Double Standards of Gender Equality: If Only Sachin Had Breasts And A Vagina!
For the past few weeks, the name 'Sachin' has gone viral in every social
media feed, from Instagram to Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and whatnot. And for
what? Because a middle-aged woman named Mithilesh Bhati mocked and ranted at
Sachin for his submissive and non-toxic behaviour. And why? Because Sachin chose
polite behaviour rather than a masculine short-tempered attitude while
interacting with people.
The video of this woman is being circulated even on TV channels by journalists
in which this woman is characterizing Sachin as Lappu means Gormless, Sachin as
Jhingur means Cricket, a deformed one, mindless, tongueless, and less of
everything to be called a man. Above all that, this neighbour of Sachin has the
audacity to give more interviews not to apologize for dehumanizing Sachin but to
clarify her statements in detail about what she meant and to justify her
attempts at characterizing and dehumanizing Sachin aptly.
This incident erupted out of what appeared to be a cross-border romance. A woman
named Seema Haider illegally managed to enter India with her four children to
live with her claimed lover Sachin Meena. Arrested at first, Seema for illegally
entering India, and Sachin for assisting her. Both were released based on bail.
However, this opened up a space of newfound fame not only to couples but also to
their relatives, neighbours, and even some media channels.
The questions are not merely limited to the nation burning in communal riots and
women being paraded naked and gang-raped, but amidst all, the so-called fourth
pillar of democracy, i.e., media, is desperately hunged up on scoring TRPs
through any means, without considering how broadcasted content is morally and
ethically breaching the individual's rights and violating their dignity.
More shocking is that media channels are promoting the potential of these
derogatory remarks as appropriate jibes for politicians to dehumanize opponents.
Content creators are creating memes, musical remixes, and what not to benefit
from this viral video. And why they should not. Schadenfreude, a German term,
indicates the intricate nature of humans, defined as a stage of
self-satisfaction derived from learning or witnessing the adversities, setbacks,
harm and embarrassments of others.
Sachin has been mocked for his weight, skin colour, way of talking and walking,
muscular strength and body, physical appearance, inability to perform anything
manly, and poverty-stricken lifestyle. Apart from being a Pakistani spy, Seema,
on the other hand, has been questioned for his chastity, illicit behaviour, and
bad archetype of a mother and wife.
Let's take a step back and reflect. What if a man had characterized a woman like
this? Had it been for some middle-aged man (the most hated image of a man) who
had commented or passed such remarks on any woman, had he been treated the same
way? Had his words been remixed with some musical composition like the Yashraj
Mukhate composed on Sachin? Why the ideas of dignity and modesty are
women-centric?
How racist, pseudo-feminist and misandrist one has to be to pass such remarks?
Not a single news clip labelled the act of these so-called fair-weather
neighbours disrespectful, violating a man's modesty, nor were they called out
for body-shaming and bullying. Rather these women or pseudo-well-wisher
neighbours were called for more interviews in order to get more stock on Sachin
and Seema.
But the question remains unanswered at large. Shouldn't agencies like the
Women's Commission, human rights commission, police and civil administration not
intervene and label such remarks as violating a man's modesty? Are organizations
like these only allowed to intervene when the brutality of the violent form is
extreme? What if Sachin has committed suicide under such pressure of mental and
verbal abuse? Or man being abused mentally is just a reflection of marital rape.
In other words, it doesn't exist.
Section 354 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code for criminal force or assault to a
woman with intent to outrage her modesty and word, gesture or act intended to
insult the modesty of a woman. But there seems to be no such provision for man,
as they are inherently considered unashamed and immodest. Despite the provision
like Article 14, i.e., the Right to Equality, how come the law discriminates and
lets cultural stereotypes legitimize outraging a man's modesty?
Why does the law seem paralyzed and inadequate to ensure prevention, prohibition
and redressal regulations protecting a man's dignity? Why can't the laws be
gender-neutral when it comes to outrage a person's modesty, be it a woman, man
or third gender?
It is imperative to understand that as long as sex-role-based stereotypes,
expectations, and socio-cultural norms of standardized femininity and
masculinity remain pervasive in the sexual arena, there is no place for gender
equality. The double standard of gender equality can only benefit the gendered
structures of society, nothing more. It will only strengthen the biases,
prejudices and discriminatory practices depriving people living at the margins.
If one cannot contribute, one must not accelerate the intensity of any violent
form.
The question was very simple. Had it been your name, your body type, your skin
colour, your behaviour, your financial condition, your caste, your community,
your relative, your sibling, your partner, or yourself, had you enjoyed it how
you have been? Why do notions of dignity and pride not apply to Sachin or his
parents when they are bullied and mocked nationwide? Is it necessary for a man
to implant a pair of breasts and a vagina in order to ask for some dignity and
respect?
Nevertheless, this derisive behaviour has not ceased its progression at this
juncture alone. Its manifestation continues to evolve as Red FM (an Indian radio
channel) gave a platform to Mithilesh Bhati to reprise this act of ridicule on a
famous YouTuber named Carryminati.
So now, Mithilesh Bhati also has a Youtube channel named 'Mithilesh Bhati (Lappu
Sa Sachin)' with this roasting video of Carryminati. Such is the tragedy of
Indian society that knows no borderline between jokes and bullying. The cultural
legitimization of such mental and verbal abuses is normalized, glorified and
even promoted through these platforms. Undoubtedly, people choose suicides and
revenge crimes as an escape from such harassment, as there seems no hope of
saving their dignity and self-respect without drenching themselves in the same
derogatory and dehumanized level.
As of the present instant, Seema's lawyer has confirmed filing a legal suit
against Mithilesh Bhati for using derogatory, unparliamentary, unlawful and
provocative descriptions of Sachin repeatedly. However, the lawyer also
mentioned dropping the charges if Mithilesh Bhati apologizes for her derogatory
comments.
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