Somehow on Saturday 28th November, I “ran” into the latest Nigerian talk show in town, TVC’s The Big Issue hosted by Oba Adeoye. Coincidentally, or rather deliberately, the debate issue was the same subject-matter that raved the Internet last week. The Rape issue. As with all debates there were two sides: One side led by a female Psychologist held the agelong behavioural “dog and meat” psychology. The argument seem tilted to the campaign that stopping Indecent dressing may mean stopping rape. After all, once you throw the meat the dog must chase. To stop the dog from chasing you may have to stop throwing the meat.
And the other side, championed by popular Nollywood actress Foluke Daramola were more logical : Rape is Rape. Indecent dressing is wrong but we cannot finger it for rape cases. They were in line with the popular maxim: “there are no words for rape, only sentences.”
As for the audience, by the questions they asked and their “body language”, they seemed more inclined to the psychological argument over the logical one. However, this psychological principle didn’t start today, it’s root is in the theory of causality. Thus, we cannot dismiss it as illogical, it has a point. Only that it has failed to solve many issues. If Indecent dressing is the major motivating factor for rape then the Western World should have more rape incidents than anywhere else in the world.
Stats reveals that South Africa records up to 500, 000 “reported” rape cases every year while UK has 85,000 rapes a year. When you connect that to the recent Xenophobia incident, you get a clearer picture.
Presumably, we know what to blame for rape. In one word : Savagery! It’s a pre-logic state of the mind. Indecent dressing or not, it has more of an internal locus of control than external. You’ll understand the point better when you hear the numbers of rape cases churning out of states like Kano.
Truth be told, if all women agree to help men by wearing blankets, it’d only be a matter of time… Blankets would seem like “see throughs” for “pathological” rapists. Many rapists can undress a woman through with their eyes. Psycho-Cybernetics? The triggers of vices {after they have matured in the mind of the perpetrator} is more internal than external. They are relatively automated.
Something very similar is the idea of terrorism. Terrorists start with eating offending cows, later their appetite grow bigger. Any unholy cow becomes the preferred beef for his sumptuous banquet. Until they graduate to start feasting on the sacred cows itself. Cow is cow, brother. Bring them on. As in, they never repent!
I remember when the Charlie Hebdo incident happened in Paris, while many countries condemned the attacks, some others raised the #IamNotCharlieHebdo hashtag. They did so with the behavioural “dog and meat” argument. Their body language or body odour was clear. Those guys deserved what they got for their heresy. I mean how can you speak ill of the holy fellowship? And those boys, no need for remorse, they saw your hashtag.
Later on, they came back… for more blood…. The #ParisAttack happened. When the news came, I pinged a friend – one of the #IamNotCharlieHebdo guy- to ask him if those who died in the attack were drawing satirical, offensive cartoons at the concert? He went mute. “Ani ki a ba ole wi eyin ni pe enikan careless.”
The truth of the matter is that a vice is a vice and should be vehemently condemned irrespective of what led to it. So my parting for Oba Adeoye and many of us who over exaggerate the “back to your shell” solution is simple. Let’s face it, If all women move about nude it would never “assist” a rapist in proving ANY point. No words, only sentences.
*Rex Showunmi tweets with the handle @remirex.