I do not have a bleeding heart. I do not even like the human race in general, but when it comes to hitting men between the legs for entertainment, even I feel appalled. In MTV's Roadies this week, an excruciating segment was focused on the genitalia of the male participants. It was wrong on so many levels. This show revels in tearing people down but the physical abuse that participants have been subjected to in this season has been sickening. There's nothing clever about it, nothing groundbreaking. It's just an adaptation of what a bully does in the schoolyard.
Sadism is a familiar guest on the show, but never before has it been so sexualised. Why are they not being sued?
Anyway, the task had something to do with the women's knowledge of Hindi --- the rules were convoluted but unequivocally brutal. If they answered correctly, all the blokes on the opposing team would get a whack on the balls; if wrong, one of the guys on their team would risk testicular injury. Something like that. It's not important. All the men stood on a podium, their hands strung up, legs wide apart, a mechanically controlled board ready to slam them right on their poor unprotected scrota. I couldn't fucking believe it.
How is this any different from war-camp torture? Physically harming people like this? And the jolly, oh-this-is-so-funny music playing in the background only made it worse. It isn't funny. The men were hit. They sunk to their knees. They were in pain. The camera firmly forcused firmly on their aching crotches, in a way that made me convulse with disgust.
Then they were made to strip down to their boxers. I thought I was having a nightmare. Roadies is about giving people a hard time, seeing how they're reacting, all cool. But this is criminal. Physical torture, sexual humiliation is never ok. This sets such a disturbing precedent. Next, it'll be women's vulnerable body parts. Whatever. It's nauseating. To make any human, whichever gender, stand up in public view and to violate their private parts is so close to rape.
Somebody needs to take action. Maybe it'll be me. Let's see.
