I'm writing about this now because of all the many gang rapes of women across India the last few years. I understand what is causing this. It is the changing times. It is not happening like this in middle class or upper class India (at least not in the same ways). But, this element is still there in Indian society.
Here is my story from 1986:
I was traveling across India with my family (wife and three kids 10, 12, 14) and we were out in the country somewhere. We were traveling without reservations as we moved from place to place. But, always trying to move and be in a new place not on a weekend when it is harder (just like in the U.S.) to rent a room for the night.
I had asked the Inn Keeper of this place (a Hotel) for a room but my wife being that time of the month was too uppity for him and pushy so he hadn't rented us a room. Eventually, I realized this was a very traditional man and that I was going to have to slap my wife for him to give me a room. So, I told my wife I was going to slap her and I thought we would get a room. We were exhausted from traveling across India (which is very big like the United States) so I slapped her. Immediately everything changed in the Hotel and we were given a really great room at a good price.
Did I do the right thing? Both my wife and I were exhausted and so were the children. My wife understood and didn't mind at all. However, if you understand what just happened then you also likely understand why women are being gang raped in India by lower class men.
Lower class men are made to feel inferior by the class system in India. So, these men are likely in the lower castes and have no hope in most cases of a good education or a good life. There still isn't complete equality in India. Likely these men can vote but that doesn't make them rich or give them and education, likely even into first grade because likely there isn't still compulsory education in India. So, the only thing these men might feel they have is "Power over women". So, feeling hopeless when women are elevated above them they rape women.
So, the rape of women in India is actually about the inequality of men in the lower classes. They don't want women to "Pass them up" in rights".
So, the way actually to address women's rights in India is to give lower class men more rights (like a public education to actually have a future) so they feel they have another choice to raping women to keep their remaining status as men.
I wrote about "Self Discipline" in another article and mentioned that Chivalry and Nobles oblige in it and how these two European ideals created the self discipline and respect of men towards women and children in western society. So, it was "King Arthur" ideal of Chivalry that kept men protecting women in western society.
However, the rest of the world doesn't have this type of thing in the same way. Individuality also does not exist in other societies. In most societies the individual is only valued in a family setting. So, without family a person (man or woman) does not exist or have rights within that society.
In India in 1986 if you didn't have a good family you had nothing and were literally starving, begging and dying on the streets. Even if you died your body might stay some where until it rotted or dogs ate it. In this situation it makes it more understanding for a western person to understand why men would rape women out of rage if they got more rights than men. There is nothing comparable to this in western society so it might be hard for some of you to understand. But, this is actually the way things were in India in 1986 when I was there.
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