CaribWorldNews, NEW YORK, N.Y., Tues. July 8, 2008: The Travel Channel has yet to respond to a query regarding the use of the b-word to describe Jamaican women by popular host, Anthony Bourdain.
Bourdain, the garrulous, no-holds-barred host of the hit ‘No Reservations,’ used the word in a recent episode of the show which focused on the dancehall culture in Jamaica.
During a segment on dancehall, as he narrated over film clips of gyrating young Jamaicans, Bourdain made the observation: ‘This ain\\\\\\\'t about standing up for your rights or praising Jah or anything like that.
`Like reggaetón, its mutant cousin, dancehall is the hardcore beat behind lyrics concerning, for the most part, acquiring possessions, getting respect on the street, beating down perceived enemies, and enjoying the physical charms of varied, if not multitudinous, b***ches.’
The comment has been slammed by some observers, following a recent article by Redding News Review.
Reggae artist Nadine Sutherland took issue with it.
‘I am offended as a woman,’ said Sutherland.
Other observers say that when Bourdain, a white, privileged man, uses the word it takes on a connotation different from its use by the dancehall artist.
‘I don\\\\\\\'t blame dancehall for Anthony Bourdain\\\\\\\'s comments,’ said female hip hop sensation Stahhr. ‘It\\\\\\\'s not like he doesn\\\\\\\'t have any common sense. He used that word for a different purpose. I am not going to blame a genre of music that hasn\\\\\\\'t existed for a century for a mentality that has existed for over a thousand.’
Radio host Jason Walker said Bourdain’s words also reflects an unfairly limited view of dancehall, ignoring the many conscious artists who eschew derogatory words.
‘His description doesn\\\\\\\'t make room for Buju Banton, Luciano, Tanya Stephens and of course Nadine Sutherland,’ said Walker. ‘Considering where the music comes from, there shouldn\\\\\\\'t be any derogatory comments. There needs to be an honest discourse from people in the dancehall culture about the state of the music.’
