I couldn't watch BBC's documentary on BBC because of copyright issues, so I decided to look it up at sites like Vimeo. Ten minutes in to it, I switched it off. I couldn't watch it. I couldn't listen to the judges talking about total BS and the (juvenile?) offender uttering any word out of his filthy mouth. India lost a daughter two years ago (my utmost condolences for the irreplaceable loss). But that video and media outcry after that reemphasized a lot of generalizations that citizens continue to live with.
I don't agree with the generalization of the 'rape culture.' It is as good as saying India is a 'Slumdog Millionaire' set in real life. It is not. No, we don't reach schools on elephants or camels. Further, it is not a country of snake charmers. Most importantly, India is a NOT country of rapists. I've lived in India more than half my life and the views of some of the people on the internet resonate with me. Agreed, I do get jitters roaming at 10 PM at night. I do get eve teased on certain occasions and I wish the situation was better but then I have faced similar situations outside India too when traveling alone. Rape is a heinous crime that occurs in any country. It is a pity that human beings and mostly women have to deal with it, even in this day. As horrified as I was with the documentary and views expressed there, I was shocked to see this article by a professor who allegedly denied internship to an Indian student citing 'rape problem' in India as the reason. I thought it was a hoax (not ruling that possibility yet) but this is to my, and to any open-minded person's, disbelief: http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2015/03/09/leipzig-university-apolog_n_6829270.html
I don't agree with our judicial system being entirely 'incapable.' True, there are deadlines that should be adhered but that is more of an efficiency and volume management system which needs to looked at. I agree it might be about time some of the clauses in the legal documents are re-looked but to dismiss the entire system that is in place for such a long time as being totally unjust isn't fair to all the honest judges out there.
I don't agree with the 'running away' culture. I know at least five people who have left India for good post the incident and numerous people who have canceled their plans of visiting India. I respect personal choice but rape isn't plague. Running away from a situation never helped it. It is more like blindfolding. Some of these people are the same people who post on social media highlighting how they 'detest' the structure back 'home.' If we care deeply about calling the place our 'home' still, we have to try be the change at some point.
I don't agree with the 'banning' culture. It is not girls who should face 'bans' of dressing, timelines, behavior, it is the mentality of guys that needs to shift - it is an education system that needs to impart moral values too, it is our upbringing that needs to reinforce equality, it is a respect that needs to be felt for fellow human beings, it is changes more than 'bans' that need to be reinforced for all people alike - guys or girls.
There was a lot of public debate but to say that the video is representative of life in India, I wouldn't say so. To sum it up, India is a lot more than a "poor" country full of lousy unjust men isn't right either. It takes a village to know what how beautifully it really is. There are a lot of flaws and it is not a perfect country but we need to work together to make it. Also, we need to believe that we can and we will make a difference.