General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The hidden crisis that's fuelling the 'incel rebellion' [View all]Hekate
(90,616 posts)...they are both patriarchal cultures with no social safety net for old people aside from sons. Female infanticide was always fairly common, as girl children were a drag on the family economy, needed a dowry, and moved off to their husband's homes at marriage. Given the opportunities offered by modern medicine, i.e. ultrasounds and safe abortions, selecting for sons was a given, and the current crisis was predictable.
In India, where the whole notion of manhood is deeply tied to marriage and family, millions of young men are not imagining that they are being denied that status (and the sex that goes with it). Unlike American "incels," who suffer most from palpable personality defects and focus on the denial of the sexual act, these young men have good reason for their rage at a situation created by their parents' generation's personal selfishness, although most probably cannot see it quite that way. All they see is that they and their very large cohort are being denied a basic human social need (wife and children) -- and the easiest target to lash out at is anyone female.