Anupama writes a letter to her 18-years old daughter. Read what she has to say.
Michelle Obama has spoken up on Donald Trump in plain language what should be clear to everyone – sexual assault by anyone cannot be condoned.
Republican candidate Donald Trump contesting for the Presidency of the United States has been one of the most controversial presidential candidates ever. Be it mainstream or social media, it is filled with sexist comments made by Trump over the years. And despite contesting for the most coveted position of the Head of the US, he still holds by his stand and his views.
Finally, on the eve of the elections, the 2005 video tapes show him at a new low. As much as has been written about him, until recently there was no one in a position of importance who has put it in plain words how terrifying it is that someone with such views could head the state – until Michelle Obama spoke.
Having followed her very closely at all her speeches where she has strongly rooted for Hilary Clinton, it was apt that denouncing Donald Trump had to come from her. Until now, Michelle Obama had spoken for Clinton but never referred to the acts or comments of Donald Trump directly.
However, for the first time, speaking at a rally for Hilary Clinton in New Hampshire, she speaks openly about how his recent video is not just locker room banter but a very powerful person speaking on women – and it scares her. It is language so obscene that we would not want our children to hear it.
Michelle Obama compares him to that one person in office who stands a little too close or stares a little too long. And as women, we know how that feels. How unsafe we feel in our own bodies.
Very clearly, she puts across that this is not about any party and this is not political. This is just disgraceful.
Here entire speech can be viewed here.
Someone with such drastic and degrading views on a section of the population is definitely not fit to head a country. Michelle Obama has spoken her heart out as she always has and that is what makes her so popular and effective.
However the US needs a lot more people than just a Michelle Obama to decide the fate of the country.
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Top image is a screenshot from the video
True she has spoken well. But something which I unable to fathom is that why women don’t raise objections or assert loudly when it happens. Or in other words why are they not heard when they bring it into the forefront. Be it within the home or in outside world, we are keen to save the man’s face rather than set right things. We need to work on the fact that the ‘taint’ associated with the breach of space need not be stigmatised as if the women have become impure and they need to maintain the sanctity at all costs. The men should be ostracised and made to feel impure so that the victimisation will be prevented. Thanks for sharing this video.
Thank you Rumanna for sharing this post and video. Chintu you have made some very pertinent points too! As women, unfortunately our threshold for tolerance of this variety of nonsense has been raised, systematically over years and decades and most often by crucially defining moments of responses (from elders and others) to our complaints of experiences of discomfort or harassment. Still more unfortunately it has often been other women who often tell us to hush things up or ignore them or to back down when we first complain of these experiences. This sets the tone for the rest of our private and public lives. Our voices are muffled or gagged so often by others, even other women who may even identify with our experiences but they too still don’t want to so much as ruffle the feathers of the patriarchy which they feel will ultimately support the offenders and thus leave the victim with even more troubles to deal with. But this may just be a myth! Maybe it is fear that makes them think these things and maybe it is the experience for some. However, there are many men who will call out an offender and not support him just because he is a fellow man!! Like you rightly say this practise of attaching stigma to a victim for exposing an offender is pathetic. Rather we should support and empathise with the victim and ostracise the offender. The fact that more victims are beginning to speak up is itself a step in a positive direction. Greater awareness will lead to victims getting the required validation and support. Also offender will start feeling the pressure to desist from such actions for fear of being exposed and punished.
Thanks Sonia for reading my comment and expressing yours too. As you rightly said greater awareness is the goal and we need to talk more on platforms where there are men and women who either are not aware of such blogs or do not have access to such knowledge. I often talk to the house keepers in my area and surprisingly some of them agree to the fact that we need to take off the stigma to support the victims.
Chintu so true! The ones to be penalised do not have an ounce of shame in their doings, and ones who suffer are made to think as if all is wrong with just them. Sonia yes, we are so tuned to being hushed that just to speak is an effort..forget fight about it. But I think the more we speak and on platforms as such. And more ppl read, a change though slow but is sure to come
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