Joshua Ventrite

*Note: This character today my be seen as offensive. Please see below for more information.*

Joshua Ventrite was a Doctor on board the JMC Blue Dwarf, and acted as an Assistant Medical Officer. He met his end when the Dwarfers were confronted with a hallucination of William Cannon's anger.

## History

Joshua grew up in Birmingham, England and attended university. He graduated at the age of 24 with a medical degree.

Following graduation, he moved to Jamaica to practice as doctor. During his stay, he become involved in a local drug culture, with substances commonly causing the user to fall into trances. It is while he was in one of these trances that he met a local doctor who introduced him to radical new ways of thinking towards medicine and psychiatry.

Joshua lived on Jamaica for four years before he moved back to England. By then, Joshua regularly took mind altering drugs. It is presumed it was during this time that he become convinced that he was black. He began to act, dress and talk in a caricature of a native of Jamaica.

Joshua was somewhat shunned by his peers, due to his mobile sacrificial altar and herd of goats he persisted in taking everywhere with him. He tried and failed for a year to find a practice that would take him on. Eventually, it was on the Jupiter Mining Corporation that would employ him in a field of medicine.

He passed the JMC's medical examination, even if it was only just. He then went on to to study at the JMC Academy to prepare him for a life in space. After a few years, he was assigned to his first starship.

He was then quickly assigned to a different starship. And another, and another. Captains and command crew were often quick to move Joshua on when they learned of his thoughts on medicine and psychiatry. He eventually found somewhat stable work in the JMC HQ as a personal shrink for the JMC director.

Even though he last several years in this post, the Director eventually tired of Joshua. Rather than fire him, Joshua was sent to work on the JMC Blue Dwarf. t was thought that he would be unlikely to return. They were, unfortunately, correct.

During the Epidemic that plagued the Dwarf, Joshua was instrumental in developing and deploying the ointment. However, when the Dwarfers were confronted by William Cannon's hallucination of his anger, manifested in monstrous form, Joshua met his end. He was burned to death, leaving nothing but ashes.

## Appearance

Joshua was a tall man, standing over 6 feet tall. He was incredibly broad, and his physique has the shadow of a once fit person. By the time of his service on the Dwarf, however, he had a substantial beer gut. He had bright blue eyes and long black hair that was set into dreadlocks.

## Personality

Joshua was not a well liked individual. His unorthodox medical practices and frequent drug use left him shunned and derided by the other crew.

He was utterly and completely convinced that he has black, specifically that he was a black Jamaican. Although many tried to persuade him otherwise, they all failed. Joshua's defence would be that they were 'harassing him because he was black'. This extended to his voice, and he spoke in a caricature of a Jamaican accent - although he was convinced it was accurate.

His medical beliefs included the use of candle wax, the slaughtering of domestic animals, voodoo dolls, and frequent consumption of drugs. It was often remarked that Joshua had taken any and all drugs in any and all of his orifices.

## Racial Insensitivity

This character was created in 2000, and racial sensitivities may have been different than they are today. Although this does not excuse the offence that it might cause now or might have cause then, it lends context to its creation. It is under this author's opinion that the character presents a racist caricature for comedy value, although does not succeed. This might be excused someway if the joke was upon Joshua Ventrite for being, knowingly or not, racially insensitive.However, the creator of the character never posted and so it is impossible to now what his intentions were.

The almost blackface aspect of the character is also something that cannot be ignored. That is not to say that a white Jamaican, native or not, might ever exist or ever has existed. This is undoubtedly possible. But here, it comes across as offensive. Perhaps not culture appropriation as the character did live in the country of Jamaica for several years, but no doubt offensive in some way.

As it stands today, it is the opinion of this author that Joshua Ventrite portrays an offensive stereotype of Jamaican culture. This is not indicative of this author's opinion, or that of any other player of Blue Dwarf today.