Why I am probably not going to Jamaica anytime soon...

Yet another example of the irrationality of the masses.

 

Jamaica did this? Jamaica? I would never have thought them capable.

 

Well, I have to tell you, I never listened to the song, sorry, but no, I would never have really thought that Jamaica or Jamaicans in general were particularly violent against gays. I suppose it is a stereotype but, yes, I thought they were pretty laid-back.

I guess I live in a sheltered world. Nobody I know goes around wanting to kill people, unless it is purely fictional.

 

You should go there, for the lulz

 

Is that the only town there?

 

I'm really not surprised. Here or anywhere, really. Homosexuality, until fairly recently, has been a taboo subject. It's going to take time for some people to get acclimated to the idea. While I'm all for equal treatment, at the same time, I understand that there's no universal light switch that's going to off and suddenly everyone around the world is going to welcome homosexuality with open arms. After all, it's been just a little over a decade since the movement took off. Deeply ingrained suspicions and taboos are not just going to disappear over night. Whenever people feel threatened (culturally, in this case) some of them are going to react in violent ways.

I'll expect you to be putting together quite a large collection of places where you won't want to travel before the year is done. It's going to be a slow moving process. :/

 

My only experience with Jamaicans is through the Reggae community. It's ironic that the music preaches of peace, love, and unity. Recently a Jamaican Reggae artist was scheduled to play at a venue in my area, but he was known to have anti-homosexual lyrics. The kids in the area and the bands that were going to play protested and ended up doing a benifit show elsewhere for the Gay and Lesbian community. The venue decided not to cancel the show and it ended up being a huge flop. Most of the people that showed up didn't ever pay to get in the door. Instead they pickted outside of the bar.
It was pretty cool to see.

 

I think we have to be fair, though; hopefully the majority of the people don't feel this way. 'Course, I think if you look at the United States I think we're about the same - we're just less vocal about it and we have strong GLBT alliances in schools and colleges. Jamaica probably doesn't have that. Instead, you have people deciding to turn the hate on a certain group of people, to take folks' minds off of the real problems (poverty, lack of education, etc).

But I wouldn't attack an entire nation for a few leader idiots. The leaders have to be educated; then the people will follow. What's needed is a strong, pro-GLBT group willing to protest down there. It would definitely be dangerous (see Selma, Alabama in the late 50s/early 60s), but without protests many people will probably get killed.

 

There is no big H branded on their heads. They can go there legally, and then get together and protest.

I don't think this law would apply to tourism, or they'd lose their tourist trade.

 

What she said.