An Essential Flaw

Guest Post: Please help me welcome Glad2bawoman, a community that believes in celebrating women. All decent men and women are sure to enjoy and appreciate what they have to say. Here's a very valid point they make.

The increasing frequency with which rapes are occurring in our country today, has raised more than a few eyebrows. It has managed to enrage a whole nation and it has lead to widespread speculation about ways in which this problem can be dealt with. A lot of people have been debating upon the nature of punishment which the rapists need to be dealt with, in order to incite fear in the hearts of anyone who would think of attempting such a heinous crime in the future. Quite a few people have been talking about arming women with pepper-sprays, and the more radical opinion which states that arms possession should become legalized for women in our country so as to protect them from rapists. 

While these are the opinions being expressed, by large, every family is warning the women of the household to not step out after nightfall, to not wear sleeveless tops or short skirts, to not walk alone in deserted lanes, and to not do anything to induce the ardour of a strange man on the streets. This is a basic problem which needs to be addressed, which is also a deciding factor for what the nature of the punishment of rapists should be. The whole outlook about women remaining protected during these trying times is, the fact that a man’s libido is volatile, and that he is no better than a predator who should not be tempted. This is the predominant viewpoint which has been circulated all over the country for years now. A woman wearing short clothes was asking to get raped, or a woman walking down the street late at night knew that she would get raped. 

The fact is, the idea of men being powerless in front of their libido is what should be changed. This is a very important aspect which also justifies rape, and let rapists get away with just about anything. This very flawed construct residing in our society is not just parroted by men, but also by women. This form of judgemental justification of rape is something which has been bred into our cultural consciousness so deeply, that even if we would like to change things, deep in our minds, the idea is still very firmly rooted. Very few of us would really dare to step out very late in the night, wearing clothes which might attract “unwanted attention”. This is what reserved seats for women on public vehicles point to, as well. And this form of chauvinism needs to be eliminated in order for anybody to come up with long-term solutions on how to solve the issue of sex crimes in India. 

Men and their ardour should not be made unaccountable. Ultimately, a biological evolution of our species has ensured the growth of both genders, and there is no reason for men to not be able to control their physical urges, if women can do so. The mindset needs to change before the rules do.

Citizens At Work

Do protesters make politicians uneasy? Not really. Not yet. Although this time the politicians and police did not dare suggest it was the victim’s fault. They were decidedly uncomfortable because ordinary citizens – both decent men and women were out on the streets in their droves protesting at the assumptions of the rapists – that they would get away with it as so many had done before them; that whatever they did, however violent their actions and however public the place, the police would try not to register the case on some flimsy excuse - that the victim would be blamed for being out late on public transport (or for wearing a salwaar kameez, a saree or jeans) that the police and politicians would try and draw attention away from their crime and make their actions (the poor helpless culprits that they are) the victim’s fault. 

Citizens were incensed at the confidence these rapists had that it would be so.

The rapists did not expect citizens to react quite the way they did. Nor did the politicians and police. At least not so many of them. Their first attempt was to try and quash the droves of protest marchers by gettingthe police to water blast them. Wonder what, about a peaceful protest, that is allowed within the Indian constitution so alarmed them this time?

I think, nip the trend in the bud is what they really want. It isn’t a new trend but the numbers of citizens protesting is growing and that makes them distinctly uncomfortable.

Even if they don't give a whit their hand, for once, is being forced. The pressure isn’t letting up. There have been marches all over the country. The politicians are used to dictating what actions to take, against whom and never mind why. They are used to working the puppet strings and now, to their extreme discomfort, the puppets are banding together and forcing their hand.

Citizens on marches on this scale aren’t what they are used to. It started with those movements against corruption and is now spilling over into movements against rapes. Whatever next? How are they expected to keep their goons happy? How are they expected to show their power is supreme if they are forced to take action by these little upstarts, these nobodies, who belong to their constituencies? Even if the action forced out of them is the mere mouthing of words against rapists, it compromises their position of supreme power.

Previously they believed the aam insaan would quieten down after expending their energies on a march, satisfied for having let off steam; that within no time it would be business as usual with them dictating terms or dispensing favours with little regard for the law as they'd been used to. But this time they tried to nip the peaceful protest marches in the bud by, as mentioned earlier, getting the police to water blast the marchers. These marches are perhaps getting to be too huge to handle. More power to the people. United, they can not only conquer mountains but even politicians.
We understand how little politicians care if we denounce them but let’s do it anyway. They've tried muzzling social media before and it hasn't worked. And so, shame on them.

They will be watching carefully to gauge the mood of their voters. On the face of it, if it means their votes are compromised, they will start giving the cause more lip service. If it compromises the blatancy with which rapists get away with attacks, so be it. They don't want some upstart to win the next elections (in 2014) and gain all that power and state machinery simply because they sided with rapists.

Citizens’ united actions are the most effective way to make our democracy work and to force their hands. If there are any more marches I hope everyone who can, will take active part and social media will give the marches enough of an airing before the fact and after.

Here’s the link again that shows Indian citizens at work.
 
This is what people are saying on twitter. Please click on the picture to enlarge the print. There are a million more tweets on the same topic.