Normalization of the Gun Culture

“We have to stop rewarding bad behavior.”- Natalie Cole. It has been said quite frequently that living in Jamaica is Netflix itself. There is never a dull moment on this rock given the myriad of events occurring on a daily basis. The events are sometimes positives while other times they are disturbing. Nonetheless, these happenings come at us from every angle, from social media or traditional posts to the experiences gained while on our daily commute. The football fans among us are very much aware that we are in the final stages of the Inter- Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) schoolboy football competitions for both rural and urban schools. The Manning Cup is played for by urban schools while the daCosta Cup competition is for rural schools. On Sunday, November 26, there was a picture in one of our daily newspapers in the Sports Column depicting the daCosta Cup semi-final encounter between Clarendon College and Garvey Maceo High School. Clarendon College is the defending champions and played to 1-1 in full time play. The match then went to the penalty stage and the defending champions managed to win the match with a 4-3 penalty kick. What seemingly escaped most of us is not the fact that the match must have been exciting to have gone to the penalty kick phase but the images of the players from Clarendon College depicting gun fingers as they celebrated scoring the opening goal only to be captured by the lenses of the photographer. Jamaica has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Jamaica is one of the countries with the highest homicide rates in Latin America and the Caribbean. Indeed, the number of people murdered in Jamaica amounted to 1,498 in 2022, slightly up from 1,474 murders in 2021. Statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force shows that 1323 murders occurred 2020. In 2017, there were 1647 murders in Jamaica. Jamaica has recorded more than 1,200 murders thus far for 2023. The numbers speak for themselves. Yes, we do have a huge problem with crime. What is more troubling is the fact that as a society we continue to glorify and celebrate this gun culture. It is unfortunate that this gun culture has now been normalized that even at sporting events for our students it is now acceptable to openly display gun fingers in a celebratory atmosphere. It is safe to say that gun violence has touched the lives of every Jamaican. We all have lost a friend, a colleague, a neighbor or family member to the gun. Additionally, many of us feel unsafe even in our homes even with grills on our windows and doors. Gun Culture. There are of course variations to the gun culture. For example, the gun culture in the United States of America is different given their Second Amendment that gives citizens the right to bear arms to that of the gun culture in Jamaica. Gun culture refers to the attitudes, feelings, values and behaviour of a society, or any social group, in which guns are used. No one cares. The church which is the moral conscience of the society remains silent on too many social issues and this is disconcerting, especially given Jamaica’s Judeo Christian heritage. Disappointingly, the Jamaica Council of Churches did not issue a statement on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls. Let us be frank football is not the only sporting event that the so called gun finger or gun salute has been observed. A few years ago this happened at the Inter-secondary School Sports Association/GraceKennedy Boys' and Girls' Athletics Championships! The infamous "finger guns" was described by The Gleaner’s editorial of April 6, 2010 is as follows. “It is a kind of celebration, mimicking the real gun salute that takes place at some events that reinforces the idea that gun is merely a benign instrument of celebration.” The behavior is inappropriate and insensitive and should not be condoned. It is time that the sponsors of such events let it be known where they stand on this issue. Or perhaps we should go with the narrative that the sponsors of sporting events do not care; the governing authority appears not to care also. The spectators are not complaining, in fact there are many sympathizers of such behavior. Needless to say, the popular genre of music, dancehall has for many years been a proponent of gun violence and many youngsters are fans of these dancehall performers. The sponsors of sporting events do not care; the governing authority appears not to care also. The spectators are not complaining. New Masculinities. The normalization of the gun culture takes many forms. Undoubtedly, we live in a violent society. The strand of masculinity that permeates the society is rather toxic and harmful to harmony and sustainable development. The signs are everywhere; yet we continue to hold our heads in the sand and behave as if all is well. Many of the issues we now face as a society requires us to reset how we view masculinity and in particular how we socialize our boys. As a society we have all grown to accept this new normal. The fact is that the schoolboy football season will come to an end; life will continue so too the nation’s fixation with the gun. In the words of Creighton Abrams, while we are guarding the country, we must accept being the guardian of the finest ethics. The country needs it and we must do it. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #gunculture #crime #violence #ethics