Mashed Musings

Forced Incest

While jumping through news sites, one of my friend pointed out the Josef Fritzl’s case. The story made me gasp in horror. Fritzl has been repeatedly raping his daughter from the past twenty years and has fathered seven children with her, out of which six are surviving. Fritzl has been keeping his daughter a prisoner in the basement of his house while his son and wife were unaware of his deed. You can read the complete story here. One of the six children named Kerstin Fritzl has been suffering from epilepsy and has been put into a clinically induced coma. Two other boys named Stefan and Felix are coping up with sunlight and open spaces after been confined to a dark closed space for such a long time.

What shocked me was the ruthless way in which all of this was carried out. Josef Fritzl has been depicted as the most inhuman monster mankind has ever known. While rummaging through Internet to gain insight into this horrendous crime, I came across another aspect of the story where the monster was the victim. According to this report, Fritzl himself was brought up by a very temperamental mother and was subjected to brutal abuses. This somehow explains the mental imbalance and the psychological effect of his growing up years which would have lead him to commit this crime. Somehow he lost the power to feel sympathy towards anyone and even abused his own wife after their marriage. Time would tell the fate of Fritlz but its hard to imagine the trauma of his daughter and the children. Most of the psychiatrists are quite doubtful about the future of the children as it might take at least four to eight years of intensive therapy for them to return back to a normal life. Incest victims generally suffer from low self esteem, depression, anxiety, difficulty in relationships, sexual malfunction and personality disorders to name a few.

What Fritzl did is something unpardonable as it was forced and ruthless. While reading Archana’s post, I realised that such incidences are not something uncommon, although not so extreme in nature but equally disturbing. While googling, I came across another aspect of Incest which will be equally shocking for most of us.

Consensual Incest

Consider the following stories :

• A German couple Patrick Stuebing and Susan Karolewski are fighting the law. Patrick is Susan’s brother and they have four children. Patrick has already served a jail sentence of two years as Adult Incest is against the law in Germany. Their first three kids have been taken away from them are are living with their foster parents. You can read the full story here.
• Woody Allen married his former lover, Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn who is 35 years younger to him. Farrow and Allen were dating for almost a decade when she found out of his relationship with her adopted daughter. You can read the story here. Although this is not a pure case of Incest per se, but Allen was a father figure to the Farrow kids ever since Previn was in her pre-teens.
• John Deaves and his daughter Jenny admitted to having incestuous relationship and the couple have a nine month old daughter. They are permitted to see each other but can’t have sexual relationship. You can read the story here.
• Ancient civilizations like Egyptian, Roman and Greek allowed incestuous links, specially in the royal families. It is said that Cleopatra herself married many of her brothers.
• There are tribes in Africa which practice “Internal Reproduction” which ensures that the tribe survives. They don’t look at it as Incest but as a survival technique.

All these stories and facts underline the role which culture and Jurisdiction play to make Consensual Incest punishable. There are some religions which allow marriage with cousins and distant relatives while some allows marriage in the same cast but not in the same family tree.

The issue of legalizing incest is being raised again and again against the age old taboo. The question being asked is that if same sex marriages and Prostitution can be legalized in some countries, then why not Consensual Incest? How can a consensual activity between two adults be criminal?

Scientifically, it was argued that members of a family belong to the same gene pool, so the probability of defects and diseases increase. This can become more severe if the inbreeding is allowed for several generations. But a recent study reveals that children of unrelated parents have a 3% to 4% risk of having serious birth defects, while the offspring of first cousins have only a slightly higher risk of about 4% to 7%. This has again turned the tide against the present laws in many countries.

Conclusion

Surely, what Fritzl did is a punishable offence but there is a debate over how the prevailing laws need to be modified to put Forced and Consensual Incest in two separate boxes. The quintessential questions(in case of Consensual Incest) still remains - Is the modern society of any country ready for such a relationship between two consenting adults or will they still be treated as outcasts? Is it just a matter of how we choose to live or how we choose to live in a society? Different people will look at the issue with different angles. Some might find it completely wrong morally and ethically while some might have an I-don’t-care attitude towards it.

What do you think?

p.s. For the latest developments on the Fritzl case, you can read this.

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Iron Man appeared for the first time in Marvel Comics publications in 1963. The most recent title was released on May 2008 titled Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas #1. Iron Man has also been a member of the superheroes team called “The Avengers” and has been an incredibly successful superhero. So, it was just a matter of time that he appeared on the big screen. Praises by a few friends and a healthy Rotten Tomatoes rating prompted me to go ahead and watch the movie. Surely I was not disappointed. In fact it was after a long hiatus that I saw something worthy of the ticket money.

Iron Man stars Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, a mastermind and a genius inventor who also happens to be a billionaire and a womaniser. Gwyneth Paltrow appears as Pepper Potts, Stark’s personal assistant who is a vital part of his life and is always there for him. Jeff Bridges plays Obadiah Stane, who has been with the Stark Industries since its conception by Tony’s father and is now Tony’s right hand man. Terrence Howard is Lt. Colonel James Rhodes who is Tony’s most trusted friend and a military liaison to the Stark Industry. Tony is attacked and kidnapped in Afghanistan while returning from a demonstration of his latest weapon system. The terrorist group called Ten Rings, demands that Tony creates a similar weapon system for them and provide him with all the necessary components. Tony ends up creating the first prototype of the Iron Man and escapes wearing the power suit. The whole episode is a reality check for him and gives a new and meaningful direction to his life. He returns home to create a more advanced suit to combat terrorism.

This is one of the most believable and relevant superhero movies of recent times, something which comes very close to what Spider-Man was. A cast which melt into their roles, dazzling special effects and terse dialogues make this movie worth a watch. The special effects look surprisingly believable. We are getting quite good at them now a days. Robert Downey Jr. is the surprise package of the movie. His performance is quite a mix of everything, humor included, which is quite rare in superhero movies. The movie keeps you engrossed and there is not a moment of boredom, even when Tony and Pepper are having their awkward moment together on the terrace.

So, if you like action packed superhero movies, then Iron Man is what the doctor ordered. Many people compared it to Transformers and argued that the action in Iron Man is not that plentiful, but Transformers was not a superhero movie. Iron Man has more of a story because it depicts the creation of the Superhero. In fact most of the action appears in the second half and it would be really unfair to compare the movie with the Transformers, although you can see the inspiration in the climax.

Of course, the sequel is in the pipeline and some more Superheroes such as Thor and Captain America are also rubbing up their heels for a movie release. You can check out the really cool Iron Man website here.

Directed by - Jon Favreau

Rating - 4/5

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It has been quite a while since Amit has seen a cricket match from the “toss” to the “man of the match”. IPL tried to reinstate the dying flame of his interests and has been moderately successful. So, when the prospect of watching a live match in a stadium presented itself, he was as dauntless as a newborn peeing on his father’s pants.

And so it was settled. He was to witness the Indian Premier League(IPL) match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils to be battled at Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on 2 May 2008. The tickets were promptly bought well in advance and he marched into the stadium with his friends on the appointed day. This was the first time Amit was about to witness a match in the Stadium.

Nothing could have prepared him for the euphoria he witnessed there. The stadium was chok-a-block with fans waiting for the stars of the show to appear. Indian flags(?!?), colourful posters, fluttering fans/tickets and a wave of over excited crowd were the first visual imbroglio available. The only calm thing in the whole stadium was the pitch, as if preparing itself to be stomped. As Dhoni, Captain of the Chennai Super Kings, won the toss and chose to bat, the excitement of the crowd reached another crescendo. Amit had never heard such blood curling screams before but he was gulping in all the excitement and was as excited as everyone else, but in a much more subdued way.

As the CSK started to bat, Stephen Flemming was lost too soon and Parthiv Patel followed him in a jiffy. Vidyut and Dhoni somehow tried to steady the score and CSK ended their innings with 169/6 in 20 overs. As if the score was not depressing enough, as soon as the Delhi Daredevils started their innings, Sehwag went completely out of control. By the time Sehwag got out at 71, the damage was already done. Still, till the end the CSKs were treading a very thin line and there was a ray of hope for them as long as they were not allowing the Daredevils to take 4s and 6s. It was a very close call and Amit was biting his nails. But the final damage was done in the second last over and the Delhi Daredevils won by 8 wickets with 6 balls remaining. The crowd was not much sad and they cheered Sehwag as much as Dhoni. And yes, the histrionics of Billy Bowden were definitely not worth a miss.

Some points which Amit noticed :

• Watching a cricket match in a Stadium is entirely different from watching it on television. If the weather is good, going to a stadium is a very good option. Of course, there won’t be those colourful analysis/graphics screens showing the ball positions and the shots, but then what the heck!!!
• The Cheerleaders were fully( ) covered in yellow outfits and still people were gloating over them.
• There was a huge net in front of the seats and Amit was not able to understand its necessity. It was only after the match ended and people started throwing water bottles towards the ground, that the purpose of the net came to light.
• The cricket stadium is not as big as it appears in the television. In fact its quite small and even if you are sitting at the last row, you can very easily follow the ball.
• Watching all those cricketers in 3D, whom you are so much used to watch in 2D can be quite a dizzying experience. Your mind might refuse to believe that they are actually there. Its like watching your favourite actor standing in front of you. You will definitely pinch yourself.
  
• The experience can surely be repeated in a better weather condition and with a more expensive ticket.
• Amit had lost another point in the PFHOI contest being hosted on Ish’s Dead End.
• Amit has written a post on cricket. He could not have imagined this in his wildest fantasies.

Thats it for the day, ladeej and genteelmen.

(The photographs have been taken by me by my Moto rokr Z6 and are not to be used for any commercial purpose)

This post is dedicated to all the sleepyheads who forgot to wish me on my birthday. Yeah Yeah, now don’t give that sleepy grin or the Oh-shit look. I must admit that this year the number of people who would be facing the wrath is very less and I am quite happy about it. And as a once a year bonus, I was spared the task of decorating birthday cards with my calligraphy.

So, for all those who still are scratching their heads, 1 May was the historical day on which I was born. Its celebrated all over the world as May Day/Labour Day/International Worker’s Day. And yes I am quite used to being called a “labourer” at times. Once when I was quite acerbic and poured my heart to one of my friends about the disadvantages of being born on Labour Day, she patted my shoulder and replied - You should thank God that its not Labour Pain day.

Talk about being optimistic. But Christ!!!!! Labour Pain day???

Ok, coming back to yesterday, my roommates brought a chocolate and walnut cake at 12 am and I had a cake cutting ceremony at my room which thankfully did not include “birthday bumps” and “Cake face pack” as I was constantly accepting birthday wishes on my mobile. I made sure that the cake was finished off before I put my mobile down so that I did not end up with the creamy face pack. This is that yummy cake.

In the morning, I had to wake up early as my mom had been constantly reminding me from the past ten days that I have to go to the temple in the morning and give food and money to the beggars. She is constantly consulting 3 astrologers to know what is going to happen to me in the future and one of them(Don’t know which one) provided her with this Temple thingy. So there I was, dragging my roommate Lokesh with me, at a local restaurant, asking for 10 “separate” packets of Idlies(Yeah, you read it right). I did everything according to my mom’s satisfaction, which I knew, would eventually give her a chance to tell my sister that I am such an obedient boy and she should be like me. Sweet na??

We had planned for a Lunch in one of the four star hotel in Chennai, so I arranged for a cab to pick us up. Another cake was waiting there, to be castrated by me.

As we had our lunch, I was showered with cards and gifts and I was quite overwhelmed. The cards were beautiful and I could never have guessed the gifts. I was asked to make three guesses, but I blurted out anything just because I was so excited to tear off and see what’s inside. Thanks you guys for making my birthday truly memorable. Here is a sneak peek into the gifts.

*Drums rolling. Tension mounting up. The curtain goes up slowly*

Ok, I got this really cool Philips Digital photo frame and “tashan” style goggles specially imported from America by my friends working there. The gifts were finalized after some grueling offshore-onsite discussions with my friends here. For those of you who don’t know, a digital photo frame comes with a memory card where you can upload photos and it will play them just like a slide show. It looks just like a normal photo frame in which photos keep on changing. How cool is that!!!! And the goggs looked just purrfect on me and it was something I was thinking of buying from a long time. A million thanks to the members of tararumpum gang.

Next on the agenda was a movie. We were all in a mood to laugh and make diggs at a movie and what better movie could have solved the purpose other than, you guessed it right, TASHAN. Also, one of my friend had not seen the movie and we all wanted to see the look on her face after the movie ended. We were quite surprised to see a house full and inside people were actually enjoying the movie once it started. We laughed our hearts out and clapped whenever any atrocity was bestowed upon us, which was quite often. The look on my friend’s face after the movie ended was priceless!!! We ended the day by having dinner at one of the restaurants where we have always been on every special occasion, whether it being someone’s birthday or an I-am-leaving-for-U.S.-party or Shit-I-lost-the-BET-party.

So there. Another birthday added to the string of memorable birthdays I am having from the past so many years. Now for those of you who have committed the crime of forgetting my birthday, can leave a message here or can call me. My blogging buddies can also wish me here.

That’s it for the day, Ladies and Gentlemen.