh, Man.  That Man, Oh, Man.

Ladies,

Would you stand up for me through the assault of a retch?  Would you always, no matter what, help to save me from a letch?  Would you save my vagina if I wore a dress with a gape?  Would you save my vagina if I wore an outfit made of black tape?

I have recently been party to a pretty intense discussion about whether women who wear certain attire are contributing to the problem of women being sexually harassed, molested, assaulted, abused – however you want to phrase it.

In my opinion, there is no grey area in this matter.

I have had countless women and young girls relate stories to me about the times they have been victims of these heinous acts.  Every single one of these stories involved a fully and conservatively dressed woman, many times within the work place and at school.  Yes, you read correctly, school girls.  Not dolled up in next to nothing for Carnival day, mind you, but in an A-line school uniform with a neck tie.

The reality is, women who have the confidence to dance around the streets in G-string bikinis, nipple tattoos,  glitter and feathers – these women are not likely to be assaulted when they are dressed this way.  The lecherous and violent men do not have the balls to approach these women.  They go for someone whom they feel they can control, have power over.  They are not about to go to the club, where the women don black-tape outfits, and try a damn thing, because these men are cowards.  These men try their luck in situations whereby the women might not want to make a fuss, cause embarrassment, etcetera.  Polite Places like work, school, a wedding, an intimate dinner party, a private beach club – that sort of place.  Why would a well brought-up woman or girl make a scene in such a situation?  She’s way too polite for that.

The truth is, rape has been happening for centuries, and I mean centuries.  As a friend put it well to me the other day, “Thousands of years ago, women wearing clothes akin to curtains were raped.  It’s got nothing to do with the skimpy clothes women might choose to wear now.”  How right is that.  There is absolutely no evidence to substantiate the claim that the problem of sexual abuse of women lies within the black-tape fashion, or any other scantily-clad fashion!

Woman, Oh, Woman.  That Woman, Oh, Woman.

I will stand up for you through the assault of a retch and I will always, no matter what, help to save you from a letch.  I will save your vagina if you wear a dress with a gape and I will save your vagina if you wear an outfit made of black tape.

My support for women against any kind of sexual abuse is not conditional.  It is unconditional.

Jamaicans, on a whole, strive to be modern, I would say.  We want and use all the modern ‘gadgets’ on offer, including social media.  We dislike when foreigners think that we are a backward set of people who live in tree houses.  We hate that foreign news presenters often present Jamaica as dangerous.  We want to be acknowledged and recognized by the world for our successes in businesses and in all other aspects.

Don’t get me wrong, we are a nation with plenty of talent, a nation with citizens who are hard-working and successful, a nation that boasts about being proud of our country.  However, as a nation, do we deserve the respect that we demand?

Look at what is happening to people in our nation.  Some pull out their handguns and shoot up in the air to celebrate special events; some bribe law enforcers to avoid traffic/speeding tickets; some kill their neighbours over a drug run gone wrong; some lead and fund drug runs; some bribe to procure business; some threaten witnesses to crime; some threaten victims who would ordinarily be protected by the law; some molest children; some sexually harass, molest and rape women; some scam their fellow citizens for their own financial gain; some use their social and/or economic status/position to take advantage of others, in all forms, yet would frown upon the same behaviour of those they believe to be ‘below’ them.  This list could go on.

When did Jamaica become so uncivilized?  Why has Jamaica become so uncivilized?  Is it because we have slowly been making allowances for this behaviour?  Are we using excuses like “Well, they do it, so why shouldn’t I?”  or “I should allow for them to do it, because I did something as bad.”?  Is the law not protecting our civil needs and rights?  Why isn’t the law protecting our civil needs and rights?  Are we afraid of the consequences that might occur if we stand up, speak up and demand better?  What exactly are those consequences and why are we afraid of them?

Way back, many centuries ago, as any country’s population grew from a few to many, there came the need for rules.  Laws of that particular country were formed and those who did not abide by said laws were appropriately punished.  This has not changed.  There came a need for civilization way back when and there is still a need for civilization now.  Yet, from where I sit, I see that Jamaica is moving backwards and becoming a set of uncivilized people.  Where has our civilization gone?