Devin Di Dakta Says Catcalling Is Only Harassment When Poor Men Do It: “When A Rich Man Do It, Woman Draws Drop!”
Oh Devil artist Devin Di Dakta was raked across the coals on Friday after he said that that it was fine for rich men to catcall Jamaican women, as they will only complain about harassment when a poor man is the perpetrator.
Devin was commenting on a Jamaica Star article which quoted Alando Terrelonge, MP for St Catherine East Central, as urging his fellow parliamentarians to prepare themselves to impose legislation against “vulgar catcalling”, which is usually perpetrated by males who “seek to strip women of their dignity”, when debating the Sexual Harassment Bill which goes before the Parliament on Tuesday.
Catcalling is defined as the act of shouting harassing and often sexually suggestive, threatening, or derisive comments at someone publicly, but in his response on The Star’s Instagram page, Devin said that because his female compatriots reserve their strength to complain only about similar treatment by their poor male compatriots, impecunious men should ensure they get wealthy first before beginning catcalling.
“Catcalling is harassment ONLY when a BROKE yute do it. When a RICH man do it, woman draws drop! Moral of the story? GET YUH MONEY UP!” Devin di Dakta declared.
While many of his male fans agreed with him, it was not so for the ladies, who argued that by mocking Jamaican women and saying that they genuflect to rich men who harass them, the Dancehall artist was being chauvinistic.
One of his first rebukes came from tuyetgodfrey.
“@devindidakta Rich Men Don’t Cat Call Dummy! Shut Up!” she ordered the … deejay, later getting support from toni.tones_ who said @tuyetgodfrey Exactly!!!!! They Don’t! And that’s the biggest difference.”
“@toni.tones_ Exactly, but they broke so they act like it. Now they offended,” tuyetgodfrey replied.
The St. Mary High School graduate was scolded by say_what_i_want0 who wished him some time behind prison bars. “@devindidakta This is why we are in need of these laws so that disgusting low lives with mindset such as yourself can be put behind a jail cell,” they responded.
There was also a scorching comment which included a popular Jamaican invective from _anto_876. “@devindidakta iron balloon, LIFT U BOMBOCLAAT FROM YAH SUH!!!!!!” he wrote.
The proposed Sexual Harassment Act, seeks to impose penalties on persons who make unwanted sexual advances to others in workplaces and institutions.
Terrelonge, who was making his contribution to a debate on a report from a Joint Select Committee of Parliament pertaining to the Sexual Harassment Act, had argued that there is the need for laws that also deal with harassment in public spaces.
According to the Attorney-at-law, current practices by some men rob women of their right to dress in the manner they desire, as in the case of a woman from his constituency, whom he said is constantly harassed by men “whenever she goes to a particular place” where she is subjected to being met with vulgarity such as “big this, big that”.
Other women who commented on the IG post, relayed incidents which they encountered similar to the one brought up by Terrelonge, who is also State Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, among them queentami77, who had a word of caution for the 2015 Magnum King of the Dancehall.
“@devindidakta this comment right here is why things will never change. Remember some of you will have daughters,” she said.
She then went on to recount what she said was one of her worst experiences which involved a Benz owner who along with his friends hurled “the most hurtful and humiliating” innuendoes at her because she ignored his initial offensive remarks.
“Yes that’s right. I saw no Benz all I saw was a dirty man…Then he and his friends continued to shout nasty things at me because as you put it, I didn’t turn around and drop my draws,” she said in further rebuking the 2017 Grammy nominee.
“Change starts with sensitivity. I have 2 sons and I teach them by sharing my experiences and how it made their mother feel. So they know if they become wealthy or not, it is ok. I can’t tell them it’s ok to behave that way once them money up. Yow, sometimes I wonder if y’all really have mothers or sisters to rhaatid,” she added.
Another commenter half.human.half.jedi told Devin, among other things that contrary to his beliefs, rich, entitled men who catcall excessively were even more disgusting than poor men.
“Either way, you have no idea how it feels to live in fear that a man may be violent if ignored or start following you… How it feels for a man to make sexual comments then reach out and touch you as if he’s entitled to do so, then laugh with his friends when you look scared,” she said.
“There’s so much we go through and the amount of backlash this is getting for men to just be respectful is disgusting,” she remarked.
Also issuing a stern reprimand to Devin was afro_kinky_hurlock, who declared that “catcalling is harassment no matter who does it”.
“@devindidakta why don’t you teach men how to be respectful when pursuing a woman? This has nothing to do with money and everything to do with men constantly objectifying us,” she stated, while little.mami_cedi, in expressing dismay at Devin’s sentiments wrote: @devindidakta That’s all you have to say instead of teaching man to reach woman! My gosh.”