Promoting the “man”kind!

We are in a time that boasts of a day of celebration for everything, whether small or big, significant or insignificant. Each of the internationally celebrated days are deemed important. But are they really? We celebrate women’s day with much fervor, and rightly so. Did the majority of us know that today, the 19^th of November is the International Men’s day? And even if we did, did we wish the men in our lives? Or did it feel awkward to do so when you thought of wishing them, and you dropped the idea? I assume we, as women, feel entitled to be wished for Women’s day. The entire hoard of popular media unanimously promotes the idea of ‘pampering yourself for one day’. The shops and websites selling these make huge profits out of this marketing. Who falls for this type of marketing? It is us, the entitled, privileged lot. We all know women’s day is celebrated as the day to promote women’s rights. Talking about India, is it really helping in promoting women’s rights on the grassroots level? We the working women, who are reading this right now, are already aware. Shouldn’t women’s day be the day for honoring the rights of those who do not have it, rather than celebrating our own? Every year the UN announces official themes, this year’s theme being “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change”. Sounds festive, celebratory, and right? No doubt about it. It is right.

However, the motive of this article today is not women’s day. I talk about it to bring forth the ignorance we give to other days in the face of major days like Women’s day. Did you know why Men’s day is celebrated? This day is focused on the Six Pillars set for International Men’s Day, which includes focus on men’s and boys’ health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, highlighting discrimination against men and promoting male role models. The major part of the society is unaware of this. It is the ultimate truth that we need to face that women are celebrated no matter what, but men need a reason to be celebrated. Don’t get me wrong, but oppression from either gender is wrong. If patriarchy is deemed to be wrong, then aren’t those who celebrate matriarchy hypocrites?

We strive as a human force to provide a gender-neutral atmosphere, where both the genders live and thrive as counterparts and none of them are above or below each other. As a human being we have certain responsibilities on this planet. And when we are born in any sex, regardless of whether it is male, female or the third sex, we have our own set of duties as humans that are in our power. It is our responsibility to honor the set of duties corresponding to the sex we are in, or the gender we identify as.

Being a woman does not make us entitled over men, any more than men saying they are entitled because they are men. Nobody is entitled, we all are equal. Equality doesn’t come from promoting equality. It comes from adopting the attitude of equality. If discrimination against women is a punishable blunder, then male bashing purely on the basis of conclusions derived from patriarchy is also a blunder. Any human being forcing another human being is punishable regardless of the gender. A man hitting an innocent woman is a crime, and so is a woman hitting an innocent man purely on the basis of accusation. Did you notice in the statement I just made, that men are either innocent men or guilty until proven innocent, while women are innocent women or innocent until proven guilty? Isn’t it time to actually promote feminism and not pseudo-feminism?

I urge all women today on International Men’s day to celebrate the importance of the men you have in your life, before bashing the whole “man”kind. I also urge all men to honor the spirit of manhood by being good role models to younger boys in your life, and I congratulate all the men who do so. Everyone who knows me personally, also knows that this is not just an article for me. This comes from a part of me that respects everyone based on their attitude and not gender.

Just like Women’s day, there are themes every year on International Men’s day to promote the Six Core Objectives. This year’s theme is “Making a difference for Men and Boys”. It is focused on promoting the need to value the men in our lives and make an actual difference in men’s and boys’ health and well-being. This is the right time to step up and celebrate humanity by keeping everyone on the equality pedestal. Point to ponder?

Stay inspired! Stay satisfied! Stay Priya-fied!