International Women’s Day

March 8 was International Women’s Day. That’s a great thing isn’t it? One day in the year, people can remember the silent half of humanity, sing her praises, talk about her emancipation and then forget about it for the next 364 days. What a day! And did I mention that Women’s Day does not mean the husband cooks for the day, or takes her out, or even offers to help in her chores. But still! It’s Women’s Day! Let’s all celebrate. Oh come on! Stop the lip service. I have had enough. Of men who claim they understand women, and of women who claim that they don’t need to feel special. I won’t even get started on the men who are patronising, condescending or falsely encouraging. They are not worth the effort. But the women?

This post really got on my nerves. I felt like I was listening to the sound of nails scratching a blackboard. That’s right! It’s that annoying. What the hell? Why do women feel offended if a man offers his seat on a bus, or holds the door open for them? Because he feels the woman is incapable of such things? For God’s sake, stop being so hyper-sensitive woman! The watchman of my building opens doors for people. Does he honestly think it’s because people are incapable of opening their own doors? I don’t know where to start, but this post rankles from the word go. The blogger in question says,

“Do-gooders act and behave like they are God’s gift to women. They open doors and let women pass through first (don’t we know how to open a door for god’s sake?). They offer to drop women if they get delayed at work for an extra five minutes. They nab at bills in restaurants before the woman even offers to pay for her food. They talk feminism and woman’s rights. And all this stems out of a feeling that women are lesser creatures and need to be taken care of. Like a porcelain doll. Or a pet Pomeranian. And the worst part is that, such men are considered ‘oh-so-sweet’, ‘he’s so considerate’, etc.”

I mean, give the poor man a break! He probably thinks he is being charming. One of the stereotypes that is undoubtedly true about men is that they are less complicated than women. They don’t think so much. They just do what they think is right. While such behaviour is not always indefensible, they at least justify their actions in some way. At the end of the post, the blogger asks if there is some such thing as a Men’s Day. Of course not. Men are not killed off in infancy, aborted inside the womb, told they are worthless or discouraged from doing what they want because of their sex. They don’t need a Men’s Day, because we are living in a man’s world. Whether we like it or not, the fact remains that our society remains essentially patriarchal.

I will never finish this post at this rate. So, my message to all you women out there is just this. You are lucky to be born a woman. Be proud of the fact. I have no shame in admitting, as I have before, that I am happy to be pampered by the man in my life. I feel good when a man holds a door open for me, or vacates a seat on a crowded bus. I actually like it when someone offers to do me a favour, or drop me off somewhere because I am running late. You would not question it if a woman offered you a lift. Then why are you so distrusting of men. Even if they are brothers, close friends, colleagues or boyfriend? Give the poor guys a chance. Don’t be so judgemental of them. It is the very same thing you fault in men right? Then what gives you the right to be judgemental of them? Are they not human too?