Beastly banter

The exposure of some teenaged boys of posh Delhi schools luridly talking of raping schoolgirls, sexually objectifying or slut-shaming them and posting nude/morphed private pictures of their classmates on Instagram chat group #BoisLockerRoom once again raises the worrying issue of toxic masculinity, beginning from schools. Coming close on the heels of the case in December when eight boys of a top Mumbai school were suspended for putting graphic sexual and violent content targeting their women classmates on a WhatsApp group, the horrific account has justifiably triggered an outrage on social media. It should jolt the parents to instill in boys the value of respecting girls from a very young age. Only then can they be expected to grow up to be men empowered with the moral strength to withstand misogynist peers who take glee in diminishing or assaulting women.

For long, the condoning of such behaviour of boys with the excuse that ‘boys will be boys’ has played a major role in why rape culture is still largely prevalent in our society. The onus is wrongly put on girls to not dress up or act in ways that tempt men. It just victimises the girls and exonerates the culprits. This mindset is harmful. For, while terrifyingly illegal actions generally do spring from crass and crude words and thoughts, social sanction to a stereotypically coarse behaviour only makes the march towards a gender-equitable society that much harder. How a rape can scar a victim for life, how it can mentally torture her with disastrous consequences for her life cannot be emphasised enough. No man should be allowed to believe otherwise.

However, even as the casual, expletive-laden banter of the boys in the ‘locker room’ reignited the need for sensitising men towards a harmonious relationship with women, it also gave a peep into a deeper and wider malaise: that some female friends came out in support of the boys’ behaviour is fodder for thought and concern.