Saturday, December 29, 2012

A Similar Kind of Sadness - R.I.P. Delhi Girl

The world is less one potential doctor. I have a drum circle in my heart for you - for the pain you allowed yourself to tolerate, for having the will to live.

I last felt this kind of sadness when the Keenan-Reuben incident took place last year in October (trial still on but now in fast-track court) in Mumbai. The reason I felt so close to them and all the events surrounding them is social media which provided every little tidbit I needed to feel that kind of relationship with them. There was helplessness among other emotions. As there is now.

There was nothing either of them could have done to avoid the situation and what's worse is neither could you or I. How much can the police and law do? Faith in them has also gone down especially after hearing about the name calling of women at the Delhi protests, who were in no way associated with hookers. There are incidents other than at this time when I've heard that the police has referred to women using disparaging terms. "Prostitute" seems to be their favorite choice of abusive word. Says something about their mindsets, doesn't it? What though - are they closet women haters who are so used to seeing women as sex objects that they jump at the first opportunity to shame them? Are they scared of prostitutes for some reason - their ownership of their sexuality, for instance - and by name-calling the unsuspecting recipient trying to lessen the effect of their fear of them? What else could be the reason to make them regress and resort to tactics such as name calling only employed by kids (and only because they're children and they don't know any better until told otherwise)? Why the character assassination of strangers?

Solutions

What's sad is that the maximum punishment for the murderers is death or castration. I would have voted for public service for the rest of their lives - be reformed and reform others as well. Be the change, possibly by serving the country in the army or by educating the 'uneducated'. Of course, that assumes that they are successful in being educated in the first place. It will take time but nothing that's worth it doesn't.

I'm surprised that there yet isn't a course on gender sensitivity in schools. It should be a compulsory subject given how uneducated even the parents of these children are. How rich there are is of no consequence - they're equally ignorant when it comes to the subject. At least we'd be able to count on it that the majority of the next generation won't be a disappointment to their county.

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