Posted:
So there have been many topics about Sonali and Ali's recent issue resulting in the latter being stripped of captaincy and being nominated for next week. There have been multiple debates with diverse viewpoints being brought up on this forum.
As a lawyer who has researched, studied and worked on laws and continues to continuously evaluate them from a sociological and anthropological perspective, I have always attempted at trying to best explain the concepts of societal gender constructs, patriarchy and the sex and gender distinction to people so as to share these concepts with so many like minded (or not) people who might not be exposed to the this branch of studies. What I have always failed to do is put the concepts out succinctly so that a person who has never been introduced to such concepts understands and reflects on them. I believe that the best way in fact to fulfil the above obkective is through popular culture and media.
The article that I am posting below succeeds to a fair degree in articulating the concepts I spoke about above. If you have say never been introduced to these concepts, I would like you to give the article a read. It will not bore you as much as I would have, and even if it is not at all academic, it manages to cover a few basics.
But there is a caveat before you read this:
1. Don't take this article as in anyway reflecting my views on the show or game that is BB 8. I want you to be able to disassociate yourself from the debate about contestant preferences and the nitty gritties of the show, and focus on the broader concept that is underlined in the article. That is what I want to bring to the table since this post is not about the whole Sonali- Ali spat in particular.
2. Laws in India have smatterings of phrases across talking about "public order and morality" There is a core concept in the study of law and that is the nexus between law and morality. Does law influence morality or is it vice versa? If one is to disassociate themselves from pre- existing notions of what is "normal", "acceptable" and "moral", then I believe one can truly understand and assess the different interpretations of the above quoted words. It's like the "trying to wear the other person's shoes" social experiment on how to develop perspective.
3.You have to believe that I am not trying to change your existing viewpoint. Believe me, no stranger on the internet can necessarily do that, leave alone overnight. This is just to put forth a different perspective to make us all think.
4. The article has a misnomer in its title. These concepts have nothing to do with "feminism". Feminism as a social movement is way broader than the whole "i hate men" or "women first' syndromes. It has a myriad range and it actually does not have negative connotations as portrayed popularly. But that is a point for a different day (or rather I don't want to bore with verbose legalese).
If you can do both the above, then please read the article below and let me know if this helps. it is possibly the simplest article about non- consensual invasion of privacy, bodily integrity, all of which can be traced down to to the question of prevalent patriarchal notions of gender constructs and the lack of distinction between "sex" (as in male, female) and "gender". Chapter XVI of the Indian Penal Code and Criminal Amendment Act, 2013 embody some of these concepts while not others. (e.g. why is marital rape not rape punishable under law? it is because married women in Indian society were considered as the man's chattel/property)
So here it is:
http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/bigg-boss-surprise-salmans-show-turns-into-feminist-central-1777911.html
Hope this is interesting to you.
Cricket
