Great Dads: Freddie and Chino

[Assasin]

The fact is though that even if them nuh under the same roof we sometimes the men them can do better.

Things happen but how an you be a good father when you have 10 pickeny with 5 different women? When we beat down European standards most times we fail to set any for ourselves.

[Islandman]

You tun christian overnight? What is with all this self-righteousness?

[Hortical]

Historian, what about Freddie's other kids?
What involvement wid dem???

[Bricktop]

Was just aksing a question...I dunno...but unless all the kids are under one roof, it would hard to be the best father you possible could be

[Exile]

I did some reading on the subject since and found views similar to mine, clearly I'm in the wrong field:

Ethnocentric bias was found to dominate many of the earlier studies on Afro-Caribbean family and kinship practices. This bias is demonstrated
by the adoption and uncritical use of European norms as the standard. The
ethnocentric bias implicit in these perspectives invariably compares slave or
Afro-Caribbean family and kinship practices with those of a mythical European norm. In some instances, slave and Afro-Caribbean family and kinship practices are interpreted as promiscuous, unstable and deviant. In other cases, they are interpreted as functional for the individual or group, but dysfunctional for larger society. In both instances, it is assumed that that individuals and groups will achieve upward social mobility only through the adoption of European family norms.

Source: A feminist review of the idea of Africa in Caribbean family studies
Theresa-Ann Rajack-Talley. Feminist Africa 7. pg 32-48.

http://agi.ac.za/sites/agi.ac.za/fil..._article_2.pdf

Also this:

http://uwispace.sta.uwi.edu/dspace/b...pdf?sequence=1

[Exile]

What I described is already the case Don1, we only pretend it is not...well maybe not on the supply side of the equation. Even the so-called 'uptown' man also has his 'outside' children some of whom he doesn't maintain. In addition, most of us in Jamaica grew up with an extended family - even if two parents (not necessarily biological) were present ie part of the skewed 'nuclear' family.

The role of the extended family in Caribbean life is grossly underplayed and we often take for granted the inputs of Granny, Grandpa, Uncle, Auntie, cousin etc. and dismiss and diminish their collective contributions. I don't disagree that the fathers sometimes don't play a major role in their biological children's lives -(too busy with new woman and the stepchild?) but maybe it is not as bad as we make it out to be.

So often,in the absence of empirical data to understand our failures (demographics, education, urbanization etc.) we turn to proverbial beating stick (wont use the term whipping boy) - black man 'nuh mind dem pickney'.

Now we we look at some the historical antecedents, we may be able to foster a better understanding. Certainly for men of the Muslim faith, they take care of their offspring even from different mothers.

So while you may not be idly chatting, I think your comparison of two different socioeconomic scenarios may not do justice to the comparisons. One must always remember too that Jamaica is not just 'uptown' St Andrew and 'downtown' Kingston - even if it is a broad brush, since the majority are either from 'country origins' or still in the country. Yu zi mi?

[Assasin]

if he follows his father footstep I have no doubt he will be.

[Historian]

Opening the Problem Floodgates?

Actually, maybe we do need to re-look this anglo-saxon western view of the pair-bond and nuclear family approach. From a purely genetic and fitness point of view increasing the gene pool is not a bad reproductive strategy at all - and we know it's being practiced by the women as well. Now I'm not suggesting 'dead-beat dads' - a term still out with the Jury - but if a man can reasonable support his children and 'Mommas' - why not?
Now I won't take on the black man side of it as that is part of the regurgitation and socialization.

I can just see the homicide rates across the Caribbean increasing rapidly.

Also, what you suggest is nothing new and is, in fact, a direct contributor to the poverty problem in Jamaica and the Caribbean today.

This notion about “if a man can reasonably support his children and his mommas” is tricky at best, as who knows if that man will still have a steady job a few years down the road? Maybe what you describe as the “Anglo-Saxon Western view of the pair-bond and nuclear family approach” has succeeded for the reason that it is the most rational, commonsense method of raising a family?

Think I’m just idly chatting? Just check the average “uptown” middle-class family in JA and place this beside the average “downtown” family.

[Gamma]

does any of that mean that he cannot be a great father?

[Assasin]

Freddie is a good guy still. Never seen him been nothing but a gentleman and he loves kids.

[Exile]

Cynical.

[Historian]

Lol, I Know

in the entertainment world. Check out Ele, Ninja, Bob, D Brown, etc. LOL

Lol, ‘Sass. It is indeed a long list, and one which goes back to our entertainers of the early years. A part of the culture of entertainers?

But while SkengD might just have hit the nail on the head with his allusion to payola and this particular entertainment story, my post and personal comment in this thread were based solely on the content of the newspaper article, a fact which Bricktop has conveniently ignored. And based on this content, there are worthwhile -- in fact admirable -- values which were communicated by Chino McGregor.

Now, his jumping in bed with this woman and that woman is a totally different thing, and it is NOT something that I would do or even support. But that wasn’t the central focus of this thread, although in the final analysis one cannot fully divorce his womanizing from the overall subject of “good fatherhood.”

But this thread was started because I was impressed with much of what he said, and even more so because it came from an entertainer.

[Mosiah]

Thought so too!!!!

[Skeng DX]

Payola Journalism

[Reggaedoc]

I know. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but to each his own.