Having interviewed a bunch of people of all age groups, diverse backgrounds and conflicting mindsets, my point of view has traveled from person to person digesting a mixture of opinions on the topic no one seems to be bored of; Male dominance. Although my love for this personal favorite issue may go as far as opposing anyone and everyone whose ever held a stereotypical demeanor against the empowerment of women especially in third world countries like Pakistan. However today in order for me to find the perfect blend for this controversy, I'm willing to accept myself as an inferior creation born into a society where it is the noble responsibility of men to 'safeguard' us with their lifelong planning of do's and don'ts (because duhh we're too dumb to bring good to ourselves!). All as a deal against a single question.
How come millions of those who have suffered in silence or are still in the process weren't considered 'mature' enough to pursue careers of their choice or even an education at an early age whilst being put forward as objects ready to be controlled yet again by another someone; usually referred to as husband dearest or God No#2. How ironic is the fact that girls are considered to be immature and dumb as far as the outer world is concerned but when the topic of marriage pops up suddenly the little girl is old enough to bear children of her own.
Putting aside men for a while, speaking of women alone, primarily those who let themselves be victimized by others, I'd rather choose not to blame your male counterparts but yourselves for the treatment you receive. You're the ones to give them the power to control your future/your happiness, its downfall and whatever first priorities you may have had. The growing status of 'Gender Inequality' is nothing but a result of a failed attempt of recognizing your worth firstly at home and secondly somewhere out there in between a society full of discrimination. What I fail to understand every time I'm in a conversation with a narrow-minded women (mostly elderly mothers) in terms of empowerment is the fact that they deep down yearn for change and acceptance yet continue to pass on the 'behavior suitable for girls' (as they like to call it) down to their families. If questioned why? the reaction instead of an answer is anything but sweet.
There's this thing with us Pakistani's, if somethings downright displeasing or unacceptable to our being, we'll just shut the topic down or as seen lately; insult and abuse the protester in such a way that he's made to apologize for being the victim in what so ever issue, be it a case of rape/child labor or a simple act like a refusal of marriage its always Always taken the other way around putting the blame not on the molester but the victim alone. Then there's this patriotic approach to all these social issues where all the people who show their support and stand up against the injustice through the help of social media are considered a disgrace to the country since its because of such people that Pakistan is facing a faulty image in front of the entire world. "Dude? Stop promoting all that negativity, Can't you act like a mature person and instead put forward a positive image?" Yeah sure, like what? Mangoes? K2?...
Sure, promote it all, the good but not without the bad. You can't expect us as a nation to grow without eradicating the number of social issues we've adopted over the years. Talk about Terrorism and we have it, talk about Political Instability and who knows better than us? Think about the Millennium Development Goals and there's not one we've achieved, we're lacking in every possible way. What positive image do you want to promote when millions live under the poverty trap, no adequate shelter, illiteracy and the list can go on forever. I thought adding Gender Equality would be a little funny since that least concerns us. But guess what, its there and if not you then someone's gonna talk about it. We're going to talk about the time when a Christian girl in a village of Punjab was thrown in a field dead after being raped by a gang of people who her family refuses to name or file an FIR against the incident as they fear for their lives and family name. We're going to talk about Saima Mehmood who was a victim of an acid attack that ended up ruining her face and chest because she ended up getting engaged to another man and not the one who later left her dysfunctional with horrific injuries. We're also going to stand against incidents like Momil Mai who threw acid on her boyfriend for refusing to make her his second wife. There are hundreds of cases of every kind of injustice some are reported through the media, newspapers while others are shut down due to matters of honor, "talking" about such events might not make this country into a heaven over night but it sure can turn it into a living hell for the ones who dare to commit such brutal crimes, and that's okay.
It's high time we stop acting like there's nothing wrong with this country because there is. A LOT is wrong with it, most importantly and top most our thinking is at fault, if there's something you'd like to do for the betterment of the country then do this, change the laid back mentality of accepting things as they are. Talking of which: women empowerment, here's to all the parents who've treated their daughters the way they've treated their sons, Here's to the brothers who've respected girls as they respect their sisters and here's to all the boys and girls who speak up instead of keeping quiet. In a society like this we need male support to give up their privileged status, to stand with us in order to penalize and discipline the abusers.
How come millions of those who have suffered in silence or are still in the process weren't considered 'mature' enough to pursue careers of their choice or even an education at an early age whilst being put forward as objects ready to be controlled yet again by another someone; usually referred to as husband dearest or God No#2. How ironic is the fact that girls are considered to be immature and dumb as far as the outer world is concerned but when the topic of marriage pops up suddenly the little girl is old enough to bear children of her own.
Putting aside men for a while, speaking of women alone, primarily those who let themselves be victimized by others, I'd rather choose not to blame your male counterparts but yourselves for the treatment you receive. You're the ones to give them the power to control your future/your happiness, its downfall and whatever first priorities you may have had. The growing status of 'Gender Inequality' is nothing but a result of a failed attempt of recognizing your worth firstly at home and secondly somewhere out there in between a society full of discrimination. What I fail to understand every time I'm in a conversation with a narrow-minded women (mostly elderly mothers) in terms of empowerment is the fact that they deep down yearn for change and acceptance yet continue to pass on the 'behavior suitable for girls' (as they like to call it) down to their families. If questioned why? the reaction instead of an answer is anything but sweet.
There's this thing with us Pakistani's, if somethings downright displeasing or unacceptable to our being, we'll just shut the topic down or as seen lately; insult and abuse the protester in such a way that he's made to apologize for being the victim in what so ever issue, be it a case of rape/child labor or a simple act like a refusal of marriage its always Always taken the other way around putting the blame not on the molester but the victim alone. Then there's this patriotic approach to all these social issues where all the people who show their support and stand up against the injustice through the help of social media are considered a disgrace to the country since its because of such people that Pakistan is facing a faulty image in front of the entire world. "Dude? Stop promoting all that negativity, Can't you act like a mature person and instead put forward a positive image?" Yeah sure, like what? Mangoes? K2?...
Sure, promote it all, the good but not without the bad. You can't expect us as a nation to grow without eradicating the number of social issues we've adopted over the years. Talk about Terrorism and we have it, talk about Political Instability and who knows better than us? Think about the Millennium Development Goals and there's not one we've achieved, we're lacking in every possible way. What positive image do you want to promote when millions live under the poverty trap, no adequate shelter, illiteracy and the list can go on forever. I thought adding Gender Equality would be a little funny since that least concerns us. But guess what, its there and if not you then someone's gonna talk about it. We're going to talk about the time when a Christian girl in a village of Punjab was thrown in a field dead after being raped by a gang of people who her family refuses to name or file an FIR against the incident as they fear for their lives and family name. We're going to talk about Saima Mehmood who was a victim of an acid attack that ended up ruining her face and chest because she ended up getting engaged to another man and not the one who later left her dysfunctional with horrific injuries. We're also going to stand against incidents like Momil Mai who threw acid on her boyfriend for refusing to make her his second wife. There are hundreds of cases of every kind of injustice some are reported through the media, newspapers while others are shut down due to matters of honor, "talking" about such events might not make this country into a heaven over night but it sure can turn it into a living hell for the ones who dare to commit such brutal crimes, and that's okay.
It's high time we stop acting like there's nothing wrong with this country because there is. A LOT is wrong with it, most importantly and top most our thinking is at fault, if there's something you'd like to do for the betterment of the country then do this, change the laid back mentality of accepting things as they are. Talking of which: women empowerment, here's to all the parents who've treated their daughters the way they've treated their sons, Here's to the brothers who've respected girls as they respect their sisters and here's to all the boys and girls who speak up instead of keeping quiet. In a society like this we need male support to give up their privileged status, to stand with us in order to penalize and discipline the abusers.
Ae murda qoam, Lashein uthana awaz na uthana.
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