Stand Up and Fight | Why We Should Not Be Okay With Everyday Sexism

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[{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1482921587869","data":"On December 16th, 2012, Jyoti Singh boarded a bus with her friend on their way back from a movie, late in the evening. To their horror they found the bus empty and the men on the bus beat up and threw her friend out, and proceeded to carry out horrific sexual assault in the moving bus.<\/p>When the incident came to light, the usually desensitized people of India knew this particular incident was different from the usual news of horrific sexual assaults carried out on women across the country, it stopped Delhi, people came out to protest in record numbers, and the girl, whom the media had dubbed Nirbhaya (fearless), grasped onto her life until December 28th.<\/p>It pains me to say this, but in the 4 years since her death, not much has changed in India, and while there are many reasons why it hasn't, perhaps the biggest reason is that people simply do not grasp the meaning of sexism, often they are okay with it without realizing how they are part of an oppressive system, the rules of which have been decided by faceless elders and reinforced by parents telling their children to think of what people will say. India remains a highly conservative society even a decade and half into the 21st century. <\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1482922913497","data":"5863a73b0e115"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1482922915106","data":"The men reading this, I want you to speak to your female friends, your sisters, or your girlfriend if they regularly take the bus, and if the answer is yes, ask them if they've ever been touched inappropriately on it. I've asked the same question to women who are close to me, and they've all responded in the affirmative, some lecherous man has touched them inappropriately at least once on the bus. This is where you asked them why they didn't report it, then you ask yourself the same question, and slowly you hear the little voice in your head say, \"What will people say? That is so shameful,\" and that is precisely why many such cases go unreported. The people who indulge in such behavior are emboldened by the fact that often a woman would never report them because the society would declare her an outcast, and saying that it is her fault for not reporting it is a very naive thought. <\/p>Like this, there are many examples of women being subjected to arbitrary rules by society, often enforced by parents because of their fear of what people would think. I'm repeating this line one too many times because not only is it responsible for enforcing sexism right in-front of your faces, it is also a line that has ruined many budding careers in fields other than engineering or medicine. <\/p>To cut it short, ask yourself why a woman should come home early, should get married at a young age, and should be expected to take care of kids post marriage, if your answer was it is her responsibility, do you not think that a woman is capable of choosing what she wants to do with her life? Why should anyone dictate terms to her, better yet, why should she have to live within the confines of a society that doesn't respect their rights as a woman? A sexually active woman is labeled as a 'loose' woman, same with women who drink and smoke, ask yourself why this is the case. If a person is smoking, they chose to smoke, so why are women who smoke seen as aliens by the men of this country?<\/p>"},{"type":"img","id":"img-uid-1482924398261","data":"5863a89b33256"},{"type":"txt","id":"rich_1482924399780","data":"I hate to be preachy, because frankly you don't have to listen to what I write, but all I'm asking of readers here is that, think. Think why its women choose to remain silent instead of report harassment, think of why you are okay when your sister or friend is subjected to unnecessary rules and regulations while you are free to do what you want (compared to them), and if you think this is injustice, raise your voice. Write, sing, educate people about personal liberty and rights, hit the streets with protest, object loudly in public when you see a woman being harassed, be fair and just. <\/p>Of course, all this sounds like a lot, but, as Edmund Bruke once said, \"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing\" so stand up and fight. Only you can help make India safer for women, and by extension, for yourself, your daughters, and their children. <\/p>"}]

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