Chapter 1
I saw a video on a social media platform where a woman was buying vegetables in a busy Indian market. A man kept touching her butt, and she appeared neither to notice nor bother. She continued haggling with the vegetable vendor.
Then comes the hero.
Another man, who had recorded the entire incident on camera, confronted the alleged offender and started thrashing him for touching the woman inappropriately — as the world would prefer to call it.
But several questions arise here.
Why didn’t the woman warn or confront the man herself? Why didn’t she scream, yell, or create a scene? Why didn’t she make sure the man ended up in jail? How do we know she was not enjoying the attention? And who gave another man the right to record the incident and physically assault the alleged offender?
Why is sexuality always viewed through a framework of modesty created by men for women?
Don’t you think a woman is smart enough and capable enough of understanding the consequences she might face in a busy market? Doesn’t she know how men might behave in a crowded bus or marketplace?
If she understands the situation and still chooses to remain silent, then why should another man automatically assume that she needs to be rescued?
Isn’t that simply masculinity saving women once again?
And isn’t that exactly the opposite of what feminism claims to demand?
Feminism speaks of freedom. Freedom to make choices. Freedom to determine what happens to one’s own body. Freedom to live with the consequences of one’s personal choices.
So why should a woman automatically need a man to protect her?
Protection from men should be the last thing a feminist expects — shouldn’t it?
Oh! Wait a minute.
A woman stays silent because she is afraid?
Try snatching her handbag or her golden chain — and see how silent she remains.
To be continued…