Rape in India

I was listening to one of the most popular actors, writers, singers, and directors of India's entertainment industry, indicating that their society needed to scrutinize the messages their entertainment media was sending that "commoditized" and "objectified" women. He spoke out against the rampant violence against women in his country.

Intellectually and anecdotally, I believe that pornography and other sexually explicit or suggestive forms of media may desensitize individuals and activate criminal proclivities to commit crimes. However, I don't think that adequately explains the extent of the problem in India. Just as violent films and videos have not been shown to have a scientifically noticeable effect on violent tendencies, I suspect that sexually explicit mediums are used as excuses, just as the way a woman dresses is used as an excuse to engage in criminal behavior against women.

Apparently, India has a very high per capita incident of rape, yet their entertainment industry is actually substantially more tame than the U.S.'s entertainment media. So, is the media to blame in India? Is that easier to cope with than the fact that, culturally, there may be endemic problems that are harder to admit and more difficult to address?

Loren M. Lambert © April 28, 2013