I am a person who rarely gets into an argument in social media platform. One thing being half the population are stupid and stubborn. I mostly listen and smile.
But the last day a friend posted a video of a interview bit with a politician in Kerala. This guy, Mr P C George, more or less who has been in the news for his ‘populist’, ‘machoistic’ views on matters of interests doesn’t have any political party but he has been able to stand at the right places and take the right positions to stay in the limelight
The interviewer, more of a pretty novice, asks him about women’s safety in Indian public spaces during odd hours. He curtly replies ‘ Women from respectable families need not go out in odd hours’.
This was a wildly popular interview clip years ago. The interviewer was a less known pretty lass who looked too eager to please and the TV channel were in look out for attracting some eye balls. So here this guy has come up with a solution to abuse, defined ‘respectablity’ and solved public safety all in a single go.
Coming back my friend shared this clip with a caption ‘Pwolichu’ a new generation slang for ‘Rocking’ (my generation slang). I was surprised and stunned. I asked her, a post graduate student, what about women who work late nights? There are women who work as menial labourers to top executives who commute late into night. What about them.
I don’t know was the the reply.
I went on to talk to her about this consent the concept of consent and definition of decency. Sad part is women are conditioned to think that men, that too strangers, have the right to abuse their personal space if the compromise on some society-drawn-boundaries on decency. This abuse of personal space have no age barrier and has normalized even rape over these years.
Saying that it is not just indecent looking street guys who abuse a woman. Even decent looking people like I do. But coming into terms with the fact is not easy.
