I have been watching “The Morning Show” recently and I am completely drawn in by Reese Witherspoon’s character, Bradley Jackson, who is known as the loud-mouthed “truth-teller” in the series. At the end of the first season, Bradley’s words and actions finally resonate with her co-star Alex Levy, played by Jennifer Aniston. The pair, supported and aided by their co-workers, make a live, on air reveal about the CEO of the network at which they work. Indeed, Fred Micklen has been directly facilitating the insidious sexual misconduct executed by powerful men within the organisation. More details will not be given here, as I believe it’s a show that should be watched by all. Aside from its characterisations, which pull on a plethora of people I am sure we have all come across in our lives, one of the main themes that threads everything together is misogyny.

Recently, a national newspaper here in Jamaica published the headline, “Wasteful Girlz lose 2-1 to Paraguay”. In the headline, the author uses the word “wasteful” as an adjective to describe the proper noun “Girlz” (the Reggae Girlz, the trademarked name for Jamaica’s women’s football team). While the term “wasteful” is often used within sports, it was extraordinarily insulting to many women across Jamaica because it was used as an adjective to describe the women on the team, rather than used to describe the play they made. There were numerous complaints online, including my own post on Instagram and Facebook, which garnered support from women, as well as backlash from men. I described the decision to publish such a headline as an act of misogyny, to which several men objected, thus proving my point that Jamaica is seeped in a culture engulfed with misogyny.

What I found upsetting at first, then interesting, was the fact that men, who have previously spoken up publicly on my posts in support of my advocacy for women against misogyny, were now speaking against my claims that this headline was misogynistic. Not one to shy away from conflict on any human rights issues, I replied to these men’s replies, explaining as much as I could at the time. Often, when one is heated, one can’t quite find the correct words for a conversation that’s essentially a bunch of replies on social media. I did the best I could, but still failed to comprehend how these men couldn’t see in which way the journalist and the newspaper had acted against women’s rights.

The realisation hit me when a man said to me, “I am not being misogynistic. I don’t hate women.”

Misogyny is “the hatred or prejudice against women, typically exhibited by men. It is generally accepted that misogyny is a consequence of patriarchy (male-dominated society), and the term may be applied to certain individuals, as well as larger systems, societies, or cultures.” (https://www.britannica.com/topic/misogyny)

There are many people of a certain race who do not hate those of a different race, however, these people may still be prejudice against said different race. There are people who have built-in privilege because of their race and there are people who suffer atrocities because of their race. We must insist that the fight for those who have suffered these atrocities do get the largest platform and do get to call out any and every prejudice (and hatred) against them. Do you know why? Because this is the only way to stop the prejudice (and hatred).

“The Morning Show” does not portray the male characters as hating the female ones, but it does depict, you guessed it, their misogyny. They are prejudice against women and this is a consequence of a patriarchal society. Likewise, the journalist and the Jamaican newspaper that published the aforementioned headline showed their prejudice against women, I am guessing subconsciously, and I am fairly certain this was a consequence of the patriarchal culture in this country.

“There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” This has been quoted countless times in various forms over the last century. I am sure it was quoted way before as well. I have fear. I am fearful of death. It doesn’t plague me, nor does it consume my every waking hour, but if someone asks me, I would say, “I am afraid of death.” I don’t believe in reincarnation. I don’t believe in an afterlife. When we die, we are no more. Thus, I fear death because someone can go from being alive to simply gone. It doesn’t matter that it is an inevitable fate for each one of us. The fact remains, being gone is devastating.

This blog is not about religion and it’s not about whether or not you believe in a god. I suspect many of you do believe in a god or gods. I respect your beliefs, please respect mine.

I would bet that we would all do anything we could to prevent the death of people whom we love. We would probably sacrifice our own life to save someone else – a child, mother, father, sibling, niece, nephew, other family members and friends. Okay, maybe some people would not, but I truly think most people would. So, now we have established this “fact”, let’s talk about the fear of losing our own life.

Airing one’s health woes on social media generates all kinds of responses. It’s interesting to me that some of those who read these posts have anything negative to say about a person’s choice to do so. I find it admirable when a person, who is ailing, pulls on an inner strength to reveal their disease/illness, describes the nuances of said disease/illness, speaks about their appreciation for certain things and of course airs their fears.

When I see other people post about their health, I am drawn in by their journey. I feel deep empathy and I want to know more so that I can understand what they are going through. I can never truly know what another feels as they go through their own story, none of us can. However, I do have my own benchmark, which does give me some semblance of what they are likely to be going through. That said, I have never been able to tell my entire story in a public forum. It’s not because I don’t want people to know. I don’t really mind people knowing my business when it comes to my health. When someone asks me, I will tell them, but never the whole story. This would take too long, for starters, but I become very detached when I talk about my health and thus I do omit key elements. It’s the only way to avoid getting emotional about it. A few close friends and family get to deal with that side!

I’ve tried to figure out why I get detached and I think it’s linked to my fear of death. If I allow myself to feel, that’s when the fear comes. What if I die while my kids are still young? This would devastate them. What if I die before my parents do? This would devastate them. What if I die before I get to the acceptable old age when one would say, “Well, she lived a very long and happy life, so it was time.”? This would devastate many. I say this without arrogant presumption, but merely knowing that I have a huge support system of friends and family who would be devastated if anyone within their “circles” passed away, particularly at a young age. The truth is death sucks no matter what age it happens and I am afraid.