Check the title “testing testing testing 1, 3, 1,3″ you should be asking what happened to the number 2?

There is a funny story behind that, and when I say funny I mean homophobic funny.

When I was in Jamaica recently our group was touring in 3 buses, I noticed the buses were numbered 1, 3, 4 skipping the number 2. So while talking to the Jamaican bus driver,I asked what happened to the number 2 bus and here’s what he said.

Appearently Jamaicans have developed an extreme aversion to the number 2. We know that “number 2″ in the Caribbean is some times used to refer to what someone does when they go to the bathroom. So because Number 2 is associated with something which comes from the behind.

In Jamaica Number 2 has been therefore designated as a “botty boy” number. So the driver said if a number 2 bus turns up people ask “whey you gine wid that botty bus?” And then people started stoning the buses and so they had to take the 2’s off the buses.

Because of the aversion to the number 2, when sound men are testing the microphone in Jamaica they now say testing testing 1, 3,1,3!

And where did this flawed concept originate?

Music!

Appearently this perception of the number 2 was birthed in certain song lyrics. This speaks to the power of music and power and influence of entertainers. It also speaks to the extreme homophobic nature of Jamaicans.

If I was Elton John, I wouldn’t quite start planning my Jamaica tour just yet!

Testing testing 1,3 out!

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 27th, 2007 at 4:53 am and is filed under Regional . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.