Chris Gayle, his remarks and our Caribbean self

NOT FOR the first time has West Indies’ master batsman Christopher Gayle found himself in hot water for making inappropriate on-air comments to a female journalist.
When he did it the first time, the reaction was relatively mild.In a world that is generally sympathetic to the excesses of superstars, Gayle obviously feels very comfortable repeating what he refers to as jokes without fear of intense reprimand. But this time around, something in the popular consciousness snapped, discharging a plethora of responses that ranged from outright condemnation to fierce defence of Gayle against what is seen as an orchestrated attack on his dignity.
Those who have condemned his remarks have, for the most part, confined their condemnation to the sexist nature of the offending remarks. There is no doubt that the world has become much more literate about, and alert to, women’s equal dignity. What is refreshing is that many males were loud in their condemnation.
This is an interesting development, for Gayle represents the height of manhood. His brutal stroke-play on the field, his imposing physical appearance, his rude-boy persona and embrace of the bling culture combine to feed the image of “the man.”