While I do not always agree with Ardenne principal, Esther Tyson's position on particular issues, I have always respected her obvious concern for, and dedication towards, the welfare of the young people with whom she works daily in the public sector. It is clear that she sees her role as educator in the broadest sense and feels a sense of responsibility for the academic, social and psychological well-being, not only of her students, but of young people in general.

Tyson's and the Broadcasting Commission's position against the public airplay of particular songs is not an imposition of religious or moral views, but an attempt to protect and demon-strate concern for some of the most vulnerable in our nation - our young people. It is an attempt to ensure that the socialisation process of our young is one which tries to guarantee the best possible outcomes for the young people themselves and the wider society.

not hypocrisy

Restricting the public airplay of music containing detailed descriptions of the sexual act with intimations of or overt statements supporting violent sex, rough sex and violence against women in the guise of free sexual expression, is not hypocrisy or the action of people who have "obviously lengthy spare time". It is an attempt, perhaps belated but nonetheless necessary, to protect minds that are in their formative years. These are minds that must be taught to have a healthy appreciation of and respect for themselves as human beings and as sexual beings and which are under a daily barrage of images and words (home-grown and foreign) which portray them as sexual objects for whom the core meaning of existence is the bump and grind of physical sex and the base materialism of 'money fe spend'.

Perhaps there are those who see nothing wrong with nourishing our young (and old) on this diet, but a glance at our National HIV programme data indicates how well this 'food' supports factors driving our HIV and STI epidemics: unprotected sex, forced sex, rough sex, transactional sex (that is sex for money or material gain), and the continued vulnerability of girls and women as a result of unequal gender power relations, including the threat of violence.

The type of music under scrutiny is certainly not the root cause of these factors, but it does help to legitimise and drive them.

view of humanity

Every Jamaican who views himself or herself as a complete human being - mind, body and soul - who feels that his or her life is more than the sum total of 'getting' sex and money, and who wants to share this view of humanity with the younger generation, knows this: Feeding a child images of sadism, explicit sexual intercourse, sexual violence and sexual objectification can never give us the type of society we want. This is common sense, but in these strange times, such a position is seen as an attack on freedom of speech and the sentiment of "social hypocrites".

Yes, our social and economic ills are many - weak health and education systems, broken families, poverty, unemployment, alienation, disenfranchisement, crime, violence. But should we not be working together to address these issues instead of supporting factors that undermine our already weak social fabric?

I am, etc.,

GAIL HOAD

ghoad@yahoo.com

Kingston 10