"Our children might be in danger"

?'The thrust behind globalization'


By Paul Andrew Bourne




INTRODUCTION


The global world in which we all reside is predominantly governed by capitalist ideologies. Those ideological constructs are the thrust behind globalization. In that globalization speaks to the political, economical and social integration of the world economies. Due to globalization, the furthest geographic locality from one nation is brought into close proximity to another by way of electronic media. One of the introductions of this phenomenon is cultural pluralism. Where, social facts from one locality are easily transferred and-or learned by distant regions in the world by way of media communication. Due to this phenomenon, we are made cognizant of the different social facts that are and have been studied across the world and their various findings. It is therefore ironic that within the Jamaican academics, no one has studied the ?'sugar daddy' phenomenon. The ?'sugar daddy' phenomenon evolved in the early 1980s and has continued over twenty (20) years without been noticed by any Jamaican researchers.

Since ?'sugar daddyism' is a social fact, should the matter be studied by social scientists? Sociology is a social science and is concerned with the study of social/societal facts. Many social scientists, in particular sociologists, have extensively studied various social issues such as class conflict , race , and social solidarity . Unlike the ?'sugar daddyism', race, class conflict and social solidarity were developed and studied by Europeans and-or American sociologists as those issues were present within their societies, so what about ?'sugar daddy'.

The emergence of Reggae as a popular music form was developed by poor inner-city people within Jamaica. This art form evolved from different art forms for example ska, rock steady and African rhythms. Because many people within the inner-cities were unemployed and faced with various oppressive social settings (like no running water; no indoor sanitary convenience; sewage running past their door steps, residing in dilapidated dwellings to name a few causes), they would group themselves together to vent their dissatisfaction, disgust and disapproval of their surroundings through lyrics in rhymes. The lyrics were coined using African instruments and would encapsulate and explain the social facts of poor people within the ghettos in Jamaica. Reggae was and still is a social culture. This art form evolved with a new set of jargons and lifestyle. In that, Reggae was the life experiences of poor inner city people.

Reggae continued over the years and was popularized by Jacob "Killa" Miller, Jimmy Cliff and the late Robert "Bob" Marley. This art form has become the rich cultural history of the Afro-Jamaican diaspora. The evolution of ?'dance hall' was similar to the beginning of Reggae. The ?'dance hall' is a new social phenomenon that once again was synonymous with poor inner city people within Jamaica. This art form is not just art but a social commentary of the social experiences of under privilege people. It is their vehicle of expression, and their mode of advancement from "nothingness".

Class and class struggle are at play in the dance hall. Initially, because affluent older upper class men were totally cognizant of the poverty faced by inner city young females, they would used their finances and prestige in society to lure young and poor underprivileged females to perform sexual favours. The haves and have nots are once again interfacing with each other but through a non-conflictory way even though it is still oppressive.

Due to the fact that the dance hall is a social culture, it is used to parade a perceived lifestyle of greatness in wares and look; privileged upper class men have used this to their advantage. They paraded their ?'preys' in luxurious vehicles, clothing and expensive hairstyles for the occasions. That experience is pervasive in the dance hall, and is an explanation of a particular social fact in the inner-city. The behaviour has now become a model for other young women to follow within innercity communities. So after a time more and increasing more young women were becoming involved in this lifestyle. Because the rewards were oftentimes immediate, the recipients would boast on their friends, by introducing them to their experiences and how they can become beneficiaries of such material possessions.

Unlike Reggae, the dance hall is once again a social commentary of the social experience of poor innercity people in Jamaica. It is within the epistemology of the dance hall that ?'sugar daddyism' was coined and used to explain a particular social fact. Because human conduct is totally shaped by common norms, when dance hall artistes capture the essence of a particular phenomenon like that of ?'sugar daddy' it was a norm and a social fact in inner-city people's experience. Again, the ?'sugar daddy' phenomenon began an oppressive agency used by middle/upper class older males to prey on young and poor inner-city females. Although the young underprivileged females would in return receive material possessions for their offering, the older males oftentimes would explore various sexual encounters with these younger females that they could or would not ask their counterparts at home.



Even after a decade, when the phenomenon was first expounded by the dance hall, the ?'sugar daddy' construct has not changed but we realize the phenomenon has taken on other intriguing dimensions. Privileged middle/upper class males are still involved with underprivileged young females, and it appears as though the matter will continue into the unforeseeable future. As such the questions arise, as to whether it is deviance that explains the non-conformity of poor young females from the moral code of conduct that they learnt in their earlier years? Or is it that, the financial crisis that gave rise to Reggae and Dance Hall has equally given rise to the evolution of ?'sugar daddyism'? Or, what are the socio-cultural factors that explain the continuance of the ?'sugar daddyism'? The answers to those questions will provide a needed materialist foundation for this phenomenon.

Today, an intriguing twist to the initial phenomenon lies in the fact that the practice is no longer confined only an innercity social setting but is now being indulged in by middle and upper class young women. The initial social culture of the phenomenon as it relates to middle/upper class elder males financing younger innercity females' life styles in exchange for sexual gratification is gradually changing form. In that, many middle and upper class young females because of economic hardship coupled with the difficult in keeping up to the initial life style that they portrayed to friends initially have sought to indulge in the practice so as to maintain a particular social image. The practice is so widespread that it spans professional, un-professional and all social strata of the Jamaican society - lower, middle and upper class young females. Furher, many young professional females be it middle or upper class are using the ?'sugar daddies' to pay tuition fees, monthly rental for apartments, pay for latest trends in clothing along with supporting the fancy hairstyle and not to forget the lavish automobile that they sport.

Further, the ?'sugar daddies' are now selecting young professional females who are able to converse with style and integrate effectively in their function while at social gatherings. In that, young tertiary women because of their training are able to function in high social circles to which some ?'sugar daddies' prefer to the innercity young females. As such, the functions of the some females within the equation of the practice have changed from that of only providing sexual gratifications to that of being more like an equal partner.

One of the ironies of the ?'sugar daddy' phenomenon lies in the fact that the issue has never been studied by any academics in the social sciences, even though the issue is a social fact comparable to that of the race issue studied by William B. Du Bois in regards the Philadelphian Negros. As such, the ?'sugar daddy' phenomenon must be studied as it would provide an explanation of a social fact. As social scientists, knowing that the matter has never been explored from an academic perspective, we believe that this social phenomenon can no longer go unnoticed.

The cultural epistemology of the Jamaican diaspora as it relates to sexuality is fascinating, opened secrecy and charge with emotions, when one begins to question what it is. Males are given the role as provider, leader, and influencer of ideological bases. This societal norm is not new to the Jamaican landscape, as this practice has been brought over from slavery. During slavery, the roles of males were to labour, provide assistance to the family and impregnate females. Thus, the ?'sugar daddyism' when it was first brought to the forefront of the psychic of the people of this country through the airwaves, was viewed as most disgusting, highly distasteful and sinful. Even though, it was the experience and practice of countless people across the geographical landscape of Jamaica, the issue was not analytically debated but blame was laid at the feet of the songwriters who were writing our cultural history.

The irony of the ?'sugar daddyism' phenomenon lies in the actual practice and the public discussions. In that, while the matter is public knowledge, when reggae artistes Michigan and Smiley (in the 1980s) penned "see Boops dey, gwaan go nyam him out" the public outcry was unbelievable. In that, some people believe that although the issue was true, the matter should not have been brought to the public's attention at that time. To date, the matter is still unresolved and up for discussions.

The issue of females being dependent on males for financial support was established by a past colonial system that has been embedded in the culture of the peoples of Jamaica. Then, why is ?'sugar daddyism' decried as it has been over the years?

Despite the ?'ideational' of many femininist advocates, the cultural and unconscious dependence of females on males will not cease because of a few years of education. Even though, the number and frequency of that experience has been falling, because of male domination of the world's financial resource, men will continue to lure women with their clout.

As such, women have improvised and have devised many mechanisms as life supporting skills to lure men. Hence, the emergence of the ?'sugar daddyism' cannot be seen as new but the popularization of this matter was furthered by reggae artistes. Is this practice just a man financing a female? No!

The dance hall arena has been a vehicle for the highlighting of many past unspoken and sacred norms within our society. Although, the medium has been vehemently criticized by individuals who were educated by the post-colonial system, the practice of ?'sugar daddyism' is widely upheld by many individuals who decry reggae for the breakdown of the moral fiber of the Jamaican society. What a fascinated response to double standards?

On the other hand, the irony of the ?'sugar daddyism' is rather unique in that although the issue is embedded within the Jamaican diaspora, the matter has not being widely and-or directly studied. Why? Therefore, because the economic position of many females according to STATIN Report 2002 has worsened with female unemployment having significantly increased, this group of academic believes that the issue must be studied from an academic perspective with immediacy. Our concerns go far beyond the hysteria or a moral position. Is the matter only as a result of financial support? Or is it sexuality, to which we hold sacred?

The analyses that follow in this research do not in any way suggest that rural/urban Jamaica can be used as a basis on which to generalize about the Caribbean experience. As the social structure, social history and demographic patterns of Jamaica are different in significant ways from that of the other Caribbean territories. Further, the capital of Jamaica, Kingston, and by extension St. Andrew is itself very different from the many rural and peasant communities that make up the population of Jamaica. As such, generalization about this paper cannot extend to Jamaica.