Feminism - A Lie | What ails Feminism - Shonee Kapoor

To me, feminism is such a simple description: it’s equal rights, economic rights, political rights, and social rights Callie Khouri, a Syrian-American film and television screenwriter, producer, director and a Feminist

A gender-equal society would be one where the word ‘gender’ does not exist: where everyone can be themselves Gloria Steinem, a self-styled Feminist

You are essentially a bad human being if you are not a feminist Kaliki Koechli, Indian movie actor and a Feminist

So, what is Feminism? The most common answer from any feminist is Equality.

That makes me think.

I wonder if she also talked about men suffering at the hands of women. Because if she didn’t, then that goes against equality. I am also curious about what equality would mean to such feminists when I talk about responsibilities and duties. I haven’t heard any feminist talk about sharing the burden of earning the bread when they talk about sharing the burden of “making the bread”. I wonder what these feminists have to say about adultery done by married women, which is not a crime but considers her paramour man (married or unmarried) as the accused. Feminists generally come around and give the “baby-bearing” argument when every other argument fails. Now, living in a country with a population of 1.25 Billion people, I don’t think the “baby-bearing” argument should be allowed to stretch any further for its good.

You might argue that since the inception of humankind, man has been the oppressor, and women have faced oppression. Still, today, with the shift of legal power (especially in India), laws are being made in favour of women. This proves that if you don’t talk about men’s rights in a discussion of equality, then you are not talking about equality at all in the first place.

Now, you might ask, in what cases do men suffer? How can that possibly be? Because in your head, man has been the supreme oppressor for ages!

Google misuse of 498A- (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty: Proposed Section 84 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023) that’s the dowry law. Look at the number of suicides men have committed. I am sure of examples of several men pushed to their deaths might have an impact on you. Then, fake rape cases, now to you, this might be a rumour, mere fantasy men like to use to their defences or benefit to abuse feminism. Google Fake Rape Cases in India also consider the divorce laws set in favour of women in India, with extra grounds available to a woman for divorce against a man. There is no talk of equality; instead, we have feminists telling us that for long, women have suffered at the hands of men, and now it’s their turn. This completely exposes their position of “inequality” and admission of the fact that it’s not equality but revenge which they seek.

For several centuries, when men had power, they abused it. They didn’t give women equal rights; the solution isn’t to give women more power so that now they can abuse men. This will only lead to more unrest and counter-movements from the other side. So many laws have been made to punish the decadent practices from the past, which are now being exploited for blackmailing, hefty divorce settlements, crippling men psychologically. Are you telling me that women don’t pose problems for other women; it’s only Men? Again, because people don’t know how to use power justly. They go crazy when they gain power. The moot issue is not gender but power, and to ensure the just use of power, there have to be checks and balances in place. Why is there no misuse clause in the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act of 2005? Why is it that even when the Apex court of the country acknowledges the misuse of IPC 498A (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty: Proposed Section 84 of The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023), there is no misuse clause added?

Today in newspapers, an alleged rape is given front page coverage while a man committing suicide is bundled in some inner pages in some inconspicuous corner. The average age of women in India has risen from 49 years in 1970-75 to 69.6 years in 2010-14 (WHO, 2015), while the only number which feminists would like to highlight is the male-to-female ratio of India at 1.08 (WDB,2012), which is much better than China (1.19) and not too far from UK/US (1.06). Ask any male software developer about equality of status; not only are women given work-from-home options, but when they come to the office, they can leave early, too!! As per law, any lady leaving after 8 pm would be the employer’s duty for her home drop, while the male would be required to make arrangements. Have you ever seen a woman crane operator in dusty mountains? How many women are electricians or gutter cleaners? There is no equality here by women, but they talk of equality in boardrooms.

Pick up any matrimonial websites; you will find women seeking proposals from successful, well-heeled men. Even girls who are earning would like to marry someone who is earning much more than her. I don’t see any feminists seeking Equality here. Now, when feminists talk about breaking a norm, isn’t this a norm that they should break, too? A guy would happily marry a girl earning the same as he does, but girls usually don’t marry such guys! It’s they who go for the big bucks, hence giving the middle finger to Equality. They want to be given special treatment and look for any opportunity to take any rights, but they would still seek men willing to be their protectors.

There is a difference between a history lesson and identity politics, also known as vote-bank politics. Vote-bank politics is meant to keep people divided. Don’t teach women that they have to succeed because it’s a man’s world; teach them that they have to succeed because it’s their life and nobody’s responsible for it. It applies to men. If feminism stands for equality, then what about the third gender? If feminism is about equality, why haven’t feminists ever talked about the rights of the third gender? No reservations for them when you want reservations as a right. Feminism works well for women who wish to have visible power and influence – feminism has no long-term survival strategy. If you like to tell your little daughter that she looks like a princess, why should there be an issue with talking about your little boy looking like a handsome prince?

In 1816 Women had no rights. In 1916 Women fought for some rights. In 2016 Women are always f***ing right.