Gordon Robinson | Do you want me to repeat it?

Despite the best efforts of Little Youth to keep the week’s headlines deeply mired in the political gutter, the Reggae Girlz saved our blushes.

But, believe you me, Little Youth made a sincere effort to press ahead with his Party’s apparent determination to outdo all comers for boorish and crass behaviour. Hot on the heels of his leader’s stellar example of how to keep discourse below any decency standard with his encouragement (oops, sorry, “joke”) that Comrades should ensure even the dead vote PNP, Little Youth, then PNP Human Rights Commission Chairman, elected to limbo, limbo, limbo like him. Or lower.

Appearing as co-host on a You-Tube show that I will not identify lest it gain undeserved publicity, Little Youth advised a woman he called “Paula” to perform a sex act on a man.

Any. Man!

Well, maybe I’m being unfair to Little Youth because his exact words could be interpreted as directing “Paula” to a specific man named Richard. In response to his co-host’s open-mouthed shock, Little Youth doubled down “Do you want me to repeat it?”

The earliest, most incisive reaction came from Babsy Grange who described Little Youth’s language as “misogynistic, crude, nasty, sexist, low and disgraceful.” She called on Mark Golding to immediately fire Little Youth.

Can I get an Amen?

What did the PNP do? What did its Leader do? What could they do in light of the all-too-recent “Dead Voters” leading by example model? PNP issued a Statement in which it announced that Little Youth had spoken to the Leader by telephone and offered to resign as Human Rights Commission Chairman because “he believes that resigning is in the party’s best interests, as the remarks in question do not reflect the values of the People’s National Party.”

Aw, gee….

Let’s break that down. Little Youth didn’t offer to resign because he felt he had done anything wrong. He didn’t offer to resign because his remarks were exactly as Babsy depicted them. He resigned because he believed it was in PNP’s best interests! He concedes his remarks “do not reflect the values of the People’s National Party” but didn’t say they did not reflect HIS values.

Although PNP seemed to admit its values were different to those espoused on You-Tube, apparently Little Youth’s remarks weren’t sufficiently distanced from PNP values to merit any PNP condemnation, rebuke or disciplinary action. Also, PNP hasn’t accepted responsibility for appointing someone harbouring these contrary values to chair their Human Rights Commission. PNP hasn’t considered that maybe Little Youth perceived encouragement to publicly expose (er, um) unconventional thoughts from his leader’s earlier East Rural St Andrew “joke”.

Did PNP do any due diligence before elevating Little Youth to this very important Party post? Did they ensure he understood that the word “Human” in “Human rights” includes women?

Later PNP Women’s Movement (PNPWM) issued an equivocal comment:

“[PNPWM] says it strongly condemns the unacceptable public remarks made about a female leader, even as it acknowledges the resignation of Isat Buchanan as the party’s human rights chair. The movement says such behaviour goes against the principles and values of the party.”

So, Miss Pat, why were Little Youth’s remarks “unacceptable”? Your Party didn’t go that far. It appears from your release the reason PNPWM found them “unacceptable” was, parroting the Party Line, because “such behaviour goes against the principles and values of the party” and not because they were disgustingly uncivil and inhuman. Not to mention “misogynistic, crude, nasty, sexist, low and disgraceful”!

Why do you juxtapose his resignation with your finding his remarks “unacceptable”? What does his resignation matter to the character of his remarks save that, in my opinion, he should properly have been fired? Does his resignation somehow mitigate or make amends for the remarks? Or was the resignation just a ploy to protect the Party as PNP and PNPWM statements admit? Despite excess verbiage, PNPWM went not a millimetre further than PNP.

Two days after the offensive video was circulated, under immense public pressure from everywhere outside of PNP itself, Little Youth issued an apology in which he stated:

“my comments and use of the song reference are indeed unfortunate, and for that, I unequivocally apologise.”

Unfortunate? UNFORTUNATE??

Little Youth, surely you jest? Babsy’s reaction nailed it and nothing less than acknowledgement of her assessment’s accuracy and an abject, bootlicking apology for THAT is acceptable. Let me be clear:

1. Although I sympathise with the obvious target of Little Youth’s mindless rant, I’m not going along with general commentary that focuses on the fact that a woman was affected. The obviously misogynistic intent of his words doesn’t alter the reality that, said about any human being, dog, cat, horse or pig, they’d be equally barbaric and disgusting. The unacceptable remarks were directed at a woman but their unacceptability doesn’t arise BECAUSE they were said of a woman. As Babsy pointed out, misogyny and sexism were only two of the remarks’ SEVERAL nauseating characteristics.

2. I’m sick and tired of the vacuously vapid whataboutery persistently practiced by both Parties’ social and traditional media trolls. Now PNP trolls are in full flight glossing over Little Youth’s aberrant behaviour and PNP’s possible vicarious liability for his actions. Instead they insist every commentator pay equal attention to George Wright and Everald Warmington’s previous alleged or actual aberrations.

3. For pity’s sake give the fatuous false equivalence a rest. Nothing Wright or Warmington may have done mitigates or is relevant to Little Youth’s folly. This week, commentators who are independent, partisan or somewhere in between are all entitled to and should focus on this week’s atrocity. Warmy and Wright were critiqued when their alleged deviant behaviour was current and have nine days or so to give us something else to criticize.

4. PNP should consider trying out for Extreme Sports. It has managed to insert both feet in its mouth and then shoot itself in at least one foot. At the same time it has done untold damage, in the court of public opinion, to its case claiming that the use of a lawful method of constitutional amendment to subvert or circumvent another otherwise unavoidable constitutional imperative is unconstitutional.

5. Like Michael Jordan, PNP’s behaviour is unbelievaBULL

6. So is Little Youth’s. I don’t and won’t accept his apology. If he thinks his tirade was only “unfortunate” he either has no idea for what he should be apologizing or deliberately refuses to apologise for his actual transgression. Fortune had NOTHING to do with it. His actions were deliberate. Remember “Do you want me to repeat it”? He needs help.

Little Youth should’ve heeded his father’s sage advice:

“Ride on…

But though you ride like

lightning

so, man, if you ride like

lightning

then you’ll crash like thunder.”

Then came the good news as the Reggae Girlz rode to our rescue with what, must be the best team sports achievement in Jamaica’s history. Not only did they qualify for our second consecutive World Cup, they remained undefeated in all three group matches against Panama, Brazil and France. The team played four and a half hours plus of football at the highest level without conceding a goal.

My friend, The Terrible Tout, a self-styled sports wagering expert, repeatedly advises students that, in every sport, defence is far more important than offence and is the foundation of every winning team. Everybody with sporting intelligence knows it matters not how many thousands of runs you make in Test Cricket. If you can’t take twenty wickets you can’t win. It’s the same for Football (ask Sam Allardyce); Baseball (where wins are statistically credited to Pitchers); Boxing (where Ali’s innovative “rope-a-dope” defence turned the sport upside down) as the King of Siam might say, etcetera, etcetera.

The Girlz were masterful as a team but my spotlight shines on the defensive unit. My player of the group matches is Allyson Swaby whose goal against Panama (while talisman Bunny Shaw was suspended) made all the difference to Jamaica’s future travel plans. Outstanding effort and execution also came from Becky Spencer; Tiernny Wiltshire; Chantelle Swaby; Deneisha Blackwood; Tiffany Cameron and “security guard” Vyan Sampson.

They. Were. All. Magnificent!

Brazil may have started the game believing they were playing with children but ended it understanding, as did the French, why Jamaicans claim “we likkle but we Tallawah.”

In the context of Little Youth’s simultaneous misogyny, the Girlz placed an exclamation mark on his disgrace. Yo, Little Youth, watch the Reggae Girlz and learn. Do you want me to repeat it?

Peace and Love.

- Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com