Sexist jokes not funny

Sexism defined as "Stereotyping of individuals or groups because of their gender". Perpetuation of myths like, "women gossip (more)", "women are high maintenance", "women difficult to manage" and "women difficult to understand", happens purely on the strength of sexist jokes and remarks.

Sexism is as bad as racism. However, if you were to make a racist remark, you could get skinned alive but if you were to make a sexist comment, all you would get are a few nervous laughs?! Half of the men may laugh whole heartedly because they agree and the other half because they know not how to voice their discontent? And most of the women will laugh nervously to hide what they truly feel, or perhaps to blend-in with this male-dominated crowd that is allowing such hideous jokes to flourish in the first place! If any of them bothers to say something against it, they will be calmed down with, "Relax, it is just a joke. No need to get all your feathers in a flutter". Well, enough with women being the butt of all jokes, then. Let's have some other jokes now.

Sexist jokes are not funny, at least to women (and many men) they are not!

Celebrating women's day

Surely, do celebrate women's day. Make a mark for women in this world, demand for equality, talk about what is not equal, take steps to bring in equality. But please refrain from trivializing it by telling us how great we are, and how much work we do in essaying various roles (daughter, sister, mother, wife) with such great strength. Enough with the accolades and putting us on pedestals. Let us just be human, not goddesses. No more of "idealizing into powerlessness".

A friend: Someone asked me once "Who is Sujesha"...The tone was bit rural types and it sounded like "Who is Su jaisa"...and obviously the answer was no one...And yet another obvious thing was that the listener got baffled..

Lolz.

My tryst with Religion & Atheism

Ever since I can remember, our family has had an inclination towards spirituality, and a belief in God. My dad, though never a regular to temples unlike devout Hindus, always advocated that "God was One". So, irrespective of religion, he did believe in God. Maybe it is more apt to say that he believed in "all gods", and believed that all religions essentially teach the same, and that all religions are a way to reach God, etc, etc, etc, but there I digress.

The point I am trying to bring forth is that my parents, and hence our family, were believers. We had faith in some higher power that had caused our existence. Of course, we didnt find it necessary to visit temples to re-assert our faith in Him, because we also believed that "He was everywhere".

Cut to April 2010, when my dad passed away due to a (multiple?) massive heart attack(s). It was like a bolt of lightening out of the blue (pun unintended). So many hopes, wishes and dreams lay unfulfilled. Try as I may, I could think of no explanation why his end had to be that way. Many "why" questions arose (or threatened to arise but were throttled?) in my mind. But I never spoke them aloud, knowing fully well that "Anything that is born, will die someday." I tried to accept the incident, as just a fact of life. However, a question that soon accompanied was, "So now, what is my belief in God?". I had asked myself that question for the first time, in so many years. I had never before fully weighed that question in my head - it had just been an accepted fact of life for so long. And now, it felt as if my beliefs in God were shaking.

Still struggling to find a mid-way somewhere, an explanation that would make sense, an explanation that could tell once and for all, one way or the other. Perhaps it would make the loss a bit more bearable? But considering that these questions have been eluding philosophers for centuries, I do not know how probable it is, that I would strike gold in this pursuit.

PETITION FOR EQUALITY IN ACCOMMODATION

FOR
POST-GRADUATE MEN AND WOMEN

The Director
IIT Bombay
Mumbai – 400076

Date: July 23, 2010

Subject: Petition against disparity in accommodation for PG boys and
PG girls in our institute.

Dear Sir,

We, the undersigned, seek to bring to your notice that there is an acute disparity between the accommodation facilities extended to PG boys and PG girls in this institute. While male Ph.D. students are being granted a single room on Day 1 of their stay in the institute, female Ph.D. students are still awaiting their chance to get a single room, even in their second year. While male M.Tech/M.Sc students are getting a single room at the end of their first year, female M.Tech/M.Sc students are expected to stay in double rooms till the end of their tenure. Even in the case when M.Tech/M.Sc. students are expected to share a room (for emotional and moral support reasons), they should be expectedly sharing a double room, and not sharing a small single room.

The above facts bring out a pattern of (as yet unacknowledged) discrimination against PG girls. This discrimination, even if unintentional, is causing undue stress on research environment of PG girls and the facilities available to us, like messing facilities, bathrooms and other basic amenities.

The earlier petition that we wrote was addressed to Chairman, HCU, our request being that one of the smaller hostels (say, Tansa or new wing in H-12 or H-14) be released to us. However, nothing concrete has come out of it. We have only been assured that new building construction is set to start soon, and that our accommodation problems may be allieviated in a couple of years.

Our stress is more immediate and we can not wait another 2 years in the hope of new buildings (whose construction has not even commenced in the past whole year). It is our concern that, when male PG students are comfortably nested in single rooms, why should female PG students face such hardships? Any problems that prohibit Tansa/new wing allocation to girls, should be dealt with and resolved, instead of being wished away by abandoning PG girls to adjust with whatever is “available”.

Considering the urgency of the situation, we earnestly request you for an immediate redressal of the grievances of PG girls, and to take a stand on the issue of equal treatment for men and women in Post Graduate programmes in the institute.

Date: 23.07.2010

Yours sincerely,
Undersigned

Need some more time in life. Gimme more!

No more Bhopals. http://www.greenpeace.org/india/stop-another-bhopal