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In the age of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Hotstar, and many other platforms, there is never a dearth of streaming content to binge-watch. I myself devour the latest web series and movies that I missed on the big screen. It has always been more enjoyable for me to watch all these from the comfort of my home. In keeping with this, I watched a web series called ‘Four More Shots Please’ streaming on Amazon Prime Video, whose first season aired in 2019.
I’ll be honest, I did kind of enjoy the first season, and I could not, then, have thought what was profoundly wrong with the show! It was only when I watched the later seasons that I realized this show is the ‘flag-bearer of pseudo-feminism!’
There has been a growing trend of bitter bashing of the other gender. The women of today are cherry-picking their rights and lambasting men as a sort of payback for the centuries of atrocities committed against them.
Multiple shows endorse trash-talk against men in the name of feminism. Some celebrities and influencers are ranting about how men are biologically and socially predisposed to be ‘toxic’. Behind the veil of ‘feminism’, they belittle men and argue that men should not have any say in social conversation, even those that involve family, education, or shared spaces. They vehemently sell a brand of feminism that is rooted in disparaging and degrading the other gender!
These celebrities and influencers, who are placed at such a high pedestal by the common man, make such senseless and inconsiderate statements, that, the superficiality of their feminism is not lost on us!
Before you go all judgmental on me, I would like to clarify that I do acknowledge the struggle women had to go through to break the shackles of patriarchy. I advocate for their self-sufficiency and material independence. I myself, have seen other women being the victims of oppression. They have fought their way through barriers that were designed to keep them subjugated by the men of their household. I am not denying them the place they deserve in this narrative. If anything, their struggle should have resulted in feminism entirely rooted in Equality. But is it so?
The movement did start on the note of equal rights for men and women. It propounded for economic opportunities at par with men, the right to make decisions about one’s own body, legal equality, and smashing the stereotypes and traditional roles that limit what women can achieve. This did have a significant impact wherein, the societal space became more accommodating for women, their roles and responsibilities started being shared by the men of their household, and there began a conversation around women’s greater participation and representation in fields that had hitherto excluded them.
It did seem like things had taken a turn for the good, and the good did happen! But somewhere, the movement which was supposed to vouch for equal rights for men and women, fizzled out! It became a movement centered on ‘FEMINISM’! Till today, I myself have not been able to figure out what this feminism is?! Because all I can comprehend from these absurd shows is that feminism is to castigate men and justify all that is immoral and unprincipled.
The common theme of these shows is to portray women in stronger roles, making their own decisions (which are welcome!), but at the cost of berating men! They promote a brand of feminism that is nonsensical. For example, I believe, it is an individual choice to drink and smoke, and it should have nothing to do with gender when it has detrimental effects on one’s health, irrespective of gender! However, doing the same in the name of ‘equality’ and to prove that women can do what men can is preposterous. In a society where promiscuity and infidelity are often attributed to a man, and he is apparently celebrated as a cool dude, the women are practicing the same with unabashedness, all just to demonstrate their idea of equality. Last I checked, promiscuity and infidelity were supposed to be unrighteous, irrespective of gender!
Feminism (I’d rather call it equality!) was supposed to be about social, political, and economic equality. However, some extremist fringes have pivoted towards misandry. Tragically, women have made a space for themselves, but in this arrangement, they have promoted and endorsed men as inherently ‘lesser beings’. The goal of ‘feminism’ now, is to flip the hierarchy rather than dismantle it!
The whole movement has shifted from ‘equal rights for men and women’ to a ‘battle of the sexes’, which has created a wedge between the genders. It has become crucial for women to establish their superiority over men, as if they do not need them anymore! Exactly the kind of flip I talked about!
Women selectively invoke ‘equality’ – expecting traditional chivalry when it is convenient to them and demanding independence when it isn’t. A transactional relationship exists between the two genders that shuns shared responsibility and mutual respect. A significant downside to this ‘feminism’ is the blatant refusal to acknowledge that men also suffer under rigid patriarchal structures. The constant pressure of providing for the family, higher suicide rates, lack of support for male victims of domestic abuse (Yes, they do face it!), and unfair laws heavily tilted towards women (which they happily misuse!), are all examples of how men are being left out of the narrative.
I do wish to see a society where both genders co-exist with mutual respect and harmony, with neither of them trying to dominate the hierarchy. If the goal is to establish a healthier society for everyone, the movement must acknowledge that men’s struggles are also part of the conversation.
I can only say that I see men as allies in change, not as inherent enemies. I am glad for every woman’s social, economic, and political independence, but I would not have had it without the support of the other gender! We must keep in mind that true equality requires the same level of accountability, empathy, and fairness for all, regardless of gender!
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official policy, position, or stance of any employer, organization, or institution the author is associated with.
