To Chest-Thump or Not To Chest-Thump

Before I get into it, let me just say how proud I am of Jamaica's Olympic team. We had high expectations of them, and so far they have delivered 10 times over. You kinda wish their performances were enough to heal this country of its many ills. But even if that doesn't happen, it's been a wonderful few days for this country and we have a million reasons to celebrate the talents which Jamaica has in store.

OK... Now to the topic at hand. Before I say anything else, let it be clear that I am in no way seeking to condone the actions of Usain. At the same time, I equally have no intentions of denouncing said actions. What I hope to offer is some perspective.

It's made Jamaicans bitter for years - the wagging tongues, self-indulgent speech, and the (seemingly) overall arrogance of American track stars. Their actions stir emotions of disgust, anger and annoyance. We've never minced words when talking about them, declaring our dislike for not just the individuals as athletes, but also as people.

But it seems that for now times have changed. As usual, we've watched many of these American athletes come and go, and just like that, Jamaica is finally in the position it has earned over many years of hard and honest work. But in the midst of it we find ourselves with a star above all stars, and indeed, a character the likes of which track and field has never really seen before.

It began with a remarkable 9.69 seconds. But before that time had elapses, Usain Bolt found himself looking to his right rather than in front of himself... beating his chest rather than pumping his arms... making a spectacle of an event which perhaps needed no further hype- afterall, 9.69 had never been done before. Some people see his 'reactions' as arrogance; others see it as joy and elation. How you feel about it is likely to be influenced by your country of birth.

Now, I've heard all manner of interpretations of Usain's 'antics' - but here in Jamaica the reaction tends to be one of amusement. I stood in front of the television set at my workplace before the start of the 200M finals. Usain did his usual eyebrow-straightening, big-screen-identifying poses. My coworkers reacted with loud laughs and support for the youngster. I would have been amused myself were it not for the one question that lingered in my mind- if that were Tyson Gay, or Shawn Crawford, or Walter Dick... sorry... Walter Dix, how would we feel?

The general feeling seems to be one of acceptance: "That's just how he is", or "He's a young man, just full of energy." While both those statements are correct, why did we not say the same of Shawn Crawford and Justin Gatlin in 2004, as they sped to the finish line puffing out their chests and staring at each other as they left the field behind? Why did their youth provide no consolation? The simple answer is that we really didn't and still don't know these Americans. The parallel truth, however, is that we don't try to know them, and we don't care to know them. And that's fine, actually. However, should we rush to judge that which we don't know any more than that which we do know?

I too am tired of the years of American bravado... if that's what it really is... At the same time, I would HATE for the Jamaican tradition to be comparable to a tradition which we have despised for years. At what point will we decide that Usain has overstayed his time in the showmanship world? If we decide that he has a lifetime pass, that's great. I do hope, however, that at that same time we are as willing to accept the antics of others from other countries (including the Americans). The next time you see Allison Felix thumping her chest towards the finish line, you should be thinking "She's just excited" rather than "She's just a cocky bitch".

It's not my task to say whether my boy Bolt is right or wrong. All I ask for is some consistency from those who look on.