Monday, August 29, 2005

Jamaica College Old Boys: Personality Profile

I have always felt that single sex schools in Jamaica are responsible for forming the characters of their students. It's such a truism at home that it's one of the reasons people will ask "which high school did you go to?" when they meet you for the first time. They ask because they're trying to resolve your behaviour with their notions of how graduates of certain schools are supposed to behave.

In Jamaica, your former high school will be more important than the university you graduated from (Colonialism?).

Is this the new group-think?

Tonight, I've decided to talk about Jamaica College (JC) Old Boys. There are two types: the beta male, and the closet homesexual*.

Jamaica College

One famous beta male JC old boy is former Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley, whose father is national hero Norman Washington Manley. A notorious philanderer who was once caught in bed with his best friend's wife. His biography (LEVI, Darrell E.: Michael Manley: The Making of a Leader. 1989.) makes an interesting read, because most of it is full of sex talk, which I love.

For the most part, JC old boys are very shy, even though they are articulate, opinionated and exude confidence. Because they are not good at introspecting, and because they have an innate (if not misguided) sense of superiority, they don't realise that people misunderstand them because they refuse to express their thoughts and feelings (emotions). In lay terms, this is called stage fright, or performance anxiety. Their sensitivity, however, makes them good photographers and performance artists, because they can express their desires and passions through an external medium.

JC old boys don't necessarily guard their feelings, as they tend to be emotionally raw. Instead, they haven't learnt how to say what they feel so men and women tend to judge them superficially, and ignore their deeper qualities. In this way, these old boys appear to be womanisers but this is misunderstood. In actuality, women are attracted to their sensitivity and shyness and tend to approach them sexually. Since they are generous and compassionate people, they will give into the sexual demands of adoring females with the intention of satisfying the woman's lust.

JC old boys strive to come out of their shyness, if only to express their feelings for the one special woman they meet. Trouble is, they tend to fall into relationships with persons they don't really care about (because of their compassionate nature) and pine away in self-pity when the object of their desire slips away.

Closet homosexuals are another breed. They bear many testosterone markers but their manner and their interests are remarkably feminine. Given the anti-gay nature of Jamaican society, these men usually find themselves at odds with where they want to be and where they are. They believe that they feel rejection from society, but the rejection is internal and is directed towards their own sexuality. They are usually loved by women, but they unwittingly (if not deliberately) go to great lengths to make the woman reject or lose her attraction for them.

These angst-ridden closet homosexuals cannot "come out" without adopting a completely new identity or new life in exile totally isolated from their past. It's a very sorry state of affairs.

Overall, beta male JC boys are rough around the edges and earthy, which gives them that rawness that makes them attractive. As for the closet homosexual set, I've met JC old boys who knew more about designer brands and (feminine) grooming than the average woman.

My hope for JC old boys is that they will find much more success and happiness by taking the risks to form truly intimate relationships.

*Shaggy's girl is not homophobic, and does not support anti-gay sentiments. Other people's sexuality is none of my business.

1 Comments:

Blogger Alice B. said...

Any idea as to what about Jamaica College culture creates this profile?

Also, why is Hillel generating so many famous deejays? (I am referring here to Sean Paul and Junior Gong.)

Wednesday, December 14, 2005  

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