Saturday, April 14, 2007

Feminism in future.

My apologies to Art navy. She wanted me to give my opinion on feminism. I’ve already given my serious opinion regarding this. Now I feel like doing a satire. It was not meant to be so but I ended up writing it all the same. Please bear with me.

Feminism according to me means mutual respect between men and women. But with mankind planning to do away with the female species I tried to imagine what the scenario would be some 50 years from now. I’ve let my imagination run wild but I assure you that I want to start a thought process in our society. I know that readers of this blog are educated, thinking, responsible adults. They may definitely not support the suppression or subjugation of women. I only want them to ponder over what else they may do to bring about a proper balance of masculine and feminine energies. I acknowledge that the idea for this piece came from a skit presented by a local college in a seminar hosted by our college and conducted by an NGO group. I have just expanded upon the idea conveyed by them.

Some fifty years from now the scene in a small township like ours may be something like this-

The male/female ratio has fallen and there are only 520 girls for 1000 boys as per the latest census.

Agencies have cropped up to help eligible bachelors to choose a good girl - I am sorry I meant, to choose a girl. The government has claimed that all girls were good and any one seeking to discriminate them on the basis of color, looks or any other objectionable parameters would be jailed, fined or both.

Pre – natal Sex testing is legalized and women carrying a female child to be treated as national treasures and living fossils. This is because constant and continuous destruction of female fetuses has resulted in the application an evolutionary trend ‘survival of the fittest’ at the fetal level. Therefore, it was found, after elaborate scientific research that the female children born after so much socio - medical onslaught, were far superior to their male counterparts that each one was an Indira Gandhi or Rani Lakshmibai in the making.

Quoting the example of Draupadi in Mahabharat, the Center had requested parents to get their daughters married to five men. However, women groups turned down the suggestion and requested the government to stop acting silly. They, in turn, quoted from the Ramayan that advocated monogamy and claimed that attending to one husband was bad enough and dealing with five was out of question.

The dowry demands of parents of girls were increasing by the day and it was hard to get an eligible spinster for a decent dowry. Parents of boys drawing a six digit salary offered to pledge half their son’s salary to the girl’s father and undertook to share their medical expenses as well.

Mothers of boys offered to baby sit and help out in the kitchen. They advised their sons to be patient with their wives. “She may ask for a divorce and a divorced husband will be looked down by society. And no other girl will be willing to marry you. It is in your interest to put with the nonsense that is meted out to you. After all she is a woman and has the upper hand”.

The birth of a girl child is celebrated with pomp and show while that of a boy is a hushed affair. Boys are trained to help in household chores and mothers claim that it will come handy when he gets married. Years of subjugation have made men docile and men’s groups have secret meetings in underground cellars to explore means to overcome the problem and infuse some courage into their system.

Well let me not go further. I feel tempted to continue. But there is a limit to which satire can be carried. I don’t think that the suppression of feminine or masculine energy would be good for any society. Both have a role to play and feminism in its truest form will enable the two to compliment each other. I can only hope that this is realized soon before more damage is done.

19 comments:

Usha said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Usha said...

hahah. sometimes it seems only fair to reverse the trend and let men get a taste of their own medicine. But I am sure it is going to be more balance and mutual appreciation and acceptance from either side. True self assurance lies in the ability to forgive when one has the power to punish - and I am sure only women are cpable of exercising that kind of self assurance.
I will do a sequel.

Itchingtowrite said...

good one! infact polygamy in yesteryears was prevalant as there were not enuf men as most of them used to die in war. line of thinking is right!

Artnavy said...

LOL- fantastic - as ususal very well written

ggop said...

Your post is satirical, but I for one would not mind boys being trained by their moms to do basic domestic chores. :-)
gg

Anonymous said...

I readhed your blog from Usha's blog. This is a nice post. But, like you said in your post, most of the people reading this post are educated and are really not discriminating between the genders. I think it is the uneducated lot that still things about and makes gender discrimination.

BTW, I am happy to inform you that my daughter was born on 31st March 2007. I am happy about it!

Anonymous said...

I read on another blog (the name of which I cant remember now)that all arguments and justification to save the girl child come not from a humanitarian stand point but the fact that if the trend continues , there will be very few brides left...this as the blog mentioned was nothing but commodification again!
Plus there is a slim chance of that happening. The worst thing that will happen is people will start arrying girls half their age...the sex ratio talks about children born at the same time...but every male has a choice from females born even 10 yrs later or more so the scale remains in their favor.

Visithra said...

lol this was so god

Unknown said...

So very good reading this...but truly at the end of the day, if man and woman could just live together peacefully, and on completely equal terms that would be utopia, or would it...

Just Like That said...

LOL dream, dream.. slurp! If only...
But then giving it more thought, I'd rather each sex was aprreciated for its worth and given its due.

Hip Grandma said...

usha:Thanks for doing the sequel.Let us hope that the coming years witness a balance of equations.

ITW:The social reasons for polygamy was always there.But why do the heros of Ekta Kapur serials marry two women?

artnavy:Thanks.You were the one to tag me.continue to do so.

ggop:welcome here.You are an exception.most boys think that it is their sisters who shud prepare tea or clear the table.There is a change in this trend in homes where there is no girl child.earlier mothers would prefer to do the work themselves.

nags:congratulations on the arrival of your daughter.May she become the Jhansi ki Rani mentioned in the blog.welcome here.

anon:Statistics have an important role to play but the humanitarian consideration and the recognition of the role and contribution of girls to society is also being realized.Yes if the trend continues men may not have any qualms abt marrying girls half their age and parents may find it better that way than to have their pre teen and teenaged daughters raped and molested.I only hope it doesn't happen that way at least not when i am around.

visitra:Thanx.Welcome here after a long break.Good to hear from you.

karmickids:That men and women live in peaceful co existance is every thinking adults hope.let's keep on hoping.

Just like that: 'I'd rather each sex was aprreciated for its worth and given its due.'
Me too! And the day is not very far or at least I hope so.

deepthi vinod said...

this post reminds me of a telugu movie i once saw.where there was a basic role reversal.I laughed @ it and wonder why?

I am not sure if I can deal with this kind of role reversal.I would like to share th eduties equaly and depend on myself and him for support.I know tht today's wo/men are equal in all roles and feminism for me is not an upper hand but a part where the roles are distributed among equals.

Women are great at multitasking and that is th ereason we can take up activities that men cannot.I am proud to be a woman and thnks for sharing this gran.loads hugs

Mahadevan said...

If we realise that Nature has a purpose in making man and woman different biologically and otherwise they are equal in all respects, there would be no need for any Movement.

Hip Grandma said...

deepti:Most people want respect and dignity in their dealings with the opposite.Even if a woman takes on the role of a home maker naturally it is not appreciated and respected by her own family.Only when the other extreme is projected is the actual role of a woman in daily life realized.You ask the husband and children of stay at home mothers they'll say that their mother/wife doesn't do anything.Ask the woman in qn.She'll say the same.Is house keeping not a full time job?when do we realize it?

Mahadevan:This is the realization that society needs.unfortunately this simple truth goes over people's head.

WhatsInAName said...

LOL :)
Sounds so good! But then I agree with many here in wishing for a day when there will be mutual respect between the genders. Not just inter-gender respect but even intra where females learn to respect other females which is what is lacking in today's world!

Lavs said...

Hi HHGrandma,

Do check out the below link. Harish had written a fictional story similar to your post. That's why they say that great minds think alike.

http://mugamudi.blogspot.com/2006/12/deja-vu.html

Hip Grandma said...

whatsinaname:you are right.Mutial respect among females is also very important,even more than inter gender respect.

lavs:I checked the link and found it good.Thanks for the suggestions.

The Kid said...

Hello,

I finally linked you from my blog. I did not do that before because of a previous feminist post you had that I happened to completely disagree... I like your present stance even though I am not sure if it has changed at all :)

Hip Grandma said...

the kid:Thanks for linking me.I had thought that you didn't link me 'cos you wanted to have nothing to do with an old woman like me.I thought I had realized my mistake and appreciated your stand in the earlier post.Didn't you read my reply?