When I think of women, I immediately recall the saying ”The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”.
Now, many would immediately zoom in on the phrase “rules the world” but pause, my dear readers, and read that part that “rocks the cradle”.
Mums are the greatest creatures with love unconditional. Using my mum as an example, they don’t ever take sick leave as those Wonder Women perform their motherly duties, come rain or shine, day or night, etc.
There’s a Chinese saying (and if there isn’t, there ought to be one) that a mother’s love is so powerful that even the gods must bow before it.
Yet, strangely, for the devotion that women have shown their sons, they (the female-folk) continue to be suppressed in many parts of the world.
In a place like Sharia-ruled Pakistan, there’s disgraceful victimisation of women, resulting in the most disgusting oxymoron of all, honour rape. Women in many parts of Pakistan are viewed as nothing more than chattels.
This disgraceful disgusting disrespectful attitude towards the gracious gentler gender is not unique to Pakistan because it is also prevalent in India and many Western nations and, looking towards home, in Malaysia too.
Some of us treat our Indonesian or Filipino maids as despised slaves, and our women as sex objects or baby factories. We hear frequently of misogynist comments referring to chastity belts for women, female body-hugging tight jeans, sex-arousing lipstick and perfume, gatal (lecherous) single women.
We see UMNO MPs like Cyclops making disgusting sexist comments to a lady MP in the supposedly hallowed Dewan Rakyat (Parliament).
Why has there been this contradiction, where the object of our greatest love also belongs to a despised group?
Did this start with the saga of Lilith, the original wife of Adam?
Jewish legend has her being expelled from the Garden of Eden after refusing to obey her husband. It was even said she had the nerve to demand to be on top of Adam during their sex.
Old cranky men couldn’t countenance such an independent-minded woman who had the feminine impertinence to demand for equality, so they demon-ised her in their writings, and she subsequently became the mother of demons.
Have men inherited their patrimonial ancestry’s disdain, disrespect and disregard for, and probably fear of, women's rights?
Food for thoughts on this very important day.
You simply couldn't imagine just how sweet... ;-)
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, my friend. Indeed, the irony of it all, reverance on the one hand, and disdain on the other, both having their roots from similar (if not the same) sources.
And perhaps with the awareness that Marina and Susan have initiated here (for which, I thank your participation, on their behalf), it'll get more people to spare a thought for the challenges women face, here in Malaysia, and elsewhere in the world.
PEACE!
I have the highest respect for women, and try very hard not to think of them as sex objects.
ReplyDeleteBut now and then one of those sweet-young-things brushes past in their low-cut jeans and bare-backed dress, and my hormone levels go off the scale...
Anon, there's nothing wrong in 'lusting' after a good-looking woman, because we were provided by Nature with hormones. But we should never ever blame them for our arousal (it's not them, it's us) or use that arousal as a lousy excuse (of woman's provocation/teasing) to attack or humiliate them.
ReplyDelete... more power to 'low-cut jeans and bare-backed dress'.
Some men fear intelligent women. That's why :)
ReplyDeletewalski, your sistah? ooohhhh... since walski no say anything, i will also zip my mouth. :)
ReplyDeletehey, KT, seemed that we both have the same thought. i thought of that rock the cradle phrase too and also blog about my mother.
lucia, wise people think alike (but then there's another saying,aiyah you know, 'fools blah blah ...) hehehe
ReplyDeletebut seriously, any talk about women in general surely has to start with mums!
Ktemoc:
ReplyDelete"any talk about women in general surely has to start with mums!"
Can not be that unfair lar- those infertile or women who choose not to have kids also contribute to humankind also :P
mich
ReplyDeleteI didn't include "by daughters and/or sons", which of course hasn't excluded childless women, to be feted by father, brothers and hubbies/boyfriends
;-)