I am very happy to have read in The Gleaner that the Broadcasting Commission, which monitors the island's electronic media, has banned radio and television stations from airing songs with content deemed explicitly sexual and violent.
The inclusion of all dancehall songs which qualify as having 'daggerin' content and the rapidly emerging culture of quasi-erotic dances and music are also included in the items banned from the airwaves.
Ban in public passenger transports
While this is a move that is lauded by any well-thinking responsible Jamaican and people in other parts of the world, and while this will help to minimise the rate at which the minds of our children are being corrupted through these songs and dances, we also should consider putting a ban on these items being aired on public-passenger transports.
My suggestion is to also set up a toll-free hotline to which citizens who ride on a bus where these kinds of songs are played can call in with a description and licence-plate number of that vehicle and report the time and date on which this was done. This toll-free line should be manned by responsible persons. Callers should remain anonymous and their number should not be identifiable.
Assigning inspectors
To follow up on these reports, the Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica or the Jamaica Urban Transit Company should assign inspectors, who are not readily identified, to travel on these buses. These entities should then come up with a way to prosecute these people. Imposing heavy fines would eventually eliminate this practice.
I think that hitting them in the pocket, where it hurts, would send a strong message to the people who continuously corrupt our kids and our society through this music.
I am, etc.,
P. WILLIAMS
buguyagga@hotmail.com
Cincinnati
Ohio