Is There Moral Decay In Our Society? | TVJ Smile Jamaica

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:00][music] >> As controversial limit lyrics dominate the airwaves, many are questioning whether Jamaica is facing moral decline.

[00:00:15]That discussion is years old to be truth full, but anyway, today we're examining the matter with youth advocate and gospel artist Perry Cummings Jr. I think Prepare.

[00:00:26]>> based on your orientation, I know where you want to land on this. Welcome to the show.

[00:00:31]Thanks for being here.

[00:00:32]>> Thank you for having me.

[00:00:33]>> Um let me see if I'm right or wrong.

[00:00:35]Your thoughts.

[00:00:37]There is a moral decay.

[00:00:40]Um you know, and and today is National Children's Day. You know, it's celebrated as Child's Month. I want to put it in the context of the impact on children. I'm a believe for this month the theme is prioritizing children's mental health, stronger minds, stronger future. I love the theme. But the truth is never without um any serious conversations about how we can truly, you know, impact the lives of our young people in terms of their socialization, then the decay will continue. And I and I believe it it's there. Can't hide it. And we really need to address it. Describe the decay. Okay. If you look at the music specifically, the type of lyrics, and as I said, it's it's a it's an old conversation.

[00:01:26]Um we really need to try our best to communicate to our children what is right from what is wrong when it comes to consuming music. Music impacts behavior.

[00:01:37]Studies show that you look at all schools, there has been an uptick in in school violence recently. I saw right across several secondary institutions. Even being captured, you know, footage.

[00:01:51]Our children have no problems capturing footage of them bullying their peers.

[00:01:56]And when you listen to the the music that they listen to, it promotes that type of behavior. I'm better than you.

[00:02:04]You're a bad man or I'm a bad girl.

[00:02:06]It's It's It's a It's a decline that we have to really acknowledge.

[00:02:09]>> But truth be told, not all music not all promotes promote that. Um But isn't that what the young people like? I mean, I'm not saying this is wrong or right. But when you listen to the music on the buses, when you listen to a lot a lot of the songs and the dances, now that is The The youth them are jumping up and down, too. So, why why why their mind go there? Yeah. So, it's true.

[00:02:32]A very good observation. It is reality.

[00:02:35]Young people now tends to they like that type of vibe because they see it as entertainment. And Simon, we we we need to redefine what is entertainment.

[00:02:45]Singing about unaliving, you know, your fellow Jamaican citizen shouldn't be the the definition of entertainment or make hear that I'm going to stop bus blank ba ba ba. That is what they consider as being good lyrics. And I was just looking at the statistics. And when you think about it, um according to what? The Children's Child Protection and Family Services Agency said that this year alone, 3 months into the year, over 4,000 cases of of of of went in regarding children, you know, abuse whether sexually, emotionally, child labor. Just this year alone, over 4,000 cases.

[00:03:23]Socialization needs to come back to a place where And I've said this many times, where the village is playing a very important role in that. I think there's an erosion of the village.

[00:03:34]There was a time when growing up when you people could tell me better than me, I'm still youngish. But you could you could remember when you didn't have to depend on parents alone to tell you right from wrong as a child. You know, a neighbor good neighbor would say pull up your pants up or something like that. That type of parenting >> come back to socialization with that parent because the culture that we have now some people are in the village but they don't want anybody in the village talking to your child. True.

[00:04:01]>> Sometimes the very socialization is the cause because the parent has a has an attitude problem or the parent is predisposed to violence. The parent is beating the child and passing on the norms of violence in the home. So so yes I I understand about coalescing around that that idea but society has changed so drastically that does that even still hold true? Yeah yeah the society has really morphed into something unrecognizable for me and and the truth is we really have to get back to what is parenting.

[00:04:38]Um you you mentioned something important about some parents not wanting others to discipline their child or to to to to play a role in that but then we have to have social you know intervention as well because there is a social responsibility that we all have. We mentioned the music.

[00:04:56]You have a large platform, you have influence, you [clears throat] have impressionable minds, the children they're like sponges they soak up everything.

[00:05:04]I cannot just say well because the parent don't want me to have a say in how they grow I shouldn't say anything it can affect affect their their minds.

[00:05:13]>> Yep. Um the outstanding Fe Ellington in her comments about um the terrible lyrics some of the lyrics on the healing guy um rhythm she said and I quote don't tell me that is the parent supposed to um discipline the child you know because she's kind of saying what you're saying that it is the lyrics has influence. The artists have influence right?

[00:05:36]>> The artists you know that's it. So what about that? Shouldn't the parents be the person who said no don't listen to that you can't go to that dance do this and don't want to should But the artists themselves will tell you, I've heard many of them say, "We're not making this for children or we're not trying to be role models to your child." True. I've I've heard a very popular dancehall artist said that, you know, their children don't listen to his music.

[00:06:00]But, but, but it it the reality is and the reality we cannot escape you may not see it as your responsibility to help grow a child, but you're out there disseminating this type of lyrics and this type of You know, Auntie Fay was very right. Yeah. The truth is The The The healing of the world really means beautiful, by the way. I should probably go and read him, too.

[00:06:20]But, the reality is when you have artists and we already have this oversaturation of lewd just downright crass music already, I think we can have something different. I want to go back to something that Sim said earlier about some parents don't want you looking after my child.

[00:06:37]Should we not move away from this this village thing cuz whether we like it or not, it doesn't happen. Whether we like it or not. Yeah, it is ideal. It should It should happen with me. And then I kick up box juice and go home and I hear somebody bawl out, I say, "Never you mash up your school shoes." I went tell your mother, "It don't happen again."

[00:06:57]Should we still be trying to hold on to that or should we say, "Well, this is it. We have to do some something different to to get our youngsters in in the right space." A number of things can happen at the same time. I don't think the way forward, the modus operandi should never be to do away with the village. A lot of us can attest to it what the village, including the church, including school, including that good neighbor, community groups. It is the village that played a very important role in many of us becoming good contributing factors to society. I feel like there's some places in Jamaica where village still obtains.

[00:07:34]Probably more in the rural area.

[00:07:36]Probably more in the rural Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. By the way, um I was looking at one of the questions here and I remember about this billboard. Oh, yeah. That was up in I know it was up in Rockford. I think it was in some >> rude boy billboard >> Yeah.

[00:07:52]Um, and some people are saying it was too explicit, you know? Um, where we draw the line because that's a business there that they want to sell a product and then put it up on the billboard so people can see it and go buy the product and I suspect a lot of people go buy the product. Um, they went too far? Despite popular opinion, um, the gaze versus the engagement of the product is very different. Yes, you know, and and and there is statistics to prove that highly sexual ads don't necessarily translate into sales.

[00:08:29]You look at it, but what you remember is not necessarily the product, but the sexual imagery involved. So, even from a marketing standpoint, in the long run, all you remember is just legs being in the air and a big black bottle between the legs of a woman. It went too far, it never It was vulgar and I do believe, yes, the branding may appeal to a certain audience. It could have been toned down because you have other products that attracts the same type of audience, but it was not that explicit.

[00:08:59]It was more subliminal. And again, think about the children having to see that the impressionable minds. Is this okay as a as a little girl? Is it Is it okay for me to when I grow older to have my legs in the air like that, too?

[00:09:15]You know, so I think they went too far with it. They had to take the signs down and I'm happy that we're in a in a very conscious society that there was an outcry against it. Tells me that Jamaica is still alive and well when it comes to our morals and I appreciate that because we really need a culture that is alive and is willing to still hold on to certain values. Where from here, Perry?

[00:09:40]What do we do now? Is it too far gone?

[00:09:43]What errors do we address to try and see if we can salvage or bring some things back?

[00:09:50]We're not too far gone.

[00:09:51]You know, the late Jesse Jackson, Rev, said keep hope alive and I'm keeping hope alive because I do believe now is not the time for us to just condemn people but to use this as an opportunity to say, "How can we collaborate?" No.

[00:10:06]Media personalities, artists, the church. You know, Harvard did a study um and and it proves that, you know, children who would go to church weekly 33% of them are less likely to to become, you know, menace to society.

[00:10:23]They they tend to not do drugs. They tend to avoid, you know, early sexual activity. I think we need to strengthen the social institution some more. Send our children back to Sunday school.

[00:10:35]>> And Sabbath school. By the way, back to the music. What do you say to the selectors who play these songs? Because they also want to be popular. Mhm. They also want people to say, "No, man, me love the selector. Them man a them riddim them man a run with." So, does or do the selectors have an issue? Well, the truth is the selectors are doing it for business.

[00:10:56]It's what's good for business for them.

[00:10:58]But hey, they have to also recognize that they have a responsibility to take a stand.

[00:11:04]And and and and really make a decision if if if what I am doing, is it really benefiting society or is it doing But they get they getting listeners.

[00:11:11]>> But I hear a lot of selectors actually speaking out against the riddim as well.

[00:11:15]I heard Around the stood up Yeah.

[00:11:17]By the way, you really going going on the riddim?

[00:11:19]Should I Simon, should I leave it? Jump on. Jump on? Or not. Or not? [laughter] I don't know. We talk about selectors.

[00:11:25]We have to go now. Youth advocate and gospel artist Perry Cummings Jr. Follow him at Perry in Christ. What's coming up?

[00:11:33]It's pastor being unfairly stigmatized.

[00:11:35]So stick around for that conversation.

[00:11:37]So come stay with us, please.