Letter of the Day | Partying, loudness trumping education

THE EDITOR, Madam:

It is a quite preposterous notion that the desire to bump and grind or participate in a combo party would take precedence over a child’s education. However, in so many locations in Jamaica, this is exactly the case.

Having observed the weeknight parties that take place in so many rural communities, I was not surprised when the four primary school boys who are preparing for PEP exams had no idea what an improper fraction is. The situation is that, there is no peace or quiet in the community at the time when these children are attending online classes or should be doing homework or studying.

We cannot blame this on online classes as the noise from the music bleeds into the classrooms in the daytime. To add insult to injury, the absolute violence and pornography that is spewed out of the sound systems is horrific and embarrassing. By the time the noise stops it is already 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. The most recent one a few days ago lasted until 4 a.m. Now let’s add to that the roaring motorcycles that have been modified to backfire loudly with each rev.

Where is the police? Why not call them? Why are they not stopping this?

I recall having requested a particular party organiser to lower the volume on his system in consideration of the children and the elderly, the response was that the elderly have already gone to sleep and the children like that kind of music.

The entertainment industry claims “freedom of expression”; however, at what point does this violate the rights of the public? Do I have to be subject to obscenity at all hours of the night because this is how someone or some persons want to express themselves? Can they not express it so that only those who wish to hear it will hear it? Is it that only five per cent of Jamaicans have rights while the rest of us have to just live with their expressions? And what of the children, is this how they are being taught to express themselves?

Certainly, Jamaica is better than this. Our country has no future without our children. But what kind of future are we setting up for ourselves?

CONCERNED CITIZEN