A friend (by
proxy) of mine then saw the status and commented
"Yeah! Tell them like it is. Us women are DONE being oppressed by men."
At first, I
had two thoughts. The first being “Oh wow I keep forgetting that actual people
are actually seeing my posts” which got me a bit weirded out like, hey, I won’t
talk to people if I’ve got a book in my hand, but I’m perfectly okay with
sharing intimate thoughts online where hundreds of
random people are privy to viewing them. Go, priorities!
My second
thought was:
“Holy cow
titties, this is one of those girls those anti-feminist 9gag memes are based
off of.” Because whilst not being entirely
informed about said girl's lifestyle, I do know enough about her to
know that a part-time model from an affluent family with top-notch private
education couldn’t in all seriousness call herself “oppressed”, using the
generally accepted definition of the word.
Now, I’m a self-identified
third wave feminist. And before you puke blood, I need to make one thing clear.
1. A
feminist does not mean someone who fights for female supremacy - that’s
misandry (Consider yourself educated, go you) - but instead someone who fights
for equal rights.
Rights like
the right to marry/and/or/not marry, the right to bear/and/or/abort children,
the right to shave and/or/not shave.
Super simple stuff, also known as the right to be treated like another
human being and not another NPC*, made to substantiate your backstory,
character development and to make your gameplay feel a little less
soul-crushingly alone. Yes, it’s a horribly ineffective name. Yes, there are
some crazy people who believe that the male universe is out to get them. Every
point has its exceptions but let’s try to keep with the program, people.
Anyway, I
consider myself a feminist, along with a couple other things – reader,
procrastinator, intern – and I don’t get all the hate. Why is it that some
people believe that supporting one cause means you have to, by default, be
against the other?
Feminist?
You must hate men. Pro-choice? You must hate life. Atheist? Enjoy everlasting damnation,
infidel.
Like, dude,
just because I like bacon doesn’t mean I can’t love my broccoli.
There was
this other occasion where, if you recall, FMFA got cancelled because of some
kids overdosing on a bad batch and dying. Khairy then came out and said that by
banning future music festivals (pun unintended), authorities were basically
just bandaging a bullet hole, or something along those lines, which I thought
was a pretty stand-up thing to say, seeing as he was a party member and
politician and all that.
A friend of
mine disagreed. He was dead-set to disagree with anything Khairy said, and this
is why: Khairy’s in Barisan Nasional.
This is what
I’m afraid of. Not just that people would accuse others of opposing some things
because they supported another, but that people would actually internalize that
mind-set and think that the only way to support A was by opposing B.
My friend earnestly
thought that by being against everything BN, he was supporting the Opposition.
Mathematically, this makes sense – by refusing one party’s vote, you are in a
way, contributing to the opposing side. But if you’ve made it this far down my
post, then I know that you know
(because you’re just that clever) that things aren’t that simple. To keep
things short, a party is only as good as the people in it and the causes it stands
for. By supporting a party through their dumbest decisions, we’re only telling
them that they can get away with anything. Now, I’ve been awake long enough
through my History classes to know that that
can’t end well.
 |
| Gentle computer girl is getting real tired of your anger-filled shit |
So here’s
what’s happening: It has become fashionable to hate. Instead of promoting
modesty and self-respect, our politicians want to wage a war against women in
shorts and pink underwear on Valentine’s Day. Instead of launching racial
equality and love throughout the country, they point fingers at the other side
and accuse them of stirring up trouble. Instead of wanting women to be just as
capable, resourceful and respected as their Y-chromosomed counterparts, some
people prefer to accuse men for the issues present when really, it’s a whole
lot more complicated than that.
Why?
Because it’s just easier to.
Because politicians
need a more direct way to say “We’re on your side”. Because hate generates a
more passionate response than quiet tenacity. Because we ourselves get swept up
in the heated hulabuloo that ensues. Take your pick.
So here’s
what I’m going to do: I’m going to try to be a little more informed than I am
opinionated. I’m going to apologize to every single person I’ve had a pointless
tirade against. I’m going remember that enemies aren’t always people but ideas,
thoughts and emotions.
Also, if
you’re still with me at this point, try and keep in mind that your judgemental
attitude against another person’s judgemental attitude doesn’t make you a
better person; you’re just contributing to the problem.
*Non-playable
character. Like that guy who keeps telling you about the arrow in his knee.
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