SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Dr. T. Rama Prasad,  www.rama-scribbles.com

# MeToo, CASTING  COUCH,  #TimesUp' and #NousToutes

          Most of the people in India,  even the educated ones, are not aware of the "Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal Act, 2013"  until the #MeToo (India) movement started exposing the misdeeds.  The "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women"  (November 25, 2018) brought thousands of demonstrators across Europe together for a "Feminist Tidal Wave" of outrage against gender violence, conjoined with the #MeToo movement that has been moving at a phenomenal speed.   Generally,  people shun discussions on matters related to sex.    The issues were kept under wraps for too long a time ... they are exploding now in many countries, India included --  if interested, you may have a glimpse of the scenario  by looking into my 'Scribblings' on related topics (Sex and Marriage & Rape) under the following links:

http://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2018/10/sexual-harassment.html

http://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/06/sex-and-marriage.html

http://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/06/rape.html


              In the modern society, sex immorality is highly sophisticated and polished under the cover of cultural events, conferences, conventions, board meetings, casting couch, office obligations, etc., just as  is corruption in all the fields.  Much had not surfaced out, until recently (2018), about this activity in show business in India.  The rate is $2,000 to 3,000 for one 'sleeping' for Indian actresses, models and TV anchors brought to America by unscrupulous cultural event organisers, on B1and B2 visitor visas.  This is something like 'voluntary prostitution'.  Rich and influential people are involved, including those in the film industry  who would send bogus invitations and sponsor fake visas for artists in the name of performing at cultural programmes.  Back at home, in India, there is no dearth of Harvey Weinsteins, if one goes by what media are pouring in headlines, recently (2018).  Talk to Sri Reddy (#Tamilleaks) and the popular actress Madhavi 'Heart' Latha, or click on   http://www.newindianexpress.com/magazine/2018/jul/22/sex-crime-and-celluloid-1845758.html    and https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/men-in-south-films-use-heroines-like-commode-sri-reddy/articleshow/64987969.cms. 

CASTING  COUCH

The Times of India Oct 4, 2018 cartoon

 'Casting couch' culture is reported to be rampant in South India which is just (2018) evolving into a #MeToo movement ... if the girls and actresses come out with the names of the sexual predators, the Indian picture would be much larger than that of  Harvey Weinstein et al. In the glitz and glamour world of celluloid lurks a trap of sleaze, corruption and blackmail where sexual predators stalk attractive pulchritudinous aspirants with assurances of heroine status. For obvious reasons, the victims in the film field do not come out with their bitter experiences.  The failed ones do not complain for fear of harassment and losing the what little chance they may still have.  The successful ones prefer to forget the bitterness as they had their dreams of prosperity and fame realised.   This is the case in Hollywood also ... you might have read about Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer who was hauled up for sexual misconduct and his intimidation of women actors leading to his expulsion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences..  Millennials of young girls fall a prey to the tinsel town out of an ambition to get rich and famous quickly, somehow or other (many are there who are willing to 'compromise' / 'adjust'), and also because of blackmail.  Money is the main motivation, fame only next, say the commentators.

          It is reported that Sri Reddy has decided to take her fight against casting couch in South Indian cinema to the silver screen ('Reddy Diary' -- #SriReddyLeaks) to expose sexual harassment and casting couch in Tollywood and Kollywood and to reveal the murky underbelly of the film industry.

OLD  PRACTICE  TOO

         This menace was existent
 in yesteryears too against the backdrop of an older 'service economy' that was dedicated to the pleasure of the elite and princely classes.  One of her princely patrons raped Begum Akhtar,  and in her autobiography, Kanan Devi, a leading star and glamour girl of the 1930s wrote of sexual harassment and misconduct during her younger days. 

OMNIPRESENT

          This problem is not exclusively present in the film world,  it also exists on a broader canvas including tourism, hospitality, fitness, and the leisure and entertainment industries that require women employees to appear attractive or present themselves as images for consumerism and consumption.

October 11, 2018 --  on this date media ran headlines on the sudden spurt of activity by "MeToo" movement of sexual harassment (https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/more-horror-stories-about-minister-pour-in-from-women-journalists/article25185589.ece )  --  Senior journalist Priya Ramani et al and the Minister M.J. Akbar;  Actor Sandhya Mridul and Alok Nath;  Singer Sona Mohapatra and Kailash Kher;  Actor Tanushree Dutta and actor Nana Patekar;  Conservationist Nisha Bora and Padma Bhushan recipient artist Jatin Das, father of actor Nandita Das;  and many more ...  in most of the cases it's not one against one, but many many against each one - hence the credibility of allegations, though they can't be proved mostly in a court of law ... and hence liable for defamation punishment when challenged.  Because of the defamation charges, many victims may not go on record.


#MeTooIndia   October 13, 2018

          Sensational news is flowing in ... Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi announced on October 12, 2018 that the Indian government will set up a committee of judges and lawyers to examine the existing legal and institutional framework to deal with complaints of sexual harassment at the workplace.   More sensational news is awaited consequent to the intense activity of '#MeTooIndia' with some politicisation.

         Joyeeta Basu, the editor of The Sunday Guardian, told the Patiala Houser court that the 67-year-old former Union Minister, M.J. Akbar, who has filed a defamation case against a woman journalist for levelling charges of sexual misconduct, described him as a "thorough gentleman and a brilliant teacher" and said that he had been "vilified intentionally" by the journalist Priya Ramani.    But, nearly 20 women journalists accused him of sexual harassment during his stint as the editor of The Asian Age. What's the truth ? God Only Knows !

          A similar situation seems to be prevailing in educational institutions also, if the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) scandal is of any indication.  An assistant professor at an arts college was arrested on April 16, 2018 after an audio clip of her alleged telephonic conversation with female students proposing to them to indulge in sexual favours for higher authorities went viral.  Based on her confession, more arrests were done and the investigation is going on (TOI, September 5, 2018).

INTERNATIONAL  WOMEN's  DAY

           I wrote the following in 2016 on the International Women's Day:

"International Women's Day, originally called International Working Women's Day, is celebrated on March 8 every year. Let everybody appreciate, encourage and empower women.

Women deserve to have a heady mixture of triumph and self-esteem for the right reasons. It is a reflection of empowerment. Most of the women in India are unaware of the global euphoria. Women were adored and admired in our ancient days. Despite the "liberation" we have today, the Indian women seem to require more respect and security now than ever. The feudal mindset of the people comes in the shape of harassers, cat-callers, criminals and rapists.

The Times of India, March 9, 2019

In the recent centuries, our womenfolk have traditionally occupied the lower perches on the social totem. The medieval social attitudes, male-dominated India, patriarchal prejudices and unconscionable customs that confer social sanction to insult and bulldoze women seem to be the root cause for outraging modesty of women. We seem to have a primeval instinct to gang up on the weaker sex and enjoy a fleeting sense of power. This social attitude should change.

                                                                      Dr. T. Rama Prasad,
                                                                      Perundurai."

ART,  OBSCENITY  and  SEX

          It is difficult to draw a line where art ends and obscenity / sex starts.  It is all in the mind and in the way we look at it at a particular evolutionary period.  A simple example -- sleeveless blouses and miniskirts were looked down upon as obscene / sexy a few decades ago in India, but not now by many.  The erotic pelvic  movements and the provocative gestures we see today and  everyday on TV and in  cinema theatres may also be viewed as similar to some bar dancers’ obscene / sexy display.  Nowadays, services and entertainment  are provided by workers in joints by various names such as ‘bodywork’, ‘sauna’, ‘spa’, ‘escort’, ‘alternative medicine’, ‘massage parlour’, ‘dance bars’, ‘record dances’,  etc.  --  the jargon may be a euphemism for sex work. Now let us climb the fence into ‘Moraldilemmaland’.  By extension, does what our film heroines and heroes do is also the same (as they also offer their bodies for commercial film production, and through the medium to the world virtually) ?  Hell yes, it is.  Yes, it is difficult to draw a line between the art of entertainment and sex. It all depends on the mindset and the permissiveness of the society.  

        NORMAL  like any other business  

     When asked about the "Casting Couch,"  one actress parried the question saying "It all depends on the mindset."   Yes, it's like any other business - selling and buying - when appearance and talent are excellent, one may not have to go through the 'casting couch', otherwise, if one is willing, it seems that the currency of bribe is 'personal entertainment'.    It may be consensual or compelling.  Some have the intense desire to become film  stars somehow or other, compromising certain values which they may not mind.  Brokers and bigwigs in the industry exploit the situation.  It is a very sensitive and personal issue.  Why did they not make a hue and cry all these decades before 'MeToo' arrived ?  Does it require a 'MeToo' to open their mouths, if they are not entirely for the compromises ?  Even for 'Harvey Weinstein women' in the West ?

Comments from a writer, Geetanjali Arora, on "MeToo":

            " ... You do me favors, I do you favors.  30 years later lets call it *"me too"*...

A strong woman does not wait 30, 20, 10 years to speak up, she slaps him on the first *"bad touch"* and knocks him out...

Don't hide your weakness, the favors in returns that you enjoyed and the work you got by *"I was too scared"* cry now...

You were scared to say NO then because it was hard to stand up for what was right and you were scared to loose your status and position in the work place, so *YOU CHOSE* to accept the molestation and went back for more...

Its very easy to play the *abla nari* card later and gain sympathy...

*The Shakti does not wait for a later date to speak up, she silences the evil on the spot...*

My thoughts on this nonsense of *'me too'*...

I don't have *'me too'* stories, anyone who tried got a tight slap then and there and I was never afraid to walk out with my head held high - be it in a Job or relationship!!!

"Strong Women don't have *'me too'* sob stories, they only have - *I slapped him back*  short essays" ..."

          With the storm of "#MeToo" and "#TimesUp" blowing fiercely, several celebrities are shivering.  We don't know how many allegations are genuine and how many are fabricated to settle scores or to get political mileage.  And it's not easy to prove many of them. GOK.  And, a "#HeToo" movement may start to counter the #MeToo movement !   

A first-ever United Nations sponsored global study found (2014) that Indian films top the chart in sexualising women with 35% of the female characters being shown with some nudity.

Tailpiece : The joke hereunder bears the mark of our times:

The lady on phone:   Good Morning,  Mr. Clinton,  I want you to meet me tomorrow. You are the father of one of my kids

                               

The Man:   Are you Angelica?...No? ---   Mary?...No?  ---Eve? ...No?  --- Lexi?...No? --- Tara?

The lady on phone:   I am the teacher of your son David.  I want to discuss about his progress in studies.

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Read also:
  https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/06/sex-and-marriage.html
                   https://drtramaprasad.blogspot.com/2017/06/rape.html

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THIS  IS  AN  ABRIDGED  TEXT  OF  MY  'SCRIBBLING.  THE FULL TEXT WILL BE POSTED LATER.          --  T. Rama Prasad