My Tiff with New-age Feminists
Why is there a sudden rise in articles about gender
politics? Every other website has suddenly decided that this is the issue of
the year. The Atlantic has actually started another section called “The Sexes”
for such editorials. I usually end up on their page more often than not during
my free time. It all started with Sheryl Sandberg, the Betty Friedan of the 21st Century. Then there is the whole tirade about "Mansplaining”.
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| From the Goodmen Project |
Oh I love this strip! This scene gets re-enacted on a monthly basis in my case (okay, I am not a PhD and I did not write any books but you get the drift right?)
It was great in the beginning. It was good to read these articles, I felt that I am a part of something (like any other revolutionary ideology in the beginning, too cliched but true). But after a while, the media exhausted every other actual issue and now they have moved on to crowd-pleasers. We are stuck with really well researched but totally non-sequitor articles. I mean seriously why would I want to read say, “The Perils of Being a Male Teacher at an All-Girls School”? I miss those lively debates about issues that matter, now all I find are articles like these:- Men and Women Are Probably Equally Likely to Be Shopaholics (What a revelation, I am moved, next time I am going to throw this article in your face (you know who I am talking about) seriously!)
- A Cultural History of Sexy Single-Moms-Turned-Criminals (Yes, this is the general topic of discussion these days, how sexy single mothers are becoming the lawbreakers!)
- The Colorful, Subversive History of Women Getting Tattoos (Yes, I was wondering about the same thing yesterday during dinner, how did it all begin?)
- Don't Blame 'Hookup Culture': Romance Always Involves Failure and Despair (Ohh I dint know that romance includes failure and despair but thanks for explaining that to me)
- What It Means to Treat Kate Upton Like the Successful, Autonomous Person That She Is (Who the fuck is Kate Upton?)
- Women in Their 20s Shouldn't Feel Bad About Wanting a Boyfriend (Okay, thank you very much for you support, it means a lot now that I have your behind my back, I can come out of the denial closet. NOT)
- What Being a Handyman Has Taught Me About Male Insecurity (Yes, obviously that's what I mean, who would have ever thought of that! Man that was like the discovery of the year or something)
I don’t want to waste my free half hour that I have reading these articles for crying out loud! What happened to serious journalism? They are trivializing the issue at hand by writing such stories, it's moved from cultural criticism to vacuous soliloquy of misplaced ideas. I expect these kinds of articles when I read Vogue or Good Housekeeping or whatever random women’s magazine.I guess what I was trying to say is that I need a new website to waste my time on. Any suggestions?
Coming to the whole "Lean In" cool crowd, I am getting pissed. It seems I am the problem. I am holding myself back, I am supposed to go out there and not sit in the corner. I am supposed to raise hands. I cant wholeheartedly agree to what she is saying. Am I solely responsible for everything that's wrong with the situation, don't you think the corporations or the government or the society is at fault?
I remember way back in grad school after a long round of placements, I was cornered by a batch-mate who all but shouted at me for taking the chance away from other candidates with my feminine lures. I did well in the interview, got the job and this is how I get treated, now imagine the same situation day in and day out. I am not saying that I am being ostracized but I cannot differentiate myself from the other guys if I want to stay in my job for long. I remember one of my colleagues telling me this a while ago, her son was at home sick and she asked her manager for a work from home option, for which he replied innocuously: "If you cant come to office and work, you can start looking for another career soon". And then there is the other side of the situation, my friend KK is not being sent to her secondment because she is at marriageable age so the company cannot responsibly send her for a six month stint because she might not have time to meet "prospective grooms". This is the world we live in, you expect me to believe by changing my personality everything will be alright? I don't think so.
P.S Shitty mood, hence the rant
Coming to the whole "Lean In" cool crowd, I am getting pissed. It seems I am the problem. I am holding myself back, I am supposed to go out there and not sit in the corner. I am supposed to raise hands. I cant wholeheartedly agree to what she is saying. Am I solely responsible for everything that's wrong with the situation, don't you think the corporations or the government or the society is at fault?
I remember way back in grad school after a long round of placements, I was cornered by a batch-mate who all but shouted at me for taking the chance away from other candidates with my feminine lures. I did well in the interview, got the job and this is how I get treated, now imagine the same situation day in and day out. I am not saying that I am being ostracized but I cannot differentiate myself from the other guys if I want to stay in my job for long. I remember one of my colleagues telling me this a while ago, her son was at home sick and she asked her manager for a work from home option, for which he replied innocuously: "If you cant come to office and work, you can start looking for another career soon". And then there is the other side of the situation, my friend KK is not being sent to her secondment because she is at marriageable age so the company cannot responsibly send her for a six month stint because she might not have time to meet "prospective grooms". This is the world we live in, you expect me to believe by changing my personality everything will be alright? I don't think so.
P.S Shitty mood, hence the rant
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