My response to the outrageous article in First Post:
If a person from Virar
shifts to Bandra, will there be a paradigm shift in his outlook? What is
appropriate or right is surely relative, born out of conditioning, the way we
are brought up, the mores in the type of social set-up in which we move?
Is the author then suggesting that a girl in a mini-skirt is more likely to be
raped in Virar than in South Mumbai, because the outrage generates lust? Should
she stick to wearing mini-skirts only in South Mumbai? Also, is the male libido
more in control in South Mumbai than it is in Jogeshwari? Do we have statistics
to support that supposition? What happens if a potential rapist from, say,
Jogeshwari East travels to South Mumbai? Will his mindset change just because
he's in a place where minis are a norm? Is it kosher for such a man to unleash
his libido on a mini-skirt sporting girl on his home-ground? Do we then
conclude that because wearing mini-skirts is scandalous in these
god-knows-why-they've-been-chosen-as-examples suburbs, the chances of rape in
these areas will be high and even justified? Are incidences of rape actually
higher in 'such' areas? Statistics, someone? Should women who want to wear miniskirts
shift to South Mumbai and assume that men from Jogeshwari will not follow suit?
What should be the desirable length of the mini-skirt? How many inches above
the knee will the Jogeshwari resident find appropriate? Do all Jogeshwari
residents think alike? Or will there be differences among them regarding the
length of the skirt and its appropriateness? How about our very traditional
Indian sari worn five inches below the navel, with a blouse that exposes almost
all of the back? Is that not provocative, because it's traditional and Indian?
So, do Indian men from the suburbs think of women in western clothes as objects
and therefore, fit for rape? I think the author should walk the by-lanes
of Jogeshwari and Virar and see for himself the huge number of women sporting
the sari in a bold avatar. Is the author from South Mumbai or Virar? I ask
because his own reaction will depend upon where he lives, right? Are education,
awareness and a broadening of outlook are unheard of? Does the writer have a
dress code for men too, both from South Mumbai and Virar? Is it okay for a
Virar guy to wear a 'banian' and shorts in public? It must be. After all, women
are not given to prescribing dress codes for men. They have better things to
do. And they wouldn't dream of raping the man, whatever he wears. So, it's not
the mini that needs to be restrained, it is the wild, uncouth male libido and
the objectification of women—whether we are in South Mumbai or Virar. Get
it?
And the afterthought: Did you need a picture of a girl in a mini skirt to illustrate this obnoxious piece of writing? Where was this picture taken? Virar or South Mumbai? People, react according to the place you live in. Will this photograph be seen by men in Virar too? Tsk...tsk... Now what?
Really, how ridiculous can people get?
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