The Misogynistic Indian

If you believe that it is only men who should hold the position of authority in the family, that women are made to serve men, that women are merely sex toys, that their sole purpose is to bear the sons of the nation, then I congratulate you on being a misogynist.

I wish I could praise you for your worthy thinking and your mature opinion on how to treat your fellow women. But, alas! You’re not unique, are you? You're one of the 130 million Indians who have, in one way or another, prejudiced, objectified and disdained women.

But I need to let you know what misogyny is and how deeply ingrained it is in our society before I continue with my allegations.

Dictionaries state that misogyny is hatred or misapprehension towards women or girls. Online encyclopedias take a further step by adding prejudice to women. Misogyny is everywhere whether it's sexism or the sexual objectification of women by the media or the patriarchy and privileges experienced by males.

I've been going on and on now about what misogyny is. You may wonder why I raise such a serious allegation. Now I'm going to let you know how ingrained this ideology is in our minds.

The very first thing that comes as a live example of misogyny in India is our own film industry: Bollywood. Bollywood epitomizes misogyny. Whether it is the glorification of eve teasing or the projection of the male as an alpha male, none of these have ever been questioned. We also owe Bollywood for women's sexual objectification in the so-called' item songs,' which have been intended to stimulate film revenues. Cringe-worthy lines such as "tu haa kar, yaa na kar ...... tu hai meri," "tu cheez badi hai mast, tu cheez badi hai mast" or even worse "Hai tujhpe right mera, tu hai delight mera ... Tera rasta jo roku, chaukne ka nahin" clearly targets women as men's possession and don't get me started on honey Singh, no one can ever match his sexist rap songs.

Not only Bollywood, but misogyny also goes back a long way in history. It's sad that many prominent thinkers believed that women were more suited to a household. Even Chanakya said: "When a man is deceived by the notion that a woman has fallen in love with him, he is unaware that he has become a mere puppet in her hands". Apparently sexist? Moreover, he calls women an embodiment of lust and falsehood and asks men to prevent them as much as possible.

As if that were not enough, some religions, refer to men as supreme beings and oppose the notion of equality between men and women.

I'm not going to say that our society is the only one. Western philosophy has instances where it seems to be influenced by the sexist and misogynistic views of great philosophers. Aristotle mentioned women as deformed males, Charles Darvin thought that females lacked resonant power because of the small size of their brains, and how can we forget how Napoléon Bonaparte once said, "Nature intended women to be our slaves, and they are our property."

Every now and then we see examples proving how our country has not yet emerged from this belief. Whether it's Pandya’s sexist comments or me too movement, women still face society's prejudice. Everyday feminists are bashed, women are raped, subjugated to domestic violence, eve teasingand what not. Silence is the best solution for those chained by society. Backlash follows for those who raise their voices.

source: Prentsa Aldundia | Flickr

You must have realized by this time the serious problems faced by this country's women. If not, then I'm sorry to say you're a misogynist by heart.

I cry out to those who care for their fellow women, those who embrace the very thought of feminism and those who want to see their sisters and daughters live a better life. It is high time that the feminist sisterhood rise. The fourth wave of feminism is needed in India, and we need to initiate it. The change starts with us.