I just caught Beyonce's half time show. (They are calling it the Beyonce Bowl on twitter.) That Louisiana mama can sure shake her "money maker" and work those heels. If she lip- synced this time I didn't even notice. I loved the Bogle routine and the Dancehall number. Nice to see the Jamaican influence in full effect. This performance should quiet the haters for awhile, B.
Speaking of Jamaicans, I also finally saw that VW commercial with the white dude faking the Jamaican accent because he is happy. I am still trying to figure out where this happy Jamaican stereotype came from. It's not those silly Red Stripe beer commercials, the perception started way earlier than that. Maybe it was that stupid ass "Cool Runnings" movie, or the Jamaican Tourist Board pushing the "Jamaica, no problem mon", slogan.
Now, to be fair, it is totally plausible that a very white dude could be Jamaican. I went to high school with German, Syrian, and Chinese Jamaicans who were all very proud of their Jamaican roots. The motto of the country is "Out Of Many One People", so it's not that far-fetched that a white dude could be speaking in deep Jamaican patois. Still, I suspect that the folks making the ad on Madison Avenue did not know this. Their motivation was the idea of the happy- go- lucky Island man who doesn't have a problem with anything.
Anyway, as I tweeted earlier, if you think that all Jamaicans are happy all the time, take a trip to Tivoli Gardens, Grants Pen, or Arnett Gardens. (These guys aren't rapping about being happy.) You probably won't want to buy a Volkswagen when you get home.
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