-Western Grandstand- Gayle guilty of bad judgement, nothing else

Western Bureau:

While I flatly reject both the sexism and sexual harassment connotation some persons have affixed to the recent comments Christopher Gayle made to female Australian

journalist Mel McLaughlin during a live television interview from the 'Big Bash' in Australia, I nonetheless believe that the star batsman blundered badly.

As a veteran sportsman who is no stranger to being interviewed on live television, Gayle should have realised that he needed to be circumspect, if not totally judicious, based on the fact that there would be no editing before what he said went out to the public.

Additionally, as a well-travelled top-flight sportsman, Gayle should have realised that what is considered normal in Jamaica might be viewed as abnormal in other parts of the world.

However, while I can understand and appreciate the bashing Gayle has been getting in Australia, I do have a problem with the way some of our Caribbean people have been treating the issue. In fact, I find some of the comments rather hypocritical based on how we operate in our neck of the woods.

In our society, the overt showing of affection to a member of the opposite sex is considered normal, even on live television, once the utterances are not gross. And, knowing Chris Gayle's penchant for clowning around, I honestly believe he was just trying to make light of a serious occasion.

So, while I agree that given the occasion, Gayle's conduct was not appropriate, it would be quite hypocritical of me not to voice my disagreement with the way some Jamaicans have characterised the incident to the point that they are intimating that the star batsman should be tarred, feathered, and kicked out of town.

While I might be unfamiliar with Australia's customs, I know that in Jamaica, 'skirt-chasing' is an integral part of our culture, albeit the church sees it as morally wrong. However, based on the vast number of Jamaican men with multiple babymothers, it is quite clear to me that womanising is integral to our lifestyle.

So beyond faulting Gayle for bad judgment because he made his sweet talk on live television, I see no other reason to chastise him. While I have no wish to slight those persons who have embraced so-called good Christian values, I really think nothing is wrong with complimenting a lady if she is quite pleasing to the eye.

I have been reading and listening to some of the things being said by some of the persons who have been blasting Gayle, and I must say that I am quite worried about their state of mind. I really can't fathom how they have brought sexual harassment into the equation unless their minds are badly warped.

Based on the way our society is structured, which is quite different from places like India, where families hand-pick wives and husbands for their children, I can't understand why anyone would consider a man seeking to establish a relationship with a woman as something offensive, unless it is done in poor taste.