14 ms·

For those who have never been to India, this is like yelling "FIRE!!!" in a crowd of 1 million people where the nearest fire truck is outside the crowd. If you

by X86BSD 11y ago

For those who have never been to India, this is like yelling "FIRE!!!" in a crowd of 1 million people where the nearest fire truck is outside the crowd. If you are in dire need of 9/11 equivalent services there, your done. Period. No one will reach you in time. If people there really cared about women, they would pass a version of the second amendment and allow women to protect themselves from brutal savage attacks with deadly force. Acid attacks. Rape. Gang rape. All of the above. This "panic button" will do absolutely nothing. No one will monitor it, no one will respond, you will die. Give women the ability to protect themselves!

nxzero 11y ago
Agree, it's a very troubling situation. Unless the general public in proximity to an attack is legally required to respond, seems unlikely to make a difference.
- X86BSD 11y ago
  The sad thing is even if they are chances are they will not do anything to stop or prevent it. I think people, everywhere, including the US are mostly afraid. I have seen people in the US do nothing when something bad takes place. Most people I think live in fear. They don't want to get involved. It's a very sad state of humanity but it's the climate we live in. I have nothing but the most sincere concern for women in India. I find it so incredibly troubling the attitude that country has of women. The fact that government refuses to recognize a womens right to defend herself with deadly force when gang rapes are a common everyday occurrence is.... soul crushing. A Panic button? Really? That is the best Modi and crowd can enable women with? This speaks volumes about how women are viewed there.
  - d0mine 11y ago
    It is a myth that people don't help each other http://www.citylab.com/crime/2015/08/the-murder-of-kitty-genovese-and-the-myth-of-the-heartless-city/400622/ http://www.citylab.com/crime/2015/08/the-murder-of-kitty-gen...
    - nxzero 11y ago
      Agree, generally speaking, people do try to help, though I do believe there's room for improvement.
bigphishy 11y ago
On top of that, consider attacker's use of a cell phone jammer. It would completely negate any type of call for help. Listen, the arguement if they really cared about women, then listing sensational words like gang rape and "acid attacks". Not a lot of rational, objective conversation can be had after you introduce those topics and emotions.
- stale2002 11y ago
  A panic button may not be effective, but I sincerely doubt that rapists will start using freaking cell phone jammers.
agumonkey 11y ago
How ? with guns ? Why the official announcement if it's all fluff ? Is the police corrupt that much ? too busy to care about this kind of issues ?
- X86BSD 11y ago
  That entire government from the traffic cop to Modi is corrupt as hell. You can't get cops to do their jobs without a bribe. Need a passport? You're going to have cough up cash to get the paperwork you need. It's insane. And just so incredibly sad. Plus because there are no traffic laws over there enforced its utter chaos on the roads. Jammed with cows, people, carts, cars, trucks etc. Everyone going their own way. Ignoring traffic lights, signs. Police or an ambulance could not reach even if they wanted to. Contrast that to the US, where at least most of the country knows when you see emergency vehicle lights, you pull over to the far right lane or shoulder to clear room for them to get to the person that needs help. It's night and day. Traffic laws need enforcing there hardcore. Although so do a lot of things. The country just needs the will power to do it.
  - catchmrbharath 11y ago
    > You can't get cops to do their jobs without a bribe. Need a passport? You're going to have cough up cash to get the paperwork you need I and thousands of students can vouch that we did not have to bribe to get our passports. India is doing really well in terms of law, for the population density it supports. I would bet enforcing those rules in the US or providing 911 help similar to the US for a country with that large a population is incredibly hard. Its not about will power, but the scale at which it has to be enforced at the same time, so that it works.
  - liquidwax 11y ago
    > Need a passport? You're going to have cough up cash to get the paperwork you need. It's insane. And just so incredibly sad. This is absolutely no true. I don't know about your experience but this is not the case everywhere. I got my passport almost 10 years ago and did not have to cough up a single paisa. Generally, you may have to deal with inept fools behind the counter trying to assert that they're the boss. But don't have to pay them.
utternerd 11y ago
You're absolutely right, this is a ridiculous solution to a very grave issue.
- abraae 11y ago
  Without wishing to in any way claim that this is a solution to sexual violence in India or any country, I don't think the idea is entirely mad. I have often thought that phones could benefit from good old clicky buttons on them. There are many situations where it would be great to reach into your pocket/purse and cause an event of some kind without having to lug out the phone, enter PIN to unlock, bring up app, etc. etc. - medic alert for seniors (notify caregivers) - skip to next music track (e.g. when casting spotify to some other device) - dial 911 when walking through a dodgy area - count passengers embarking - confirm visual check of some physical asset is OK (e.g. pest trap) Thanks to the Jobs-ian design of modern devices, which emphasises style and coolness over usability in the real world (right mouse click anyone?), smartphones are not at all suited for these super rapid one click use cases, and adding nice clicky button(s) on the phone or a paired bluetooth device would be useful in many situations. (Yes, perhaps we could buy an apple watch instead - but that's cracking a nut with a sledgehammer).
  - utternerd 11y ago
    Most if not all phones have the ability to dial emergency numbers without unlocking them. How many false-positives will this physical "emergency button" result in? I'd much rather see the market address these concerns without being coerced into doing so. If consumers want a big "emergency" button on their phone, by all means offer a product with one, but forcing said "feature" on every single person who purchases a phone should be frowned upon.
ngoel36 11y ago
Or educate men in society that these things are wrong.
- EdHominem 11y ago
  Sorry, I'm only in first-year. I'll stop raping you sometime after exams. /s If it's expected to work so well, why do banks have guards?
- littletimmy 11y ago
  You don't need to say "or" here. We can both increase awareness among men AND help women protect themselves.
- winstonewert 11y ago
  You really think the problem is that men don't know the raping is wrong?
  - ForHackernews 11y ago
    Why do you think that kind of gang-rape behavior is [relatively] rare in the West, then? You don't think it has anything to do with the education/socialization of men?
    - gozur88 11y ago
      Is it any more common in India? The country has 1.3 billion people - no matter what you do you'll get some horrific behavior.
    - winstonewert 11y ago
      If I had to guess, I would guess that a large part of the difference is whether or not the individuals believe they'll get away with it. Regardless, what I commented on was the suggestion that men just needed to be educated that raping was wrong, which is much narrower then "anything to do with the education/socialization of men" Obviously, education/socialization sufficiently widely understood has something to do with it.
secfirstmd 11y ago
Shoutout to the work of the folks at Panic Button, who have done good work trying to make a very secure, free, open source app available. https://panicbutton.io/ https://panicbutton.io/
d0mine 11y ago
Guns can and do harm their owners http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2015/01/good_guy_with_a_gun_myth_guns_increase_the_risk_of_homicide_accidents_suicide.html http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_exa...
- kashkhan 11y ago
  is that why all governments seem to want to have them?
- cpncrunch 11y ago
  Do they really need deadly force? What's wrong with pepper sprays and (real) panic alarms? I think those would likely be a lot more useful than a button on a phone, and wouldn't add more risks. I think your average scumbag rapist is going to fuck the hell off when he gets 130dB blasting in his ears, along with his friends.
  - X86BSD 11y ago
    Pepper spray? In a panic situation where the wind is blowing in her face, she sprays and... oh crap now she is choking and blind. Bullets don't have the problem.
    - cpncrunch 11y ago
      No, bullets have worse problems. How many people are killed accidentally?
gjolund 11y ago
There is no technical solution to a lack of empathy. At a certain point a culture just has to look in the mirror and come to grips with its own failures.

by X86BSD 11y ago

nxzero 11y ago

Agree, it's a very troubling situation. Unless the general public in proximity to an attack is legally required to respond, seems unlikely to make a difference.

X86BSD 11y ago
The sad thing is even if they are chances are they will not do anything to stop or prevent it. I think people, everywhere, including the US are mostly afraid. I have seen people in the US do nothing when something bad takes place. Most people I think live in fear. They don't want to get involved. It's a very sad state of humanity but it's the climate we live in. I have nothing but the most sincere concern for women in India. I find it so incredibly troubling the attitude that country has of women. The fact that government refuses to recognize a womens right to defend herself with deadly force when gang rapes are a common everyday occurrence is.... soul crushing. A Panic button? Really? That is the best Modi and crowd can enable women with? This speaks volumes about how women are viewed there.
- d0mine 11y ago
  It is a myth that people don't help each other http://www.citylab.com/crime/2015/08/the-murder-of-kitty-genovese-and-the-myth-of-the-heartless-city/400622/ http://www.citylab.com/crime/2015/08/the-murder-of-kitty-gen...
  - nxzero 11y ago
    Agree, generally speaking, people do try to help, though I do believe there's room for improvement.

bigphishy 11y ago

On top of that, consider attacker's use of a cell phone jammer. It would completely negate any type of call for help. Listen, the arguement if they really cared about women, then listing sensational words like gang rape and "acid attacks". Not a lot of rational, objective conversation can be had after you introduce those topics and emotions.

stale2002 11y ago
A panic button may not be effective, but I sincerely doubt that rapists will start using freaking cell phone jammers.

agumonkey 11y ago

How ? with guns ? Why the official announcement if it's all fluff ? Is the police corrupt that much ? too busy to care about this kind of issues ?

X86BSD 11y ago
That entire government from the traffic cop to Modi is corrupt as hell. You can't get cops to do their jobs without a bribe. Need a passport? You're going to have cough up cash to get the paperwork you need. It's insane. And just so incredibly sad. Plus because there are no traffic laws over there enforced its utter chaos on the roads. Jammed with cows, people, carts, cars, trucks etc. Everyone going their own way. Ignoring traffic lights, signs. Police or an ambulance could not reach even if they wanted to. Contrast that to the US, where at least most of the country knows when you see emergency vehicle lights, you pull over to the far right lane or shoulder to clear room for them to get to the person that needs help. It's night and day. Traffic laws need enforcing there hardcore. Although so do a lot of things. The country just needs the will power to do it.
- catchmrbharath 11y ago
  > You can't get cops to do their jobs without a bribe. Need a passport? You're going to have cough up cash to get the paperwork you need I and thousands of students can vouch that we did not have to bribe to get our passports. India is doing really well in terms of law, for the population density it supports. I would bet enforcing those rules in the US or providing 911 help similar to the US for a country with that large a population is incredibly hard. Its not about will power, but the scale at which it has to be enforced at the same time, so that it works.
- liquidwax 11y ago
  > Need a passport? You're going to have cough up cash to get the paperwork you need. It's insane. And just so incredibly sad. This is absolutely no true. I don't know about your experience but this is not the case everywhere. I got my passport almost 10 years ago and did not have to cough up a single paisa. Generally, you may have to deal with inept fools behind the counter trying to assert that they're the boss. But don't have to pay them.

utternerd 11y ago

You're absolutely right, this is a ridiculous solution to a very grave issue.

abraae 11y ago
Without wishing to in any way claim that this is a solution to sexual violence in India or any country, I don't think the idea is entirely mad. I have often thought that phones could benefit from good old clicky buttons on them. There are many situations where it would be great to reach into your pocket/purse and cause an event of some kind without having to lug out the phone, enter PIN to unlock, bring up app, etc. etc. - medic alert for seniors (notify caregivers) - skip to next music track (e.g. when casting spotify to some other device) - dial 911 when walking through a dodgy area - count passengers embarking - confirm visual check of some physical asset is OK (e.g. pest trap) Thanks to the Jobs-ian design of modern devices, which emphasises style and coolness over usability in the real world (right mouse click anyone?), smartphones are not at all suited for these super rapid one click use cases, and adding nice clicky button(s) on the phone or a paired bluetooth device would be useful in many situations. (Yes, perhaps we could buy an apple watch instead - but that's cracking a nut with a sledgehammer).
- utternerd 11y ago
  Most if not all phones have the ability to dial emergency numbers without unlocking them. How many false-positives will this physical "emergency button" result in? I'd much rather see the market address these concerns without being coerced into doing so. If consumers want a big "emergency" button on their phone, by all means offer a product with one, but forcing said "feature" on every single person who purchases a phone should be frowned upon.

ngoel36 11y ago

Or educate men in society that these things are wrong.

EdHominem 11y ago
Sorry, I'm only in first-year. I'll stop raping you sometime after exams. /s If it's expected to work so well, why do banks have guards?
littletimmy 11y ago
You don't need to say "or" here. We can both increase awareness among men AND help women protect themselves.
winstonewert 11y ago
You really think the problem is that men don't know the raping is wrong?
- ForHackernews 11y ago
  Why do you think that kind of gang-rape behavior is [relatively] rare in the West, then? You don't think it has anything to do with the education/socialization of men?
  - gozur88 11y ago
    Is it any more common in India? The country has 1.3 billion people - no matter what you do you'll get some horrific behavior.
  - winstonewert 11y ago
    If I had to guess, I would guess that a large part of the difference is whether or not the individuals believe they'll get away with it. Regardless, what I commented on was the suggestion that men just needed to be educated that raping was wrong, which is much narrower then "anything to do with the education/socialization of men" Obviously, education/socialization sufficiently widely understood has something to do with it.

secfirstmd 11y ago

Shoutout to the work of the folks at Panic Button, who have done good work trying to make a very secure, free, open source app available. https://panicbutton.io/ https://panicbutton.io/

d0mine 11y ago

Guns can and do harm their owners http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2015/01/good_guy_with_a_gun_myth_guns_increase_the_risk_of_homicide_accidents_suicide.html http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_exa...

kashkhan 11y ago
is that why all governments seem to want to have them?
cpncrunch 11y ago
Do they really need deadly force? What's wrong with pepper sprays and (real) panic alarms? I think those would likely be a lot more useful than a button on a phone, and wouldn't add more risks. I think your average scumbag rapist is going to fuck the hell off when he gets 130dB blasting in his ears, along with his friends.
- X86BSD 11y ago
  Pepper spray? In a panic situation where the wind is blowing in her face, she sprays and... oh crap now she is choking and blind. Bullets don't have the problem.
  - cpncrunch 11y ago
    No, bullets have worse problems. How many people are killed accidentally?

gjolund 11y ago

There is no technical solution to a lack of empathy. At a certain point a culture just has to look in the mirror and come to grips with its own failures.