Clothes make the woman
The company I work for has a strict dress code : Do. The Mumbai University has sacrificed brevity in the interests of the elimination of rape in Indian society, and plans to impose a ban on an impressive laundry list of clothing in associated educational institutes.
The Vice Chancellor is not content with the lofty objective of preventing rapes : he is quoted as saying that the ban will also serve by eliminating offensive attire and needless distraction.
Look for dramatic drops in lecturer resignations and spikes in student grades next year at the Mumbai U.
What I, and others, (presumably we did not have a chance to reflect on this under the Vice Chancellor's Peepul Tree in our student days) find incredible is the reasoning attributed to the ban - mini-skirts apparently fuel a juggernaut of rapists who can be thwarted by the simple expedient of replacing said apparel with the salwar kameez. If the mini-skirt was dead, it would be turning in it's grave.
The Shiv Sena, self-appointed bulwark against the moral, religious and political turpitude the Great Hindu Nation is being subjected to, had similar views to express when a policeman raped a minor in an outpost at Marine Drive. There were unanswerable questions in their thoughtful analysis of the rape -
There are several fallacies that drive such thinking. One myth is that the victim somehow provokes rape. Another is that rape is the result of lust, rather than of violent aggression. Googling for rape myths yields pages of results. Someone should tell the Mumbai University, the Shiv Sena, and other authorities who presume on their insights into rapists' motives, to use the Internet once in a while.
[ Technorati Tags : India Mumbai Rape ]
The Vice Chancellor is not content with the lofty objective of preventing rapes : he is quoted as saying that the ban will also serve by eliminating offensive attire and needless distraction.
Look for dramatic drops in lecturer resignations and spikes in student grades next year at the Mumbai U.
What I, and others, (presumably we did not have a chance to reflect on this under the Vice Chancellor's Peepul Tree in our student days) find incredible is the reasoning attributed to the ban - mini-skirts apparently fuel a juggernaut of rapists who can be thwarted by the simple expedient of replacing said apparel with the salwar kameez. If the mini-skirt was dead, it would be turning in it's grave.
The Shiv Sena, self-appointed bulwark against the moral, religious and political turpitude the Great Hindu Nation is being subjected to, had similar views to express when a policeman raped a minor in an outpost at Marine Drive. There were unanswerable questions in their thoughtful analysis of the rape -
There seems to be a competition among young women to show their undergarments in the name of a ‘below-waist’ fashion. It is no longer feasible for a family to roam on Chowpatty. To see girls dangle a cigarette openly is worrisome. If a man is provoked by such clothes, who can one blame?
Those who argue that there is no connection between women and girls wearing skimpy clothes and rape should keep the social structure in mind. Besides rape, it is the evil eye of men provoked by the culture of skimpy clothes that is harmful. Why encourage these perverse tendencies?
There are several fallacies that drive such thinking. One myth is that the victim somehow provokes rape. Another is that rape is the result of lust, rather than of violent aggression. Googling for rape myths yields pages of results. Someone should tell the Mumbai University, the Shiv Sena, and other authorities who presume on their insights into rapists' motives, to use the Internet once in a while.
[ Technorati Tags : India Mumbai Rape ]
posted by daemon at 9:07 PM
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