Same old same old: "Sex and the City"

Same old same old… “Sex and the City”

We can't quite decide if the world is growing worse, or if the reporters are just working harder. 
~The Houghton Line, November 1965

Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock. 
~Ben Hecht

They kill good trees to put out bad newspapers. 
~James G. Watt, quoted in Newsweek, 8 March 1982
The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers. 
~Thomas Jefferson

Once again, it seems I will have to take up my role as Montego Bay’s public defender and superhero extraordinaire. The islands longest running paper, The Gleaner has opted to use its platform to bring to the fore, the same old rag story of “Sex in the City” (a title I used the last time I addressed this topic) and try to pass it off as news, in its September 4, 2005 edition of its Sunday edition. Sex in Montego Bay the tourism capital is not “News” it is “Olds”, story that the national papers seem to pick up anytime there is a slow news week. I’ve said this already. My main contention is that these stories only serve as bad publicity for our fair city and worse yet the stories contribute nothing new or substantially different to what we already know about the sex trade here.

None of these well funded papers have taken any time to do real genuine qualitative or quantitative research on what is happening. Sure most of these articles about MoBay and sex from the major national papers will undoubtedly have interviews and quotes from a variety of unnamed sources. It seems impossible to me however, that year after year after year they are unable to produce more people with real names and can point out real and poignant factor that affect them and their lives. I for one am tired of the nameless and faceless participant in the prostitution ring, their anonymity is bordering on fictitiousness now.

Another one of my bones of contention is that none of these articles as feature pieces, never offer solutions but always point to the economic realities and harshness as and tourism influences as usually the sole factors that press along the sex trade in MoBay. What happens to the ones who opt into it for the gratification and the not dire financial but the excess material wants (not needs). I wonder if there aren’t any other variables and issues that lead to or lend themselves to prostitution in Montego Bay. It is also seems odd to me no one has spoken to or rarely speaks to the clientele of these flesh retailers, because business never occurs without customers, so it seems to be a bit imbalanced to not examine the other aspect of the business, and see what new information can be “gleaned” from that vantage point. I’ve also heard that prostitutes in MoBay do have some very ‘cashy’ customers and financially ‘well-endowed’ connoisseurs of flesh that range from the average Joe to some of the friendly city’s prominent members, like Parish Councillors and influential business men.

By the way isn’t there any other feature type stories happening in and around MoBay. Geee, why hasn’t any feature or quantitative or qualitative examination been given to the escalating levels of crime? There are criminals out there that need to be interviewed so we can see what is happening get the real scope and scoop. The police need to be addressed on this. Instead of stories written, I’m almost certain without leaving the desk or the computer in the air-conditioned offices.

Why hasn’t anyone done any feature on the city’s bright sparks as yet, seeing that CXC and ‘A’ level results are out now? Are we going to continue to perpetuate the myth and stigma of the Sex City MoBay? This journalism bias and focus cannot continue much longer. People need to know from these large media platforms that Montego Bay is a multifaceted city, with more to offer than some sex, beach, “Hospitality Jamaica” and Margaritaville. With the revenue and supposed kind of backing that these large media houses have it is a shame they leave the task of the real nitty gritty and some what niche stories to the smaller papers like “The Western Mirror”, “The North Coast Times” and such.

Of course, I’m certain the powers that be and the Mayor in particular will not address either the issue of prostitution in the city or the fact that the media continues to and refuses to paint our city in any other light than a den of sex, sea, sand and scandal. While we are on the subject the tourism interests don’t seem to mind the negative national PR. Sandals MoBay might as well be “Scandals MoBay”, and MoBay might as well be   “‘Ho’–Bay” seeing that if the media is write/right only debauchery occurs in our tourism capital. Montego Bay and Montegonians have so much more to offer the country than sex, I only wish the national paper could see that and make at the very least a reasonable attempt at showing that. So here is to hoping that maybe in this weeks Sunday Edition of the national papers that we see a feature story on MoBay that beyond the now played out lines on Sex in the City.

By Yannick Nesta Pessoa
B.A. in Philosophy
yannickpessoa@gmail.com
or yahnyk@hotmail.com