Something has been happening in the last few years but became quite striking over this transition from 2012 to 2013 and that is the disappearing act of the diary/appointment books as we have come to know them. Most people close to me know that I am a classic laggard when it comes to the new hot pieces of technologies on the market - such as smart phones; so it may come as no surprise that I am just being hit with the reality that I am among the few who still need the physical diary to function. Most of my friends don't because they have smart phones. Companies are not wasting harder-to-come-by money acquiring diaries for neither staff nor clients because, "you all have phones, don't you?". So a twist on the old song "Where have all the young girls gone?" could go something like this: Where have all the diaries gone? Gone to smart phones everywhere...when will we ever learn?
Ah, well. There are many things to learn about the real world being taken over by the virtual world and one of them is that there is no money being spent in the real world except on the purchase of new physical tools. We should talk one day abut the other realities of the virtual world that are impacting the real world and how for example, one day we will be wondering from whence came our squinted knock-kneed eyes.
We know we are in danger of losing our sense of humanity when we turn upon our children in such brutal ways as are being revealed in recent times. Our children are gifts from God to be loved, cherished and protected; not bruised, humiliated nor sacrificed. If we believe in a safe and secure future then we must accept the awesome responsibility of believing in our children. Stand up for the children today.
The
very first International Scientific Conference to be hosted at the UWI, Mona
Western Jamaica Campus is a reality. The conference dubbed Dying to be Beautiful? Body Image, Eating Behaviours and Health in the
Caribbean should bring well needed support for the activities of the newest
outpost of the UWI, Mona brand. Much
respect and admiration go out to Doctors Caryl James, Abigail Harrison and
Stacy Brodie Walker, the conference chair and co-chairs respectively. This team of young, vibrant, determined, and experienced
researchers in the fields of clinical and counseling psychology, paediatrics
and adolescent medicine are charting a way forward for the UWI and the Western Jamaica
Campus that can only be seen as positive.
When a campus is new, everything is first,
everything is pioneering, and everything is history-making. Everyone involved
therefore has the opportunity to be groundbreaking, to be innovative, and to be
a forerunner. But this is not just about being first or new simply as a
chronological eventuality but rather about making a deeply positive impact on
the lives of the different peoples we serve as researchers and educators. This conference is certainly a welcomed initiative
and opportunity for the Western Jamaica Campus of the UWI Mona brand to further
underscore the significant role that universities and university education play
in the development of a society.
Just as importantly, the conference is a
platform to advance UWI’s rich tradition and highly-favored reputation as an
outstanding innovator, a distinguished pioneer, and a celebrated leader in
teaching, research, and outreach across the Caribbean and indeed throughout the
world. This is indeed the place to
shine! Oriens ex occidente lux!
The Dying
to be Beautiful? conference is also tapping into a longstanding but always
alive topic – beauty and body imaging and the things we do or not do to fit
certain ideals. Whether these ideals are
defined by others or self, influenced by history or geography, perpetuated by
soft parental socialization or heavy media cultivation, the pursuit of beauty
can be as life changing as it can be life threatening. The dialogue around this topic is as varied
in form and nature as in perspectives – from subtle linguistic gymnastics to
violently rambunctious in-your-face debates about self, identity, human rights,
race, gender and power relations.
For the academics there is going to be all
levels of analysis – be they sociological, etymological, epistemological,
heuristic, you name it – but one thing is certain; the theme of the conference touches
the core of our Jamaican being. Have
we seen the raft of responses to Professor Carolyn Cooper’s article in the
Sunday Gleaner of January 8, 2012 – including an apology and distancing of the
newspaper from Cooper’s comments about racial policy and editorial decisions?
From self-serving interpretations of the coloring
book to questionable internationally sanctioned practices in dieting, beauty
and body image are excitingly essential parts of our everyday discourse. The
heightened interest and anticipation of the student population about the public
forum on Defining Sexy may not be so much about the expected debate over being fluffy or slim bodied, nor even
the black versus brown obsession which always gets the talk going. It is also about the presence of celebrated
beauty queen Yendi Phillips and the ever cutting-edge Rastafarian folk
philosopher, Mutabaruka. It’s about the real live experience of questioning
those who have come to symbolize certain ideals about self and identity. It’s about being documented in pictorials
with those who play an important role in the uncovering of the truths about our
health behaviours.
In other
words, taking the research to the people is an important part of
the development process and this must be encouraged. As the Conference chair herself
acknowledges in her introduction, there are socio-cultural and psychological
implications, historical and geo-political considerations, and even economic
and global impacts of beauty on the human body that must be explored at all
levels, in all forms, and on all platforms. It is of significance therefore that
this conference is a convergence of disciplines and, according to the
organizers, “for the
first time at the University the relevance of an integrated approach in
healthcare is (being) emphasized”.
I do hope
the sessions we have had so far have been enlightening, engaging, and revealing
and that we are, in the true Jamaican sense, ‘dying’ to get to the others to
come. We salute all who have worked to
make this possible and look forward to the UWI, Mona –Western Jamaica Campus
making its true impact on the building of the intellectual capital across the
region.
Coward man keep sound bone. This is a saying that probably justifies the enthusiastic reluctance of some people towards certain contemporary innovations; especially those computer technology-driven cyberspace-based social networking platforms. Laggards like me are curious of the fact that anything is possible with your images or texts. Of course, some say that if you have nothing to hide, what is the problem? That is the problem! The potential for reputation damage is not in what you make public but what others can make of it. And in the contemporary public domain court rooms where the penetration is so deep the onus is not on others to prove your guilt but on you to prove your innocence. Guilt is already the starting point. All reputations are already constructed around guilt. What a pity! I believe technology is meant to advance man's relationship in and with his environment. One would hope that to advance would mean moving in a positive direction but there are too many examples where to advance is synonymous with destruction. Yes, there is world of good happening and as an optimist I am happy that new and innovative ways are being found to use information communication technologies, for example, to improve the world's knowledge base especially among children. However, we cannot dismiss the fact that Internet safety for children has become a big problem because some animals among us have decided to use the technology in a negative direction. This is of great concern. And so, it is time for those whose cowardice have kept them sound to make a move and join the struggle to keep our children safe be that in the natural world, socially constructed world, or the virtually mediated world. After all, early birds may catch the most worms but nothing stops those with sound bone from getting into the action even at this late stage. Sometimes all a crisis needs are fresh eyes, fresh legs, and a new perspective. Sometimes all it needs are the sound bones. Now is that time. Time to help prepare a safe and secure world for our children.
