Bob Marley: the Man Behind the Image

2011 Words9 Pages
Bob Marley: the Man Behind the Image As I was surfing the Internet in one of my many boring nights, I stumbled across a site entitled “stuff white people like”. Listed under number 126 on this incredibly creative list was the name Bob Marley, right under Vespa Scooters. As I read the alleged reasons why white people like Bob Marley, the idea of smoking weed and hanging posters of him was considered the main reason why people tend to like him and feel associated with his image. This article made me wonder how a man who stood for so much and whose image can be found and recognized worldwide can be misinterpreted and belittled to simply stand for the use of marihuana. The merchandising of Bob Marley’s image in today’s world does not portray what Bob Marley really stood for, his image has been skewed and used for pure profit for the corporations involved in it’s reproduction and the message of peace that Bob Marley tried to spread has been eluded. To appreciate what Bob Marley really stands for one must first understand his believes and ideologies. Marley was a devoted member of the Rastafari movement; specifically, he was part of the Twelve Tribes of Israel mansion. Every “Rastaman” lives by seven main principles which require them to live by the ital lifestyle; believe Marcus Garvey to be a prophet, Haile Selassie I to be divine, and Ethiopia to be a holy land; to fight against oppression; seek repatriation, and follow the way of reason. His daily use of marihuana is attributed to his devotion to the movement, which required him to smoke the herb ritually. This trait is a small part of the things that Bob Marley stood for, it should not be considered the main aspect of his life and should not have been tied to his image as seen today. Bob Marley understood from his Rastafari teachings that there was a Babylon system that had corrupted humanity and should not be

More about Bob Marley: the Man Behind the Image

Open Document