Dear Editor,
It is time for a reality check. That VW Superbowl ad could indeed work out positively for Jamaica in some ways, but as to the hyperbole by some Jamaicans about Jamaica being a cultural 'superpower' because of the ad, that is sheer nonsense.
One thing we can and ought to adapt from modern American culture, is the emergence of the objective, data-driven "fact check" by disinterested professionals. Anybody can say anything they want in a democracy, but what is the truth? This can be ascertained from research. We have suffered more political and/or social strife from uncritically accepted folk tales, and skewed "true lies" than necessary, because of reality checks often enough, or with enough due diligence.
In this case, The VW ad was a creative idea intended to pull car buyers to the showrooms using island humour, and it is a veritable godsend for the tourism sector, since the estimated audience was in the region of 90 million or so, and from scanning the blogs, it gave a little ego boost to Jamericans in the USA. I think that the smart businessmen of the Sandals Group hierarchy rose to the occasion quickly, and re-spoofed with the Germaican hitback, thus prolonging the fun and longevity of the concept of the VW ad.
The fact check is that everybody knows that the island persona, as depicted, cannot be effective in a serious situation such as a boardroom where company survival is at stake. So Americans watching will no doubt applaud the creativity, but treat it just as they would, say, the Beverly Hills Hillbillys.
Secondly, the "don't worry about a thing" depiction cannot even be real in Jamaica, where the per capita murder rate is consistently in the top three worldwide.
Next, the poverty rate is obvious to any tourist, and so on. Jamaicans must come to grips with standard English, regardless of the opinions of those 'well-spoken' naysayers, and this ad should not be used as a naive ploy to try to justify patois.
Any person, Jamaican or not, who cannot speak standard English to an accepted level, will be at a disadvantage and unable to obtain or hold a top job, VW ad or no.
Cathy Brown
cathy291181@yahoo.com
Jamaica could benefit positively
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It is time for a reality check. That VW Superbowl ad could indeed work out positively for Jamaica in some ways, but as to the hyperbole by some Jamaicans about Jamaica being a cultural 'superpower' because of the ad, that is sheer nonsense.
One thing we can and ought to adapt from modern American culture, is the emergence of the objective, data-driven "fact check" by disinterested professionals. Anybody can say anything they want in a democracy, but what is the truth? This can be ascertained from research. We have suffered more political and/or social strife from uncritically accepted folk tales, and skewed "true lies" than necessary, because of reality checks often enough, or with enough due diligence.
In this case, The VW ad was a creative idea intended to pull car buyers to the showrooms using island humour, and it is a veritable godsend for the tourism sector, since the estimated audience was in the region of 90 million or so, and from scanning the blogs, it gave a little ego boost to Jamericans in the USA. I think that the smart businessmen of the Sandals Group hierarchy rose to the occasion quickly, and re-spoofed with the Germaican hitback, thus prolonging the fun and longevity of the concept of the VW ad.
The fact check is that everybody knows that the island persona, as depicted, cannot be effective in a serious situation such as a boardroom where company survival is at stake. So Americans watching will no doubt applaud the creativity, but treat it just as they would, say, the Beverly Hills Hillbillys.
Secondly, the "don't worry about a thing" depiction cannot even be real in Jamaica, where the per capita murder rate is consistently in the top three worldwide.
Next, the poverty rate is obvious to any tourist, and so on. Jamaicans must come to grips with standard English, regardless of the opinions of those 'well-spoken' naysayers, and this ad should not be used as a naive ploy to try to justify patois.
Any person, Jamaican or not, who cannot speak standard English to an accepted level, will be at a disadvantage and unable to obtain or hold a top job, VW ad or no.
Cathy Brown
cathy291181@yahoo.com
Jamaica could benefit positively
-->