The Moral Maze

That's Entertainment!

By Rhum Runner

There is a scene in the movie “Gladiator” where Proximo (Oliver Reed) is talking to Maximus (Russell Crowe) about his ring craft. Maximus is a stone cold killer but there’s the rub, as Proximo (Reed) painstakingly explains, he is simply too clinical. To win his freedom he has to win over the crowd; best to toy with his opponents a little then move in for the kill. However, Maximus has ideas of his own and in his next bout of mortal combat shows his anger and contempt for the entire spectacle. He carves his way through five adversaries as though it were the Sunday roast. He ends with an astonishing double sword decapitation; hurling one sword at the VIP guests in the balcony, he tosses the other to the ground, spits and yells to the crowd:
“Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?”
Far from being offended by his impetuosity, it drives the crowd wild; he gets a standing ovation as they chant his name,
“Spaniard, Spaniard, Spaniard...”

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Sex and the Diaspora

Today's Metrosexual Man: No Thank You, Sir

By Renee B.

Be careful what you wish for. For decades women have lamented our male counterparts' neglect of their hygiene and inability to dress themselves. We simply could not wrap our minds around their difficulty in shopping for themselves, understand the importance of exfoliating, or even keep some essential parts of their body clean. Then, in the early part of this decade came the "metrosexual movement." Suddenly our otherwise normal, straight men began to pay an alarming amount of attention to their hair, expensive fragrances, and high fashion. Aesthetically, the whole deal has certainly been refreshing. After time, however, the whole phenomenon has became slightly unnerving to the average woman, not knowing what to make of her man's new collection of skin care products or his new fascination with getting his eyebrows shaped. In fact, with the movement occurring simultaneously with the neo gay revolution, this behavior raises eyebrows in a major way, especially in the Caribbean. Then again, maybe these metrosexual vigilantes aren't gay. Stranger things have happened...

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