THAT SCANDAL SHEET & LIFE’S TEACHABLE MOMENT

Dear Met,
I have been thinking hard about this scandal sheet known as jamaicangirlsexposed. As you know, it is back with a bang. They are showing graphic images of females posing nude and engaged in sexual acts and also “outing” young men by showing images shared between them. When that blog emerged earlier this year, there was widespread condemnation amid allegations of blackmail, theft and breach of privacy. One female Jamaican personality claimed that her email was hacked and the photos placed on the blog and that sums were demanded for their removal. Others claimed that the images were lifted from their internet accessible devises when they were sent to be fixed. Looking at it from one angle, and based on what was in the public domain, it was a gross act and low blow. Several women started a rallying cry about the injustice meted out to females and viewed it as an attack on the feminist movement. Several found their way their way to the Organised Crime Investigations Division and gave statements. The outcome of those investigations is unclear. Under Jamaican law, outside of evidence of extortion, I am not sure how much the police can do. So then, is there sufficient under Jamaican law for a lawsuit to be stitched together? We do not know. What is clear is that the scandal sheet survives.
However, there is yet another angle. The moderators are not the only ones to blame in this fiasco. They are simply the tail end of our bedroom antics and sexual misadventures. But what is the driving force behind it? Is it pure greed aimed at scavenging a few dollars from these women (and men)? Or is it some perverse mind that has conceptualized the blog to torment unsuspecting citizens? We may never know. But what is clear is that there are images of dozens of women and men, with no indication that they have anything in common. Is it then that there is a marauding set of men randomly hacking email accounts? Maybe, but this is not the only explanation. What I do believe is that some people are too slack with their lifestyles by taking these graphic photos or posing on webcams, and believing that is the end of the story. These images are captured and saved for one purpose – future reference. Whether it is for personal enjoyment or to be shared, once saved they will emerge one day and not always under circumstances that we can control. They maybe on a phone or a laptop that was misplaced, sold or stolen or they may be on that memory card that is loaned to someone or left in the device that is sent to be fixed. How many times have we left our phones in someone’s car, at a house or at work and they are open for people to view and use. All persons that we come into contact with do not always have honorable intentions. Some ah dem dutty and it may take years for you to really know someone. Someone like the person who you have been sleeping with or someone who you take as a true “facebook friend”, if there is any such person. Disgruntled and jealous men, petty and bitchy women and perverts are not always easily and immediately identified by a 666 in their foreheads. Years ago, I was told of this incident by a sistren. She was involved with a man who I will call AA. AA was savvy with the computer. One day, AA left his password protected desktop open and she saw a video of her and AA having sex. She never knew that she was being taped. She deleted the video and walked away from AA. Months later, a male acquaintance who knew both of them, informed my friend of the video. She said that she had deleted it. This mutual friend said to her “so u tink”. By just deleting it doesn’t make it disappear. How many of our sexual partners have been taping us without our knowledge? Do we really know the man or do we just know the buddy.
How many of us in Jamaica have seen used laptops and reconditioned blackberry phones for sale at cheap prices. Have we ever wondered who did the reconditioning? Was the previous owner able to properly dispose of all embarrassing images and videos? How many persons remember to remove the memory cards before selling these phones to persons who intend to recondition them? Another problem is that the use of internet accessible devises on unsecured connections is taken for granted. Watching CNN and other cable news networks, I have learnt that someone with sufficient background in information technology can easily access your gadgets by way of the internet, as this is not confined to those drama series we love to watch. Unsecured networks pose a problem and texts and images can be easily intercepted.
The moderators have exposed the hypocrisy of our lives as well as our vulnerabilities. Of course there are many dry eyed, thin skin women who will not give a rat’s ass that the world can examine the contours of their vaginal walls. But, for the most part, many are being hurt by it and many relationships will fail. Family members will be embarrassed and community shops and bars will have these images and videos as talking points, further alienating the victims. But, what is done is done and cannot be changed. That blog is an opportunity for the victims to view it as one of life’s teachable moments.

Belly Bang (& Nothing Nuh Wrong)