This movie, "India's Daughter," is making big waves in the news especially due to International Women's Day. You must've came across several articles & blogs on this particular movie, world's reactions to it, & of course, reactions in India about this movie. Heck, you may have even watched it on YouTube.
Although, a lot can be written about women's rights in India, & in general, South Asia, & books after books have been written on it covering several aspects. Although, a little bit of digging around on google also unearths troves of stats about rape incidents in developed, Western countries; from the old continent to the New world, but for now, let's focus on India & this article.
Before, we get into the whole discussion of why India is having this problem of rape & how new strict laws punishing rape & sexual assaults against women won't do anything substantial in India, we need to agree on some biological facts:
1. Men & Women are aroused sexually in very different ways (assuming, both genders are of similar ages); men, just by looking at a women (depending on how much skin is being shown), & women need foreplay (not only in bed, but also being mentally prepared). Women don't get sexually aroused just by looking at a guy (otherwise, only buff guys would be getting girls & all other men would stay single). Of course, women also are aroused by sight, but it doesn't happen usually, & there are women who may have different standards. We are talking of facts as what usually happens, per the gender biology.
2. Sex is a very strong feeling. Everyone, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, race etc believe in having sexual relations (some twist it to the point of becoming delinquent, e.g. paedophiles).
Now, you may see a correlation in all of the news coming out of India about rape. Curiously, they are all done by men of a certain economic class; they are all poor. Rich men also assault women sexually, but not as frequently, & their news may get censored from public media, since they will throw money at the problem.
Problem with this movie, director's assertion, & MP, Anu Aga that Indian men don't respect women & the attitudes towards women need to be changed, is too simplistic. There are far too many other factors with this issue of sexual assaults. How do you change attitudes towards women when marketing sells everything (even ads of men's grooming products include a pretty woman in it), which essentially highlights the point that "sex sells".
Now, my firm belief is that regardless of whatever laws are enacted & enforced in India, against sexual assaults against women, they won't help curb the rate of sexual assaults. We may think they have but just because media is censoring that info does not mean it ain't happening (just like Western media censors a lot of info which will show the reality in the Western society).
Why do I think the laws won't help curb sexual assaults?
Because, the root problem is not being resolved with these laws.
Root problem: India is stuck between "Hollywood" & "Bollywood", i.e. India is stuck between 2 vastly different cultures (West & East):
You can't resolve something in your personal life or even professional life when you are of 2 or more minds. You need to choose 1 solution or path & go with that, & deal with its consequences later on, whatever they may be. When you have 2 vastly different options, then you can't do both, because you won't achieve anything.
So, how is India stuck between 2 vastly different cultures; West & East. Let's do a comparative analysis:
1. Movies, media, pop culture etc: In the West, all kinds of media, be it traditional or digital / social, is full of sexual images. Movies are full of sexual images, all the way to full frontal nudity & explicit sexual acts. TV shows are not leaving themselves behind in this race, either. Social media, like Facebook pages, Twitter, blogs, & of course, apps like Tinder & websites, match making websites to relationship-infidelity websites (AshleyMadison.com) are widely & easily available. Fashion shows from Milan to Paris to London to Dubai to New York are full of sexualized dresses, & how can we forget Victoria's Secret fashion show (one of the Daily Mail articles, from Dec 2014, also point to the fact that how women are objectified & sexualized through these shows), but, I digress.
Now, in the East (South Asia, in general), these movies & shows are becoming common. Everyone has access to Hollywood movies & shows (perhaps, explicit sexuality is censored but there are multiple ways to get around that ... thanks to piracy on internet). Bollywood & Lollywood (Pakistani) movies & shows don't show explicit sexuality but there's enough of softcore "porn" / sexuality in them already.
Now, as biological fact # 1 stated above, millions of men, especially since, we know already that South Asian demographic is heavily skewed towards young (& especially in India, towards men), are watching these sexual images in media, & are very sexually aroused.
2. Now, when there are sexually around men (& some women, too, but far more men), they have 2 options:
a. release that sexual energy through internet
b. release that sexual energy through a girl / woman (girlfriend or not).
So what are the problems with point a: to view a porn website, one needs a computer & the whole infrastructure (internet, modem etc). Many poor men / boys don't have access to personal computer & internet etc. So they frequently visit computer shops, where for a few rupees, they can watch the videos, & can rent out a small room for some privacy.
This, in turn, creates 2 more problems:
i). men get a skewed sense of sexual relationships. As we all know, porn usually shows submissive women & dominant men. Most of the times, even if the culture is not already macho (South Asia, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe), young boys & men will get the idea that man is supposed to be dominant & dominate the woman, whether in a committed relationship or not.
ii). these porn websites, Facebook pages, Twitter & blogs are suppliers of a demand created by these men. These men want more & more of these videos & pics. Many videos & pics are shared through cellphones & many times, are made of actual rape attacks, happening in cities & villages.
b. Problem with point b are multiple:
i). many men also eventually get tired of merely watching movies (point a) & start yearning for some real action (so they also move down to point b). Now, all these sexually-aroused men are looking for girls to satisfy their sexual hunger.
ii). Now, in the West, when men want some sexual action & if they are not already in a committed relationship, they go to any bar or dance club or strip club or even pick a prostitute off the street, for a quick hookup.
In South Asia, prostitution in brothels still happens, but those girls don't exactly look nearly as good as the girls portrayed in porn films or even in media (movies & TV shows). Also, they can be HIV-infected & those places are not exactly very cheap. These places are also not available everywhere. Those brothels, wherever they are available, are still pretty full to the point, where girls are trafficked heavily from the Northern areas (for their fair complexion) to the brothels of Delhi & Mumbai. That's a whole different issue which I am not going to get into here.
Good-looking girls, from the top echelons of South Asian society, also sell their bodies, but they cost around a year's or 2 years' worth of salary (anywhere from Rs. 50,000 to 200,000). So, those girls are exclusive to rich men.
Now, as far as bars or strip clubs or even dance clubs are concerned, legions of poor men can't visit good ones (because of price). Cheaper bars are, well, full of men & devoid of any women. Women who frequent dance clubs are usually more educated & Westernized, so obviously, they visit some high class dance clubs or bars & not any club on the street. Obviously, men there are also wealthy & educated (from the same economic class who can hire expensive escorts, too, as explained above).
So, what does a poor man got to do to release his sexual energy? Unlike, in the West, he can't just go to any bar or dance club or get a street hooker. He could get into a relationship where his girlfriend / wife will provide him sexual relief ... assuming he is willing to get married or be in a steady relationship.
iii). In the West, relationships are not usually based on education & wealth of both men & women. In South Asia, they are very much entrenched in the society. A man is asked about his wealth, income, & education, before a girl (or her family) even thinks / considers / get permission to have a relationship with him. Now, a poor man in South Asia will most likely can't get a good education (Doctor, MBA, CA, or an Engineer), so he will most likely don't have a great amount of wealth or monthly income. What can he do? Good education is not cheap & a good job, without a degree from a top university, is not available. So, even if he wants to get married or have a girlfriend, he can't get married or find a girlfriend.
iv). In the West, girls can have multiple pre-marital relationships before settling down with a guy. They can even have kids from their previous relationships. They can be frequently visiting dance clubs & bars. Several relationships start from hookups from bars & dance clubs.
Not so in South Asia. Girls who are Westernized (dress, education, pre-marital relations) are not considered as "wife-material". Apart from the problem explained in ii) above, it is entrenched in society that girls who will be good wives & mothers to our progeny are not found in dance clubs & bars (the rapist, Mukesh Singh, reflects this in the movie that good girls are not out of their house that late at night). This thinking is not merely entrenched in young men, but deeply entrenched in society by the elders of the society.
These are some of the many reasons why I think stricter laws won't help curb sexual assaults in India. Actually, it's only going to get worse, thanks to the illegal, but active, abortions of female fetuses. This action is going to increase the gender imbalance in India, to the point, where there will be far more sexually hungry men vying for a few women.
So what are the real solutions to this problem:
1. There are no quick fixes. Everything is long-term. First choose the society South Asia wants to emulate.
a. Be like the West & remove all those entrenched shackles of caste, economic class divisions, dowries, taboos against girls having pre-marital relationships, abortions of female fetuses, marriages based on education & wealth etc.
OR
b. Be like the East & insulate yourself from Hollywood. Stop even softcore "porn" in Bollywood movies. Strictly control the media (traditional & social). Of course, this is a much-harder exercise & perhaps, an exercise in futility, because the government will be labelled as backwards & dictatorial & the general public will still be able to seek out sexual websites.
So, merely changing attitudes of Indian men towards women not going to achieve anything. Heck, the West hasn't been able to achieve that in its own society. After all, porn is the best recession-proof business on the internet & it only give the skewed picture of a sexual relationship & gender roles in the society. If men in the West would've gotten refined up to now, then we wouldn't have movies like "The Whistleblower" showing UN soldiers from Canada, US, & Europe, actively engaged in sexually assaulting young Eastern European girls, without any fear of repercussions. They didn't get punished anyway.
My ultimate solution of stopping these sexual assaults is quite radical & religion-based, so obviously, most people around the world will not support it, & will keep trying some modern ways to fix the problem, even though, sexual assaults & women trafficking for sexual slavery are only on the rise, all over the world. Is this what "International Women's Day" celebrating?
Although, a lot can be written about women's rights in India, & in general, South Asia, & books after books have been written on it covering several aspects. Although, a little bit of digging around on google also unearths troves of stats about rape incidents in developed, Western countries; from the old continent to the New world, but for now, let's focus on India & this article.
Before, we get into the whole discussion of why India is having this problem of rape & how new strict laws punishing rape & sexual assaults against women won't do anything substantial in India, we need to agree on some biological facts:
1. Men & Women are aroused sexually in very different ways (assuming, both genders are of similar ages); men, just by looking at a women (depending on how much skin is being shown), & women need foreplay (not only in bed, but also being mentally prepared). Women don't get sexually aroused just by looking at a guy (otherwise, only buff guys would be getting girls & all other men would stay single). Of course, women also are aroused by sight, but it doesn't happen usually, & there are women who may have different standards. We are talking of facts as what usually happens, per the gender biology.
2. Sex is a very strong feeling. Everyone, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, race etc believe in having sexual relations (some twist it to the point of becoming delinquent, e.g. paedophiles).
Now, you may see a correlation in all of the news coming out of India about rape. Curiously, they are all done by men of a certain economic class; they are all poor. Rich men also assault women sexually, but not as frequently, & their news may get censored from public media, since they will throw money at the problem.
Problem with this movie, director's assertion, & MP, Anu Aga that Indian men don't respect women & the attitudes towards women need to be changed, is too simplistic. There are far too many other factors with this issue of sexual assaults. How do you change attitudes towards women when marketing sells everything (even ads of men's grooming products include a pretty woman in it), which essentially highlights the point that "sex sells".
Now, my firm belief is that regardless of whatever laws are enacted & enforced in India, against sexual assaults against women, they won't help curb the rate of sexual assaults. We may think they have but just because media is censoring that info does not mean it ain't happening (just like Western media censors a lot of info which will show the reality in the Western society).
Why do I think the laws won't help curb sexual assaults?
Because, the root problem is not being resolved with these laws.
Root problem: India is stuck between "Hollywood" & "Bollywood", i.e. India is stuck between 2 vastly different cultures (West & East):
You can't resolve something in your personal life or even professional life when you are of 2 or more minds. You need to choose 1 solution or path & go with that, & deal with its consequences later on, whatever they may be. When you have 2 vastly different options, then you can't do both, because you won't achieve anything.
So, how is India stuck between 2 vastly different cultures; West & East. Let's do a comparative analysis:
1. Movies, media, pop culture etc: In the West, all kinds of media, be it traditional or digital / social, is full of sexual images. Movies are full of sexual images, all the way to full frontal nudity & explicit sexual acts. TV shows are not leaving themselves behind in this race, either. Social media, like Facebook pages, Twitter, blogs, & of course, apps like Tinder & websites, match making websites to relationship-infidelity websites (AshleyMadison.com) are widely & easily available. Fashion shows from Milan to Paris to London to Dubai to New York are full of sexualized dresses, & how can we forget Victoria's Secret fashion show (one of the Daily Mail articles, from Dec 2014, also point to the fact that how women are objectified & sexualized through these shows), but, I digress.
Now, in the East (South Asia, in general), these movies & shows are becoming common. Everyone has access to Hollywood movies & shows (perhaps, explicit sexuality is censored but there are multiple ways to get around that ... thanks to piracy on internet). Bollywood & Lollywood (Pakistani) movies & shows don't show explicit sexuality but there's enough of softcore "porn" / sexuality in them already.
Now, as biological fact # 1 stated above, millions of men, especially since, we know already that South Asian demographic is heavily skewed towards young (& especially in India, towards men), are watching these sexual images in media, & are very sexually aroused.
2. Now, when there are sexually around men (& some women, too, but far more men), they have 2 options:
a. release that sexual energy through internet
b. release that sexual energy through a girl / woman (girlfriend or not).
So what are the problems with point a: to view a porn website, one needs a computer & the whole infrastructure (internet, modem etc). Many poor men / boys don't have access to personal computer & internet etc. So they frequently visit computer shops, where for a few rupees, they can watch the videos, & can rent out a small room for some privacy.
This, in turn, creates 2 more problems:
i). men get a skewed sense of sexual relationships. As we all know, porn usually shows submissive women & dominant men. Most of the times, even if the culture is not already macho (South Asia, South America, Africa, Eastern Europe), young boys & men will get the idea that man is supposed to be dominant & dominate the woman, whether in a committed relationship or not.
ii). these porn websites, Facebook pages, Twitter & blogs are suppliers of a demand created by these men. These men want more & more of these videos & pics. Many videos & pics are shared through cellphones & many times, are made of actual rape attacks, happening in cities & villages.
b. Problem with point b are multiple:
i). many men also eventually get tired of merely watching movies (point a) & start yearning for some real action (so they also move down to point b). Now, all these sexually-aroused men are looking for girls to satisfy their sexual hunger.
ii). Now, in the West, when men want some sexual action & if they are not already in a committed relationship, they go to any bar or dance club or strip club or even pick a prostitute off the street, for a quick hookup.
In South Asia, prostitution in brothels still happens, but those girls don't exactly look nearly as good as the girls portrayed in porn films or even in media (movies & TV shows). Also, they can be HIV-infected & those places are not exactly very cheap. These places are also not available everywhere. Those brothels, wherever they are available, are still pretty full to the point, where girls are trafficked heavily from the Northern areas (for their fair complexion) to the brothels of Delhi & Mumbai. That's a whole different issue which I am not going to get into here.
Good-looking girls, from the top echelons of South Asian society, also sell their bodies, but they cost around a year's or 2 years' worth of salary (anywhere from Rs. 50,000 to 200,000). So, those girls are exclusive to rich men.
Now, as far as bars or strip clubs or even dance clubs are concerned, legions of poor men can't visit good ones (because of price). Cheaper bars are, well, full of men & devoid of any women. Women who frequent dance clubs are usually more educated & Westernized, so obviously, they visit some high class dance clubs or bars & not any club on the street. Obviously, men there are also wealthy & educated (from the same economic class who can hire expensive escorts, too, as explained above).
So, what does a poor man got to do to release his sexual energy? Unlike, in the West, he can't just go to any bar or dance club or get a street hooker. He could get into a relationship where his girlfriend / wife will provide him sexual relief ... assuming he is willing to get married or be in a steady relationship.
iii). In the West, relationships are not usually based on education & wealth of both men & women. In South Asia, they are very much entrenched in the society. A man is asked about his wealth, income, & education, before a girl (or her family) even thinks / considers / get permission to have a relationship with him. Now, a poor man in South Asia will most likely can't get a good education (Doctor, MBA, CA, or an Engineer), so he will most likely don't have a great amount of wealth or monthly income. What can he do? Good education is not cheap & a good job, without a degree from a top university, is not available. So, even if he wants to get married or have a girlfriend, he can't get married or find a girlfriend.
iv). In the West, girls can have multiple pre-marital relationships before settling down with a guy. They can even have kids from their previous relationships. They can be frequently visiting dance clubs & bars. Several relationships start from hookups from bars & dance clubs.
Not so in South Asia. Girls who are Westernized (dress, education, pre-marital relations) are not considered as "wife-material". Apart from the problem explained in ii) above, it is entrenched in society that girls who will be good wives & mothers to our progeny are not found in dance clubs & bars (the rapist, Mukesh Singh, reflects this in the movie that good girls are not out of their house that late at night). This thinking is not merely entrenched in young men, but deeply entrenched in society by the elders of the society.
These are some of the many reasons why I think stricter laws won't help curb sexual assaults in India. Actually, it's only going to get worse, thanks to the illegal, but active, abortions of female fetuses. This action is going to increase the gender imbalance in India, to the point, where there will be far more sexually hungry men vying for a few women.
So what are the real solutions to this problem:
1. There are no quick fixes. Everything is long-term. First choose the society South Asia wants to emulate.
a. Be like the West & remove all those entrenched shackles of caste, economic class divisions, dowries, taboos against girls having pre-marital relationships, abortions of female fetuses, marriages based on education & wealth etc.
OR
b. Be like the East & insulate yourself from Hollywood. Stop even softcore "porn" in Bollywood movies. Strictly control the media (traditional & social). Of course, this is a much-harder exercise & perhaps, an exercise in futility, because the government will be labelled as backwards & dictatorial & the general public will still be able to seek out sexual websites.
So, merely changing attitudes of Indian men towards women not going to achieve anything. Heck, the West hasn't been able to achieve that in its own society. After all, porn is the best recession-proof business on the internet & it only give the skewed picture of a sexual relationship & gender roles in the society. If men in the West would've gotten refined up to now, then we wouldn't have movies like "The Whistleblower" showing UN soldiers from Canada, US, & Europe, actively engaged in sexually assaulting young Eastern European girls, without any fear of repercussions. They didn't get punished anyway.
My ultimate solution of stopping these sexual assaults is quite radical & religion-based, so obviously, most people around the world will not support it, & will keep trying some modern ways to fix the problem, even though, sexual assaults & women trafficking for sexual slavery are only on the rise, all over the world. Is this what "International Women's Day" celebrating?
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