Happy International Women Day!
Ravi I have never found women to be wanting in anything that really matters.
I feel a women's day is demeaning.
It is another matter that women have been deprived by societies or governments.
Perhaps what we should be celebrating is the fact that women are not restricted any longer.
I've read and reread this post many times, and I was thinking I should refrain from replying. But, the more I reread it, the angrier it makes me. Opinions like these, are why we need a Women's Day.
In many countries, including my home country, the gender gap is closing. But, that's not the case everywhere. There are lots of countries where girls and women are denied education or work opportunities, and where they exist basically at the mercy of men. And, even in more developed countries, sexual harassment, sexual violence (roughly 80% of all women get sexually assaulted at least once in their lifetime), domestic violence, and all kinds of other terrible things are still happening, not to mention how women are often treated in work settings, where they often get lower pay than their male colleagues (last I checked, women make roughly 85% of the salary men get). So saying that women are not wanting in anything that really matters is just ignorant, and an opinion I hope fewer and fewer men will share with you.
I know what youâre saying, and that you didnât mean it in a negative way, but rather as a statement to show that you donât think women are any less than you and other men. However, now I feel the need to explain again why I disagree with you.
Women are just as intelligent and capable as men if given equal opportunities. But, the problem is that even if a woman has an IQ of 150, that wonât help her any as long as she lives in a society where women donât get an education. If you canât read or write, what are you supposed to use your intelligence for?
And, if you live in a society where being beaten or assaulted is normalized, you donât think of it as wrong. It doesnât mean youâre stupid, it just means youâve never known anything different, so you donât think of it the same way as women in other societies do. Besides, in developed societies as well, most women who get beaten by their partners donât leave them. They stay.
This isnât just about women in the worst corners of the world, it also goes for women in more developed countries. For example, the #metoo movement changed things for many of us. Before that, it was ânormalâ for women to be sexually harassed, both at work and basically everywhere else. Donât get me wrong, this still happens, but at least itâs not as socially accepted anymore.
Personally, I was probably 35 before I realized that itâs not okay for men to come and touch me uninvited. Was that because I was less intelligent 5 years ago than what I am now? No, itâs simply that I, like most other people, think the way society teaches me to think. But looking back at that now, I know that I was lacking something, and that thing was self-respect and the ability to stand up for myself. And keep in mind, Iâm from the number 2 country in the world in terms of gender equality. So how do you think it is for women in other parts of the world?
I could go on, but let me just end it with this: In my opinion, pretending that women have everything they need already is dismissive of the issues women around the world face. Because, laws to protect women donât help unless the norms of societies change and women, and especially young girls, get taught that they are just as deserving of education, independence, respect, and a sense of self-worth as men are. And until this is ingrained in every girl and woman, we will never be truly equal, and hence, weâll be found wanting.
And thatâs why the International Womenâs Day is important.
Maybe you will understand this better.
I asked ChatGPT to decipher what I had written so a nonnative English speaker would understand what I had written.
Hereâs a simplified version for a nonnative English speaker:
"I have always found women to be strong and capable in every important way.
I think having a 'Women's Day' is unnecessary and even a bit insulting to women.
Yes, societies and governments have treated women unfairly in the past.
But instead of celebrating a special day, we should celebrate the fact that women are now free and not restricted anymore."
Ravi Not to speak for Eve, but I think the point is that a lot of progress has been made for women, but in no way are we free and unrestricted. Especially in some parts of the world, women and girls are restricted from going to school, going to parks, having their own bank accounts, etc. In my own country, pregnant women are dying in hospitals because our healthcare was restricted several years ago and doctors wonât touch them in fear of jail time.
I could go on and on about the ways in which women are not free and are indeed restricted throughout the world, but this information is available with a simple Google search.
Going back to your original post about how you feel a womenâs day is demeaning: the way in which you are speaking to Eve, especially regarding her being a nonnative English speaker, is demeaning.
Perhaps itâs best to step back from this thread and take some time to reflect because I know talking down to other people because English is not their first language is not the purpose of this forum.
It was clear that Eve had a completely diametric take on what I had written.
My first response was this:
"Haha! Please learn English.
If you read my post again (the full post), you might realize you have no idea what I have written.đ"
But instead of trying to understand my post, Eve posted again.
Then I had to use use "nonnative speaker" and the deciphering for a nonnative speaker.
I consider it demeaning when people who cannot understand a post slam the person who has posted.
Of course, though women have been granted rights, not all the rights have been honored.
If you read my fist post in this thread, you should be able to understand I detest the restrictions imposed on women and am glad restrictions have been largely removed.
Men and women (and all other humans) are equal.
Ravi You are making the classic mistake of you miscommunicated something and blaming the recipient of your miscommunication.
I speak English pretty well for an American which is probably not nearly as well as @Eve and I have read it several times and cannot really understand why you felt the need to say anything at all. Instead of reading the room, and replying with respect, you instead chose to respond with:
Haha! Please learn English.
This is incredibly rude and unjustifiable. I wouldn't put up with it from Eve if she tossed the same at you so why should I put up from it from you?