By now, we all know who Dr Vijay P Nair is. After having thrashed feminists vulgarly in a video on his YouTube channel titled ”Why do feminists in India, especially Kerala, not wear underwear?”, dubbing artist Baghyalakshmy and trans activist Diya Sana went and took action directly against him. Despite filing complaints against him to the police, no legal action was taken, which went on to show their ignorance regarding cyber crimes and bullying against women. So, they decided to confront him personally and take law into their own hands.
Amidst all the talks that are happening in the news and on social media, we realised that many people fail to understand what feminism is all about. There are many misogynistic people like Dr Vijay P Nair who exist in real life who refuse to understand the discourse of feminism, and what it truly stands for. Feminism is a term that is misconstrued. So we’re going to debunk misunderstood elements regarding feminism by listing down arguments that usually come up against it, and tell you why they are wrong.
Feminists HATE men
Historically, this argument has emerged as one of the reasons why many people refuse to support the ‘F’ word. Feminism has never been a man-hating movement. It has, however, always been about dismantling patriarchy for all genders to truly achieve equality.
Have you heard of the term misandrist? It’s like misogynist, but for hating men instead of women. Feminists have constantly been fighting for equal rights in society because they refuse to live in a society that treats them as second-class citizens.
But, men and woman are already equal
“According to the United Nations, one in three women is beaten, forced into sex or abused by an intimate partner. On each day of 2017, 137 women were killed by a family member. Women and girls together account for 71% of all human trafficking. “A woman is raped every 13 minutes in India.” – Swaddle. These numbers don’t lie.
What we should also understand is that this argument refuses to take into consideration the lived experiences of transgenders, non-binary, gender-fluid, and non-conforming individuals. The honest reality is that many people who’re considered as subservient genders still don’t have access to equal opportunities or resources.
There are bigger problems than feminist issues
By downplaying the issues put forth by feminists, it only invalidates the conversations that many have fought for. There are many layers when it comes to understanding feminism in a country like India where diverse castes and classes exist. Each feminist experience is different, but equally important to uplift people. So by telling that there are bigger issues than feminist issues, you’re literally shunning the various experiences of women and other genders, and not willing to understand the social discourse, structures, and intersectionalities that exists to uplift people.
Feminists are angry, sensitive, and aggressive people
The obvious reaction to this would be ‘DUH’. Of course, we would be angry because for so long, we’ve been suffering at the hands of people who discriminate, rape, threaten, bully, harass, kill, and more. Feminists have been fighting against inequality, injustice, patriarchy only so that the people are treated equally. So yes, we will be angry, we will be sensitive, and we will be aggressive. But none of these emotions negates what the feminist movement has been about.
Also Read: Is Menstruation A Taboo Even Today?
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