Social Impact with Emma » politics : A Jamaica Gleaner Blog

Is Jamaica a Secular Democracy?

January 3rd, 2020

Our son is traveling in India at the moment, so we are looking at what is happening there. In my previous post, I discussed the ever-increasing habit of certain governments – shutting down the Internet at times of social or political unrest. This has been happening across India in the past few weeks. The situation […]

2019: A Year of Internet Shutdowns, Disinformation, and Distrust

December 28th, 2019

2019 has been the year of “Internet shutdowns.” No, I am not talking about Jamaican companies that fail to deliver the services that we pay for. I am talking about shutdowns initiated by governments that are afraid of their own citizens. The Internet has become the lifeblood of many societies in almost every country you […]

The Netizens of Global Voices Celebrate Fifteen Years of Activism

December 12th, 2019

Happy birthday, Global Voices! I am proud to be a contributor to Global Voices and a member of the “GV Family,” which is now celebrating its fifteenth year. What voices, and where, you might ask? Well, GV is an amazingly diverse network, a digital community populated by people you could sit down for hours and […]

The Problem with “Bad Mind”

March 11th, 2018

I have a problem with “bad mind.” How can I translate this broad (but at the same time specific) term to non-Jamaicans reading this post? It’s not exactly jealousy, nor is it envy. It’s not the queen in the “fiery green gown” of Jimi Hendrix’ song, although a dash of the green stuff may be […]

Debating in Jamaica: Style Over Substance?

October 11th, 2016

OK, so there are two sides to a debate. Can you really set down rules for an argument between two people? What, really is a “win”? Don’t we each decide who won for ourselves? I pondered over this while sitting on the rooftop of Phoenix Central – the smart, angular building on Phoenix Avenue that […]

Thoughts on Campaign Finance: Does The Dog Wag His Own Tail?

October 9th, 2015

Back in 1997, a darkly humorous film was released entitled “Wag The Dog,” The stars were Dustin Hoffman, who played a Hollywood producer. Hoffman goes to work for a Washington spin doctor (Robert DiNiro) ahead of presidential elections. The movie, although fiction, had a ring of reality; the Lewinsky scandal broke just a few weeks later. […]