There is a thin gray line between what is private and public that many website owners face everyday. It is not very different from what the average person on a social network faces however it is one level up. Before adding content to Jamaicans.com I have to consider how it may affect me privately and publicly.
With the emergence of social networking sites like twitter, facebook and myspace that process becomes even more complicated. It is difficult to separate the personal from public/informational. What you post becomes a battle.
That came to light more clearly for me after reading the article on the suspected “twitter burglary“. The owners of a business posted that they made it to their destination location for vacation on time on Twitter. Their home was burglarized and they attribute it to people on twitter knowing they were not at home.
A similar crime could easily happen on facebook. Lets say you have a facebook account and as many of you know the goal is to get as many friends as possible. Some of these friends may have “shady” pasts or be criminal elements. You make an mobile update to your Facebook account. This could give the impression you are not at home and hence open your residence up for a burglary.
Trying to running multiple accounts also becomes interesting. Do I keep a personal and a Jamaicans.com social networking account to divide that gray line?
As we become more connected what to post, how to post and who to post to becomes complicated.
I love watching gymnastics and ice skating but I hate to see someone fall. My wife and children say I take it very personal. I cringe, groan in emotional pain and sometimes close my eyes. I feel embarrassed for them. You know it is over for them but they continue. I can’t get past the fall. The recent Miss Universe had me feeling this way. Miss USA fell and it was pretty bad. Jamaica was not one of the 10 finalist and I was really pulling for her. I had stop watching after she fell. I don’t know how I am going to handle the Olympics Gymnastics but I will be watching…
For the past 3 years the Jamaica College Old Boys Association of Florida plays the St. George’s College Old Boys Association of Florida in a annual soccer match to commemorate Dennis Ziadie who coached both school to Manning cup championships. I am very involved in planning of the event each year as the past president of the chapter. The planning keeps me busy the weeks leading up to the match. But on the day of the event the memories of the 1984 Manning Cup finals match we lost to St. George’s comes back to haunt me. The team the St. George’s fields is full of all the players from that year. They have been the JC old boys the past 3 years.
But back to my haunting memories. What was most hurtful about that final match was we played to a draw on the Saturday the finals was played. So a second match was scheduled to decide the finals that following Monday. We scored first and I was sure we had the game. I remember “highfiveing” and celebrating in the stand. I could taste victory. Our defense was one of the best. We had “hog eye” (nickname of our best defender) in the backfield and he would “clean up” anyone that try to get between him and the goalie. Went in with a lead at half time and eventually lost the match 2-1. I will never for get that week at school. It was like someone had died. Most of the guys on that team were in my year. They never came to school that week. It was like we all died. It was very sad because on that very Monday we lost our Basketball team won a championship. I left the national stadium to go over to the arena to watch them win…
I think every high school boy in Jamaica wants to be “there” (attending school) during the year you win a Champs or Manning Cup. You get to boast and brag that you were there when the school won something. There is nothing like it.
So this April 26th I will re-live these memories. It may be a little easier this year as JC won the Manning cup last year. Yes…we still own the most manning cups (had to brag a little) . But that 1984 Final will leave with me forever.
PS: The one good thing that came out of us losing the final was me “cling” to basketball. It was the only thing we won in 1984 and 1985. My love for basketball continues today as many of you know.
Forgive me if this post seems like a brain “dump” but there is so much related this topic that I can’t help it. It may seem disjointed but it will come together.
Last week at lunch a friend and I were discussing society morals. We were talked about our Jamaican backgrounds and the sense of morals. We discussed how it compares to the US. We discussed the lack of men in the lives of their children and the effects. She is a psychologist.
During the discussion I mentioned that what was detestable 20 years ago is now acceptable. I mentioned a lady having 1 child by 1 man out of wedlock 30 years ago was looked at with disdain. Today a lady having 3 children by 3 different men out of wedlock is acceptable. In Western culture is used to be unacceptable for a man to have more than 1 wife or even a wife knowing her husband’s “side” girlfriends. A friend recently told me that he knew men in Jamaica that have their wives who take care of their husband’s baby mother children while he goes out with the baby mother (and the baby mother does the same). I believe there is a popular R&B singer of African decent (Not African-American as the term is uses in the US…I hate that term) who is reported to have more than 1 wife. It is acceptable and everyone knows about it.
This leads me to ER (I told you I would be all over the place). Last weeks episode of ER opened with a man in bed with 2 women. Yes…a threesome. I have watched ER for years and I believe one of the agendas of the show it to make what people see as morally wrong to right. I remember 2 seasons ago a devout Christian on the show suddenly was transformed into a party girl who had sex out of marriage. They try to humanize every moral issue and take the side the probably most in society see as wrong. With that said..What most see as wrong now will probably be seen as right a few years from now.
PS: Don’t be surprised if the uproar of about the Mormon church that was raided in Texas comes to a TV near you and is humanized to send a subtle message.
I can’t believe I am doing this, but I am going to admit that I am afraid of frogs. I hate them with a passion. I remember coming home late one night from a party to be met by a frog at the front door. I was not about be intimidated by him so I threw stones at my parent’ window (no cell phones back then) to get them to scare it away from the front door. Yes I was a big man…lol.
Yesterday I read about the devil frog called Beelzebufo. The name, Beelzebufo ampinga, came from Beelzebub, the Greek for devil, and bufo: the Latin word for toad. It sent chills up my spine even thinking of living in a time with a creature like this around.
I caught the last 45 minutes of the Grammy awards show. Very different from shows in the past. More music and live performances. Herbie’s win was quite a surprise. Something just does not seem right with Amy Winehouse winning 5 Grammy awards. I could not put my finger on it until I heard what the presenter Natalie Cole had to say. Below is a quote:
“I don’t think she should have won. I think it sends a bad message to our young people who are trying to get into this business, the ones who are trying to do it right and really trying to keep themselves together,” said Cole, 58. “We have to stop rewarding bad behavior.”
I agree 100%. Especially when you consider her hit sound about not going to “rehab”. I don’t think anyone should be suprised by the whole thing because I think stories of “bad behaviour” are now the “feel good” stories. The record industry and Hollywood seem to endorse the bad behavior instead of telling them to clean up their act. I can hear a child telling a parent “I don’t have to stop…look at Amy Winehouse…she still won”
Congrats to Stephen Marley on winning the reggae Grammy. It is the third year in a row one of Marley’s sons have won a Grammy. Ziggy Marley won in 2007 and I saw some blogs mentioning it is nepotism and the the people at the Grammys only recognize the Marley name. Seems many thought Toots and the Maytals should have gotten the “bow”. I have not heard any of the albums so I have no comment. I am waiting for the day when they will show the Reggae Album awards live. Bob Marley has already gotten a lifetime Grammy achievement so it may not happen until either the Wailers or Peter Tosh gets that honor.
. But that 1984 Final will leave with me forever.
