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Men have to take the onus in calling out sexism among men, rather than trying to hush women up with the 'not all men' excuse.
Men have to take the onus in calling out sexism among men, rather than trying to hush women up with the ‘not all men’ excuse.
Remember that ‘maal’ your friend was talking about? And how that made you uncomfortable, yet you kept shut for fear of being ousted by your boy gang? Remember the time when your friend slapped a girl and you turned your face because it was their private matter?
Remember, when dad taunted mom for being ‘just a housewife’ without lifting a finger to help her and you did nothing? Remember, when that girl in the metro shouted at a man who was elbowing her and you looked away. Remember, the way your friend talked about that girl in a miniskirt, how she deserves to be treated?
Remember? Remember? Remember?
All the ways you kept silent when women around you got humiliated, dehumanized, objectified because what will other men think if you protest?
Instead, you silenced women even more. By asking them to wear ‘decent’ clothes, not to be out after dark, not to drink, laugh, make friends with other men. Because you know how ‘other men think.’
No, you might not be a direct perpetrator but you’re worse – a spineless bystander, who come to protest with their slogans of Not All Men. When women want their lives back.
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First published at author’s blog
Top image via Unsplash
Kasturi’s debut novel, forthcoming in early 2021, had won the novel pitch competition by Half Baked Beans Publishers. She won the Runner Up Position in the Orange Flower Awards 2021 for Short Fiction. Her read more...
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