A news story in the TOI about some women getting harassed on a train irritated me, but I can’t say I was shocked. What did shock me and piss me off was one of the comments on the article saying this:
There might be so many other females in that particular train. It is the provocative dressing sense and the profession of these particular girls are making them as soft targets
Their profession was modelling and apparently some feel this gives people a god given right to sexually harass them. I’m not going to harp on about how women have the right to wear whatever they want in a free country etc etc. Instead, I want to focus on the men involved.
The essence of the above comment is this. “Men lose control of their actions when they see pretty women wearing jeans and T-Shirts. Therefore they must not be blamed.”
What …the…F***
As a man, and more importantly as an adult, I hereby declare that I have full control of my body even when a lot of attractive women are around. Therefore, anything I do in that situation is a choice I make. If I choose to behave rudely to them, I fully deserve the consequences of my actions and I can’t plead temporary insanity.
Those who argue that men can’t be blamed for passing lewd comments and behaving in a rowdy manner when women are around would do well to think of dogs. You know how dogs behave when nearby bitches are in heat? They can’t help themselves and go temporarily crazy. That’s how these men behaved. Like dogs. And those claiming that they did nothing wrong are actually saying “Poor animals – what were they to do? How can you blame them for behaving like that?”
If that’s so, then those who behave like animals need to be treated like animals who make a nuisance of themselves. Lock them up or remove their testicles. Humans who don’t behave like humans are no different. Nothing personal here. Poor things after all. They couldn’t help themselves. It’s a cruel world (sob!)
At the very least people should gather around and throw stones at these misbehaving baboons.
Applause! Exactly the same thing is applicable to men who love to pee on any wall they find. If they cant behave with decorum they have no business being called human and civilized. You know why they do this? Because they know they can get away by using such arguments.
In reply to Phoenixritu
How right ur Ritu n I liked the comparison..Men who P on the walls r akin to dogs ,but again my doggie has more decorum…Desperate men get away wth such things bcoz we let thm get away …kudos to ppl like you who voice their opinion !
In reply to Sunaina
my doggie has more decorum
Kindly explain this decorum thingy!
what decorum does ur doggie has??
Thanks.
Oh, absolutely. So good to hear a sane sounding male speak up!!!!!!
This is the most absurd excuse a man can give. A LADY HAS THE RIGHT TO DRESS THE WAY SHE WANTS.
In reply to balu
No she does’nt as no man also.
I have always held, if Viswamitra’s tapasya was broken, then it was his own inability to control his senses, that he better take responsibility for his actions. The celestial apsara Maneka cannot be blamed.
We expect little hungry children to control their hunger in front of food in plenty. But grown men are somehow not expected to control themselves when women are around. Ironical.
Kudos for the post.
In reply to Shail
Yep – Indra was at fault for having the intention to break Viswamitra’s tapasya in such a manner, Maneka was at fault for obeying Indra, and Viswamitra was at fault for sucummbing :)
Provocative dressing? Er, well, I think there is no uniform standard of ‘provocative’ dress, at all. Like beauty, “Provocation” is in the eye of the beholder, depending on one’s conditioning.
Some dickheads tend to choose a victim not because she’s particularly attractive or desirable but because she’s vulnerable.
I know of NO evidence that women, such as models, who are selected for their
beauty and who tend to be ‘provocatively’ dressed are more likely to be harassed. Though, I feel sad that some losers still prefer to hold women more responsible than men themselves for the bad acts of men towards women!
In reply to Arjit
Totally – so much depends on conditioning no?
Well said!
Do the same people feel like breaking glass and stealing jewelery from a jewelery shop because they’re “showing” stuff?
In reply to gtoosphere
A good analogy!
I frankly feel such men are despos…They r mentally sick n shud b locked up in an asylum!
It was great reading the views of a male person on this typical comment people pass on such incidents!!
Oh come now, Bhagwad. You know women who dress ‘proactively’ are just asking for male attention. Besides they were models, that means they’re just asking for it!
Sarcasm aside, I’m glad for once that mens behavior is being addressed. These discussions even within feminist circles aren’t addressed, because part of the problem is the belief that men can’t control themselves and they’re always driven by their penises.
In reply to RenKiss
That belief is balony. Everyone can control themselves. There may be situations when it’s borderline, but those are truly extreme cases that are hardly ever found. People have to be responsible for what they do…they can’t blame others.