I am a cynical person, and I have no qualms in admitting it.
So, when I saw the #metoo posts all over Facebook, I knew this was going to be just another hashtag.
Yes, we have all undergone harassment at some point in time in life. In a bus, in crowded Dadar station, by chalu uncles who hug you under some random pretext.
We all went through it, and we know it is wrong. But, how does the Me too hashtag help?
Are new laws going to be formed? Are people going to change? No, nothing will happen unless we change things at our level.
Yesterday, I wrote a status asking people to tell me how will this hashtag help?
This question posted on Facebook exposed me and my colleague who did not post a popular reply, to accusations of being insensitive. Someone even hinted at people like us having a crab mentality and pulling down others 'who are trying to spread awareness'.
With seething anger, I deleted the post and deactivated my FB account for an hour.
Then I remembered, as a citizen of this country, the constitution has bestowed me with the freedom to express.
I activated my account again. This time with the vow that I will express my views every time I feel like doing it. No one can bully me.
This was not the first time I faced accusations. I have been accused of being anti-modi, myopic, extremist, and god knows what not. My fault? I have contrarian views most of the time.
But, I will not stop. If you find a fault in my writing, give me data to prove I am wrong. I will accept my fault.
But, accusing someone of being insensitive or with crab mentality just because they do not prescribe to your views is unacceptable.
Have a healthy debate if you can!
So, when I saw the #metoo posts all over Facebook, I knew this was going to be just another hashtag.
Yes, we have all undergone harassment at some point in time in life. In a bus, in crowded Dadar station, by chalu uncles who hug you under some random pretext.
We all went through it, and we know it is wrong. But, how does the Me too hashtag help?
Are new laws going to be formed? Are people going to change? No, nothing will happen unless we change things at our level.
This question posted on Facebook exposed me and my colleague who did not post a popular reply, to accusations of being insensitive. Someone even hinted at people like us having a crab mentality and pulling down others 'who are trying to spread awareness'.
With seething anger, I deleted the post and deactivated my FB account for an hour.
Then I remembered, as a citizen of this country, the constitution has bestowed me with the freedom to express.
I activated my account again. This time with the vow that I will express my views every time I feel like doing it. No one can bully me.
This was not the first time I faced accusations. I have been accused of being anti-modi, myopic, extremist, and god knows what not. My fault? I have contrarian views most of the time.
But, I will not stop. If you find a fault in my writing, give me data to prove I am wrong. I will accept my fault.
But, accusing someone of being insensitive or with crab mentality just because they do not prescribe to your views is unacceptable.
Have a healthy debate if you can!
