The other day I dared to Google the word “feminists”. As soon as I punched in the letters, a sad reality hit me like a dark hand lurking around in the shadows. Google had completed my search by itself and here stands the naked truth that society hides behind its glorious masquerades:
“Feminism” is perhaps the most misunderstood word, so much so, today’s youth tries to brush aside any allegation that he/she is a feminist. It would be wrong to label this allergic social reaction to the most frightening F-word as a phenomenon of recent times simply because the radical notion of females as equal human beings would topple the entire structure out of which patriarchy feeds itself.
As Simone De Beauvoir puts it, “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.” From the moment a child is born, a distinct binary is drawn where the female is deemed a weaker being, perhaps even a lesser one. I was standing in my balcony when I saw a group of noisy toddlers returning from pre-school, accompanied by their mothers when a little boy faltered and scraped his knee. He wailed out loud while his mother pulled him up and dusted off his pants. As she was doing so, she said “Why are you crying? Are you a little girl?” This little boy who never had the idea that he was in any way different from his fellow female classmates acquires the knowledge that he must be superior from the other sex.
I witnessed another similar circumstance while commuting by train to my University. Three mothers sat smugly in the bright winter sun discussing culinary prowess while their children – two girls and a boy, hardly 4 years old, chattering away cheerfully. Suddenly their chattering condensed into serious confrontation as the two little girls decided to take on names of superheroes for themselves. Both had decided upon “Chotta Bheem” and neither was willing to give up leading to a diminutive quarrel followed by a fight. Their mothers kept suggesting “Superman”, “Shaktiman”, “Spiderman” but to no avail. The little boy was enjoying the exchange with glee as he had already chosen “Batman”. This was when one of the mothers suggested “It is obvious that they will quarrel; girls they are!”
With other females as perpetrators of the patriarchal mode of thought that women are nothing but weak, fragile creatures willingly catering to the needs of the stronger sex, one cannot expect the mental outlook of any generation to be an inclusive one. Whenever one breaks the pre-existing mould and speaks for equality of both the genders, he/she shakes the very foundation of the hierarchical pattern.
Where nuggets of wisdom like “boys will be boys” or “too much education for a woman is dangerous” is dropped without a second thought, the very concept of equal rights and opportunities for both the sexes without any sort of discrimination is repulsive. Moreover, the society connotes monstrous ideas with the word “feminists” as previously suggested by my Google search. Here I would briefly clarify what the word means.
- Feminists do not seek to establish matriarchy by abolishing patriarchy.
- Feminists should not be confused with misandrists or a relatively new coinage – feminazis.
- Contrary to popular beliefs, feminists do not hate men.
- Feminists believe that women are equally able as men are in every field.
- Feminists are not solely concerned about women. They are equally sensitive to crimes against men.
- If you happen to insult someone by throwing statements like “doing it like a girl” or “grow some balls” around a feminist, be ready to justify yourself.
- All they want is equality of the two sexes- equal rights, equal pay, equal opportunities, equal respect and equal importance. Nothing more, nothing less.
The seeds of gender inequality are seated deep into our mentalities which needs uprooting. The soil needs to be made fertile for a fruitful union of humanity. Meanwhile I would like to ask you whether or not you believe in equality of both the sexes. If you do, congratulations, you are a feminist. Simple, is it not?
