Rape, tape and hate
published: Thursday | August 10, 2006



Melville Cooke

Rape is one of the harder crimes to admit to. You can get a person to confess to murder, stealing, selling cocaine and myriad other offences, but rape, no.

It is also one of the harder offences to get redress for, as the person who is raped has to go through a series of examinations, physical as well as on the witness stand, which causes them to relive a horrible experience over and over again, as well as have to prove that they did not consent to penetration.

Which is why taping rape is so remarkable, as the rapist (or rapists, as somebody must operate the recording device and chances are they will not tape and not rape) is leaving hard evidence (no pun intended) of the crime, as well as celebrating the act, not only not showing any shame but actually revelling in it and providing an avenue to relive the experience over and over and over again.

Shame of rape

It is the natural extension of the curious situation where the shame of rape is somehow transferred to the victim. In our society it is possible that it goes back to slavery and the white men's habitual rape of black women, individually as well as in gangs, where they actually had rape parties. And since whites could not be ashamed of anything, then the shame must have been the victims', being helpless made a crime.

Or it could be the imbalance in the perception of sex, that most natural of physical acts that men and women participate in, where it elevates the man (hence the stud) and devalues the woman (hence the sketel). So, however the sex comes, it is still a credit for the man and a debit for the woman.

Taped or not, rape is evidence of a deep hatred for women and a deep-seated need to dominate them. It is reflected in everyday speech, where many men refer to somebody they dislike as "da p...h...e" deh" and declare their desire to "kill de p....y" who offends them.

What I find extremely remarkable, though, is that women do not seem overly offended by rape and not particularly averse to rapists. Over the past five years I have been to numerous reggae concerts where the calls to 'free Jah Cure' have been amplified, to the collective flag-waving and cheering of the audiences, including women. Jah Cure, who started his sentence at Spanish Town prison and has been transferred to Tower Street, is a convicted rapist, whose very popular Longing For expresses his desire to be free again.

The irony

He is not a political prisoner, framed for speaking out on issues that made the authorities uncomfortable; he did not commit a crime in trying to correct injustice. Yet the calls to 'free Jah Cure'.

For me, a woman singing or dancing to Longing For is equivalent to me chirping along to a song done by one of the white policemen who beat Rodney King, shot Amadou Dialo, set dogs on the U.S. Civil Rights marchers, beat Steve Biko to death and murdered Africans at will under apartheid. That simply could not happen, but there they go, singing and dancing away.

It is very hard, even futile, to defend the dignity of a group in which a critical mass seems to have absolutely no interest in the issue which you think is crucial (and that applies to black people as well). I was encouraged, though, a few years ago when a judge ordered a woman who had allegedly been raped by a policeman at a police station in downtown Kingston to be remanded in custody because she did not speak loudly enough. There was a protest by women on King Street, one placard reading 'Rape Reid instead'.

And tape it too.

Mel Cooke is a freelance writer.
Copyright Jamaica-Gleaner.com

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I have read that Freemasons study music to incite certain reaction in the masses. I think not absolutely sure read that Mozart or Beethoven were involved with such effort to cause people who listen to their music to become rebellious against their 'religious' beliefs.

It seems that if you have a popular tune you can use it to 'free' yourself from prior judgements and still be accepted in many popular circles.

**Shakes Head**

Just hope I never ever taste power, if I did most of this so called women wouldn’t live a day longer than necessary. I’d rather keep the rapist alive than the women who condone violence on another woman.

Indeed the popular sentiment is to free Jah Cure. Not quite sure myself as Ive read the girls testimony on the net somewhere and it sounded plausible.

But then again I dont take popular opinion on such a serious matter lightly/ Jamaican people aint no fools and dont love rapist / and the courts are not impartial so who really knows the truth...

I rock to his tunes same way...until proved different.

the writer assumes the women at the concerts chanting 'free jah cure' believed him to bea rapist and condoned his actions.

more likely is that those women who believe he should be free, do NOT believe he is guilty of the rape he has been convicted of. those who think he is guilty would not chant for his freedom - jamaica might be a messed up place in many ways, but rapists and child molesters are still seen as scumbags over there - same as everywhere else.

so for the record: jamaican people are no more likely than people anywhere else to condone the crime of rape. all the jamaican women i have ever known/met/spoken to (a huge number) i have never met one who seemed any less offended by rape or rapists than women from anywhere else i have met. liking popular music doesnt mean you condone rape or support rapists. i still enjoy r.kelly music (dont buy it tho) and i in no way condone what i BELIEVE he did, nor any other act of child rape or coercion, it offends me deeply... but i can still enjoy r.kelly songs. i dont see a contradiction.

all the jamaican women i know would be insulted and offended thata black mancould be attempting to spread (via the media) the idea that they feel any differently about rape than any other women around the world. an idea based (it seems) on the writer attending some reggae concerts in the last five years.:?

this is a load of rubbish and i would advise everyone to take it with a pinch of salt. i think the writer's attitudes towards women may have influenced his article and his opinions should not be taken as anything other than just one man's opinion. one some will use as further reason to stereotype jamaican people/women, and view them as being generally less 'human' thanpeople elsewhere. i find that very offensive.

@bubz Bubz

With R Kelly it goes beyond belief though dont you think .. I mean the man was caught blatantly on video camera with a 15 year old girl/ who looked 15 as well..

With Jah Cure its not so cut and dried..

yes sooofresh i like music and i do enjoy listening to a lot of rkellys music. i couldnt suddenly start to dislike music i liked before i found out the man was a paedo. i see no reason to burn those cd's i already have, although i would not spend my money on any more.

i repeat: liking popular music does not mean a person supports or condones the actions of a paedophile and/or rapist.

cant make it any clearer than that, so those who dont understand that can kiss my black ass...from the front.

still it is a matter of principle, and their is no way to make it all utterly butterly

stupid div.....