Boys Locker Room: When Teen Boys Talk Of Raping Their Classmates

Boys Locker Room: Trigger Warning: Sexual Harassment, Sexism

This trigger warning is not for people who find rape threats to women on social media every day.

This trigger warning is not for those who laugh lightly by commenting quietly about a girl’s body. 

This trigger warning is also not for those who do not intimate sharing raunchy jokes with ‘Husband-Wife.’

This trigger warning is for those girls and women who are victimized every day, and affected by it every day.

“Bro, call this girl. We can easily rape her. I will call more boys. We can gang rape her. We can do a lot.”

“Dude, see it. It’s a nude selfie. I used to hook up with her in class 10, and she used to send me nudes every day.”

“Bro, let’s do one thing. Those who are speaking against us, leak their nudes. They are becoming very feminist. They will not be able to show their face.”

Boys Locker Room: When Teen Boys Talk Of Raping Their Classmates

These things are being done by 15-16-year-old boys studying in the expensive, elite, and modern schools of Delhi. These boys are commenting bout girls of their age studying in the same school.

All these things were happening on an Instagram group called the boy’s locker room. Somehow its screenshots came out, and now the Cyber ​​Cell of Delhi Police is investigating it.

Locker room

Locker room means closed place and closed place conversation i.e., locker room talk.  In a broad sense, locker room talk means a conversation of men in which women are not involved.

This locker room can be anywhere. Such as a WhatsApp or Facebook group, a bar, gym, or part of the office, where men can gather and talk about women.

Since these things do not happen in the public space, usually no one knows about them except for men who are part of it. 

Yes, it is another matter that the conversation in this locker room also comes to the fore at some time, as the Instagram group of these schoolboys came to the fore.

What’s wrong with this?

It is not surprising to know that many people are defending the chat of these schoolboys by calling them ‘private conversations.’ The boys are there, even if they do a little ‘laughing’ among themselves, what is the problem in that? 

There are many problems in such conversations in the group and it is not difficult to understand the problems at all.

First problem

Let’s assume that this is a personal conversation between the boys. But do not forget that your right to privacy ends where someone else’s privacy starts.

If a girl sends a nude selfie to a boy, it is his responsibility to keep it to himself. If he sends this picture elsewhere without the consent of the girl, then it is a violation of her privacy of the girl. 

Even if that picture is shared in a ‘locker room.’ This is not only morally wrong but also a legal offense.

Second problem

If you look at the chat of that Instagram group, you will find that all the boys are supporting each other.  Together, they are making fun of girls’ bodies, and together they are planning their rape.

The boys are laughing, getting laughing emojis, talking about rape, and no one is objecting to this.  All this promotes ‘rape culture.’ Is such behavior ‘normal.’

If you are sharing ‘rape jokes’ in a private group, laughing at it, will your views suddenly change when you are in public? No. The truth is that even if you say something else to show the world, the same thing will remain in your mind that you were somewhere in that ‘locker room.’

Third problem

A large number of things said in the group are even more dangerous because they make you feel ‘powerful’ and ‘right.’  There is a simple principle that if many people support us, then we stick to our words more firmly. 

If 25 people in the group are laughing at your ugly comments, then they are giving you a kind of mental strength. In such a situation, if someone calls you wrong, you will not be ready to accept it because you’ll think: Hey! How can so many people go wrong together? 

Are the other 24 people with me wrong? Everyone does this, and then it will be acceptable! 

This is the effect and danger of the conversation in the locker room.

Fourth problem

If men have such a conversation among themselves, it simply means that they do not consider women equal to themselves. Because if you really consider yourself equal, will think twice about saying something like that.

Not only this, but all this also will never allow you to have a normal relationship with women.  You will see them as just any sex item not as an equal person, but as a colleague or associate.

First, you will ‘joke’ in the locker behind her back, then publicly say the same things.  On social media, girls will troll to express their views, to protest and just post their pictures.

Then you will not see any evil in that tweet of Kapil Mishra in which he says, “Do not associate Sapura Jargan’s pregnancy with my speeches. 

Does this locker room surprise us? Is there anything new in this? No.

We see daily on Twitter trending abuses related to women. How many girls have to face abuse, rape threats, and character abuse… all this on Facebook and Instagram every day. 

Some in your inbox and some openly. Some are called ‘Annotation panic’ by sharing a screenshot of it, and some are victims of it every day without telling anyone.

Such sexual violence in one form or another is present everywhere in every category.  The father abuses the mother-sister in front of his son. Everything seems normal. Then the son abuses his friends; everything looks ‘cool.’

Schoolboys try to make each other look ‘cool’ by saying, ‘I had a fun time with your mom.’ 

Gradually, it all starts to look cool to such an extent that there is nothing wrong with it.

Teachers in schools comment on the length of girls’ skirts. These are the same teachers who do not even speak the word ‘sex’ while teaching sex education. Or take the girls apart and tell them about menstruation.

Parents leave no stone unturned to impose restrictions on daughters in the name of being ‘safety’ but do not question the antics of their sons.

The result of this upbringing is that violence and exploitation of girls are considered normal. 

People of their parents and family consider the girl’s oppression many times its fault.

#NotAllMen?

The hashtag is not all men – that is, not all men are the same. Whenever there is talk of crimes or inequalities that happen to women, the bomb of this hashtag is put forward as a defense.

Schoolgirls who may have sent nudes to their boyfriends might have thought the same: #NotAllMen.

The exciting thing is that often fathers or brothers explain to their daughters and sisters and say – I am a man, so I know what goes on in his mind. 

So I am trying to protect you from them. But when talking about sexual harassment, rape, and equality, these men say in one voice: #NotAllMen.

The issue is not about #NotAllMen or #YesAllMen. The point is that by saying #NotAllMen, you cannot circumvent existing crimes. 

With this, you simply separate yourself or try to save the culprits indirectly because somewhere or in some way, you see yourself in them.

Is it so difficult to understand that if one class does wrong with another class, then the guilty class will be held responsible? 

Instead of escaping the narrow street by saying #NotAllMen, you should end up with ‘Bro culture.‘ 

Men should stop each other from misbehaving and interrupting, holding them responsible. Instead of covering up each other’s faults, oppose them.

This is not a case of Equality

Boys’ locker room conversion ‘is now being defended by saying that even in girls’ groups, there are’ such things’ about boys.

Groups like GirlsLockerRoom and Hot Guys Memes are also suddenly discussed after BoysLockerRoom surfaced.

Now it is not so difficult to understand that the girls how hot they are and are not equal to the boys’, brothers; they drink it and enjoy it. The girls’ brothers had slept with her, telling her crush or fantasizing about her. It is not equivalent to ‘call it to the room.’

Are girls planning a men’s rape at GirlsLockerRoom? No. Therefore, it is not equal in the two cases.

Who abuses men?

Whenever women raise their voices against the sexual offenses that happen to them, a section comes up: men are also exploited? It is true that men are also raped. Men are also victims of sexual harassment. But who does this? In most cases, the man himself.

What is the ratio of sexual harassment of men to women? Can sexual harassment of women be ‘neutralized’ by citing sexual harassment of men?  Or can the sexual exploitation of women be justified by mentioning the sexual exploitation of men?

This whole matter is of equal status. You will make fun of what you consider yourself to be weak, will only say lewd things, and will only harass them. Physical attraction and sexual desires are natural but cannot be fulfilled without the consent of the other party and through violence or deception.

Just such a thing has to be understood. If there is sex with consent, then there is no infamy of the girl and bravery of the boy. Just such a thing has to be understood.