For those poor victims-of-feminism men who have been responding to this campaign with ‘larkon ki salary dekhna band karo’, let me clarify a few things:
– it is patriarchy that takes away choice from women.
– it is patriarchy that made my gold medalist female friend hide her medals everytime a set of parents brought the rishta of their insecure male offspring for her.
– it is patriarchy that teaches a girl from day 1 that her own home is ‘paraya’ and her parents must amass enough gold to eventually send her to her ‘apna’ ghar.
– it is patriarchy that places a monetary value on a woman so she can be ‘sold off’ to the right suitor for marriage
– it is patriarchy that defines language in a way that when a girl and boy get married to go away and create their own lives, the function is called a ‘rukhsati’ for the girl.
Please remember that patriarchy, eventually, is harmful to everyone, including men. It is patriarchy that has created gender roles in a way where a woman must be dependent on a man.
So wear your big boy underwear, acknowledge your privilege, understand why the shitstorm that is dowry is much MUCH larger than your perceived insecurities about yourself, and finally….Just get over yourself.
