Should I do a weekly update of my week (guess what? nothing happened.) or just ramble on for the sake of rambling.
Can you guess which one?
But, what to ramble about? Middle East politics? Racial and gender equality? Civil rights? Historical inaccuracies? The magic of Turkish toilets?
Well, maybe all of them... I don't know. I'm kinda just writing at this point.
So, I have this private student. She is a journalist, who is now unemployed because of criticizing the government. If you think that is harsh, I want you to stop. You don't think that happens in America? Hell, you don't think that happens in the West, in general? How many journalists at major newspapers or media sources do you see/read openly criticizing Israel (not their actions in war, but their government policies) and offering a one-state solution? I'll wait...
Did you find any? Probably not. Here's another one... no one in America heard about this leaked phone call between Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Victoria Nuland and the American Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt. This came out before the "revolution" (coup, in reality) in Ukraine. They are planning who will take power, which is a bit odd because neither of them is Ukrainian nor should have any say in said matters. So, Ukraine gets a new government after what is obviously a CIA or other American-backed coup of a sovereign, democratic nation, and the media immediately focuses on Russia's actions. Then, we have some woman quit RT (Russia Today) on air because she can no longer lie to the American people... Really? Where were the people quitting on air during the Iraq War? Every media outlet lied to the American people. What happened after she quit? It was all over the other outlets, aiming to discredit RT, which is the only news outlet that Americans have access to that gives an actual opposing view to the mainstream media. It doesn't fall in line as it should; just like al-Jazeera didn't fall in line with the Iraq War story. Don't worry, al-Jazeera is now back in line with the rest, but not so much with RT. God bless RT.
Come on, America! He's out-American'ing us!
So, moving on, I love this student in particular because, although her English skills are limited, her brilliance transcends the language barrier. There is one topic that I somewhat disagree with her with. That is the topic of feminism.
Now, I want it to be known... I am a feminist. However, there are many types of feminists. Unfortunately, the ones paraded around nowadays are what we call "Tumblr feminists." These sorts are always going on about "microaggressions" and "triggers." I don't have time for that shit. It's closed-minded and totalitarian. I'm only interested in political, social, and economic equality... well, I mean, I'm for more than just that, but whatever... moving on...
At the same time, there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to issues regarding feminism... unless it's my penis. And let me tell you... it ain't no "micro" aggression.
I have many feminist friends back in Atlanta, and they come from a wide variety of cultures and religions. All of them are strong and independent. None of them really give two shits about trivial things like "microaggressions" because the problem isn't the behavior of individuals; it is a cultural problem. Two of these women come to mind, both are Muslim. Yes, they also wear hijab (one doesn't anymore, and I respect her decision either way). You see, what some feminist groups don't get is that feminism doesn't manifest in one way. Yes, if a Muslim girl is forced to wear hijab, then by all means stand with her, but understand, too, that some choose to wear it. The purpose of feminism isn't to "liberate" all women individually. Just like with other civil rights causes, the end goal is to establish a system that gives women equal opportunity to success, choice, and happiness. People will complain and say they get special treatment, but equality and fairness are not "everyone gets the same thing." How is that equal or fair?
Give two families $1000 a month. One is a middle-class, two-parent family, and the other is working-class, single-parent family. The first family doesn't necessarily need the $1000. It's still nice, but not much changes. For the working-class family, that $1000 is rent, food, a car payment, etc. That's one less extra job, that's having the ability to pick your child from school, that's enlisting your kid in extracurricular activities, etc. Hell, it may even be the extra cash you need to go to further education. Who knows. Even though the two families got the same treatment, it isn't equal. It is totally based on need. One family needs it more than the other. Women need certain things men don't. Whether it is affordable (in some cases, free) feminine hygiene products, birth control, and OB/GYN visits, or mandatory-paid maternity leave, women need to have these options available to them in society, so that they can be truly equal. And don't pull some Social Darwinian bullshit.
Look, I'm Muslim, and despite what other Muslims (ahem... Saudis) may say, I can find just as much evidence (if not more) for these kind of reforms than I can for dominating over women. For me, the message is clear: As a man, I am supposed to care for women and guard their rights from oppression or usurpation. I'm not saying that men and women are the same. We don't necessarily have the same roles. I am saying we are equal, and as equals, I need to guard that equality.
I'm not calling for shari'a; that's a different matter all together. I want secular change in law and in our cultures that guarantee women's equality and support women in case of infractions made against them. Simple, right?
So, that's about all I got for now. Yay!
No comments:
Post a Comment