Not a Shallow Conversation around Rape

Unlike blogs, post release of “India daughter”- This one will not crucify the lawyer/rapist for his mentality- it will though shine light on your blind spot.A separate reality is for us to discover.

A rape like the Nirbhaya one, was sexual violence beyond mere lust. Did it have an inkling of perceived social justice? The drunk driver and cleaner were merely sexually overcharged? They did justify there act by questioning why was the girl out with a boy at 9’o clock at night? Perhaps “rape” is also about some angst, frustration.May be an unfulfilled desire-carnal ,sexual or psychological or could it be something more?

The politician, the lawyer who blunt the guilt on rape of women by questioning women's character are illiterate people, of a sick psychology, Perverts. they see women as mere objects of gratification. Partially wrong?. Actually it could be the other way round.lets dive deeper. Both of you- the urban Indian middle class & the rural class of the heartland have a different world view. some how they haven’t bough over “Our” idea of freedom.may be we are wrong!

Let me take you to their world. Dive deep now. Lets see the world of  14 year old rural villager boy. Villagers may be poor but are well fed.The have a set routine and schools- with teachers that do not more than literacy.a Curriculum which is no match for children's curiosity & aspiration. Schools are n't place where rural kids think they will grow in life.So what feeds the mind of a child? The city, as he has heard about, by his distant relative and friends brother, city is where he builds his dream about. The social environment of village is different- drunk men beat there wives reinforcing that alcohol is evil.women folk have limited wants and are considered frivolous by men. Men violate women, and sisters are supposed to be protected- as the goons, the politician overrule the feebly present police. Ask a person with rural origin- your istriwala etc, about law and order in his village. Thus in the “physce” of rural India- there is no law for the rich,the women are vulnerable in their eyes-But he has one window to the world it’s not internet,unlike you-he sees this window- completely differently-actually its cable television.

You have to see TV from the eyes of this rural Boy-un-baised devoid of knowledge of showbiz, lineage of stars,  performance, dance forms etc.  please do this experiment.Its aimed to neutralize your biases.switch on your television, mute the sound, play movie songs / promo on a channel. Close your eyes tell yourself you will not see “Names of Star” and “Star kids” but mere Bodies, their expression, their body language. You will not judge dance forms but just see the acted out message, the gestures- just plain message. Watch the TV- the music channel. Do that.

Interspersed in normal sings will be gems of insights devoid of Brand “Sunny leone” – you will see scantily clad  women thrusting her bossom in various stages of undress. Merely longing for… right? Emran Hasmi stalking some girl in a car with a song, ultimately the girl ending the song on bed with a Stalker.  In the song “ party all night” beyond the background of Sonakshi - the girl who's hanging on Akhshay neck is drunk & carefree. In an adv break a girl is suggesting to look fairer to land a job, another girl insist to drink green tea to lose weight. The message unfiltered by the acceptability of the star kid is brutally naked, visible to the Rural Indian, its young and adults alike. Did someone say- they see women as object of gratification- or is it what we project?? Do this experiment today. 

Pause rewind to the 45 year old lawyer of the rapist Who grew up in a village.Now you see his point- he is right as per the social environment of his village and his value system. The women need protection and anything out word will invite trouble- because for them its what they perceive on tv. The Kid we imagined will immigrate to the city. In city he will be shocked, unable to understand wealth- a 1000 Rs movie date & opportunities to create wealth. He will not be able to connect equality of women freedom, “liberation” and his value system.

Stop you cannot dictate your morality, your value system to deprived class in their eyes your wealth is not legitimate, you are the privileged- it is more us versus them. they do not understand  Women empowerment as you see it- there idea is n’t about short dresses or pub hopping.Their life is struggle,  their  cultural context different than entitlement.Your maid, The pizza delivery boy, flower boy, Mall assistant invisible to your own eyes have different social context and value system they diverge from your thinking and stereotypes.

The overcharging plumber, difficult maid, auto wala overcharging and exploiting.The juggi wala electing AAP despite the middle class vote to BJP are all manifestations of immigrant rural villagers extracting from rich more than the fair share, Simple because you are priveleged they are not. It is  natural justice in their eyes,  because they never had opportunities.In their eyes you don’t have values and they are the majority. Educating the girls is  priority but protecting them from preying eyes in lawless villages is more important.

Perhaps we have to acknowledge- We are a privileged class, we are millions, yet only 20% of India. On facebook and twitter are  million of people of your own class inside the proverbial “well” where you are the frog. India still has a huge population in  rural India,  which has a separate value system ( and its not dated) it has a different moral compass. There ll be friction  in these two classes- time an again- until we acknowledge their value system. Debates around rape end at blaming mentality and installing CCTV. Whereas core to it is the Urban rural difference in opportunities and our own projection of women.

 As marketers it time we  stop ignoring the Rural rich and middle class- they are a equally viable market- lets not dictate to them, respect there choices even in a value system. And of course stop castigating the immigrant rural laborer slums in you city.we are in a democracy and they will be the majority.