Question: What’s the big deal if I say “Brazil were raped by
Germany tonight.”?
A couple of days ago The Logical Indian (TLI), a Facebook
page, shared a post condemning the use of the word ‘rape’ in the context of
Brazil’s 7-1 defeat at the hands of Germany at the FIFA World Cup.
The comments were predictable: “lol..u supported Brazil,
didn’t you?” said one fellow, and this comment quickly received 285 likes (at
the time of writing). Another chap said, “Brazil weren’t raped. They were gang-raped.”
The more insightful ones were of the opinion that the usage
was figurative and hence meant no harm. Someone said, “What they meant in the
figurative usage is that, Brazil didn't get defeated, they got destroyed and
humiliated beyond limits.” (490 likes for this one). Some witty ones went “The
Logical Indian is being illogical.”
There were, of course, several who supported TLI’s stand,
which isn’t a surprise, really. But the question remains: What is the big deal?
If words like ‘vanquish’ and ‘crush’ are okay, what’s wrong with ‘rape’?
Here’s my two cents.
Rape is a heinous act. It leaves in its wake trauma of the
highest degree. Many would argue it is a crime worse than murder. To use it
flippantly, therefore, is to take away from the seriousness of the crime. I
have no evidence to support that using the word in this manner actually
encourages rape, but it does show utter insensitivity and disrespect towards
victims and those who have suffered with them. No one means any offence or
harm, I’m sure, but why use it when there are alternatives?
Those who argue that words like ‘vanquish’, ‘thrash’, ‘rout’
and ‘crush’ are equally bad couldn’t be further from the truth. Take an
example: I can jokingly say to a friend, “I’ll thrash you if you touch my
guitar” but can I say “I’ll rape you”? Imagine how they’d feel.
Some of my friends have used ‘rape’ in such contexts in the
past. The ‘balatkaar’ speech from 3 Idiots went viral a few years ago. I
laughed and cringed at the same time. I sat on the fence. Now I think that was
wrong.
I’m not saying this is how we can stop rape. All I’m saying
is: think before you speak. And to the gentleman with the 490 likes, by
equating rape with humiliation, sir, you’ve shown us exactly what the problem
is. Please, let us get rid of these dangerous parallels, because the issue is
much more deep-rooted than we think. It’s in our heads, and it is a big deal.
