Siddharth Profile picture
Sep 27, 2020 11 tweets 3 min read Read on X
In solidarity with Bhagyalakshmi, Diya Sana & Sreelakshmi ✊🏽

It takes courage to do what they did and then accept the accountability for it. Here's hoping that this glorious effort will serve as a lesson to every misogynist hiding behind their computers and spewing venom online.
There are many who see nothing wrong in what that vile man did. To hell with them. But a lot of men (and a few women) who otherwise stand against patriarchy have refused to support their act citing few concerns.

Let's address their arguments one by one.
"They shouldn't have taken law into their hands"

Like in the case of #MeToo movement, it is precisely because there is no proper process in place to address the problem that these activists had to take law into their hands. Active resistance arises out of a failed system.
Uncritical romanticism of man-made laws is dangerous. Those who are concerned about these women taking law into their hands probably would have been concerned about Gandhi breaking the salt laws and would have called for fighting Nazis in the marketplace of ideas.
"This is similar to mob-lynching or encounter killing"

Mob-lynching crimes are committed from a position of power to persecute the powerless, and encounter killing is a state going rogue and subverting its own laws. Both are ridiculous comparisons.
"The expletives used were anti-women"

Yes, they were, but in general the expletives are anti-women & casteist, in most languages. They cannot be justified but it's important to realise the larger societal problem here. We must not look for "perfect victims" to offer solidarity.
"Disagree with Bhagyalakshmi's past views, she's doing this for attention"

The personal politics of these activists are irrelevant. Those who are offering solidarity aren't endorsing any of their past actions or views. Again, this is a form of searching for "the perfect victim".
If this were a bus and someone touched a woman inappropriately, ask yourself if you would have complained about breaking laws. If you don't find these cases similar, it points to how lightly you are taking cyber crimes and how you underestimate their impacts on women.
That these women were perfectly aware of the legal consequences of their act and are ready to face them is what makes them courageous. If you find yourself being more angry at their "imperfect" feminism than systemic misogyny, you need to introspect.
It was not just that one man who got assaulted yesterday. It was an entire community of misogynist men who felt the heat. Next time one of them thinks to spew venom on internet in the name of "freedom of expression", they'll remember these glorious slaps.

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More from @DearthOfSid

Nov 4, 2023
Last week I visited the War Remnants Museum in Vietnam and clicked some pics: a thread 🧵

Trigger warning: US imperialism Image
“There was considerable pressure from some of the staff to continue the Christmas truce for a few more days. But I disagree completely. In fact, I personally ordered one of the biggest bombing raids for December 26: 116 B-52 sorties were flown against targets in the Hanoi and Haiphong area."

Excerpt taken from The Memoirs of Richard Nixon
Image
An American soldier with the skull of a Vietnamese patriot. Image
Read 22 tweets
Sep 21, 2022
Today's press conference by Kerala CM @pinarayivijayan was a political masterclass where he launched a full-fledged attack against Sangh Parivar's fascist politics and tore into Governor Arif Mohammed Khan who has been acting as a Sanghi puppet.

Thread with key excerpts👇
"Kerala's general public and the Left have a definite attitude towards the RSS. It is based on a strong realisation that they are advocates of communalism, hatred and sectarianism."
"The Governor who is worried about the political murders in Kerala is glorifying RSS which has always stood on one side of these murders and conflicts. It is unacceptable to anyone who has faith in the basic values ​​upheld by the Constitution."
Read 21 tweets
Dec 15, 2021
Decoding Kohli vs BCCI: a brief thread.

1. In Sep, Kohli announced his resignation from T20 captaincy claiming too much work-load. In Oct, he stood up for Shami who faced islamophobic attacks. In Dec, BCCI unceremoniously sacked Kohli as the ODI captain via a tweet.
2. Few days ago, BCCI President Ganguly claimed that he had requested Kohli not to step down as T20 captain, but since he did, they had to remove him as ODI captain because they "can't have two white-ball captains". Kohli today clarified that no such conversation happened.
3. From the moment Kohli stood up for Shami, he became an adversary for India's ruling party. He faced targeted attack on social media from their minions. The act of his sacking as the ODI captain was a form of "punishment" for "turning out to be woke".
Read 4 tweets
Dec 15, 2021
Gender-neutral uniforms in schools is definitely the way to go and kudos to Kerala schools for getting the ball rolling. Gender-based clothing is a social construct that needs to be disassembled, especially as it is riddled with the oppressive binary of men vs women.
The argument that gender-neutral uniforms in schools go against the student's individual freedom doesn't quite hold water because the idea of uniform in itself is against individual freedom but it is justifiably mandated to create a sense of equality and unity among students.
However, "why pants for all, and not skirts?" is not a question to be mocked or ignored. It is indeed relevant to address the fact that our idea of gender-neutral may be influenced by the existing patriarchal norms but using this to oppose gender-neutral uniform is disingenuous.
Read 6 tweets
Nov 28, 2021
It would be foolish not to acknowledge that many more Hindus (and even Christians) in Kerala are indeed gradually buying into Sangh Parivar’s communal narratives (both Hindu supremacism & Islamophobia) even though they don’t vote for BJP yet. 1/n
This is why INC had to take a position indistinguishable from that of BJP in Sabarimala case to appease their vote base. Or why Shashi Tharoor flaunts his Nair legacy. Or why politicians across the spectrum came to defend the Bishop who recently made Islamophobic remarks. 2/n
The vast participation of non-Sanghis in the recent anti-Muslim propaganda about “spitting in food” is a testament to how ubiquitous islamophobia is in Kerala. The propaganda of “love jihad” that resulted in immense anti-Muslim violence across India started in Kerala too. 3/n
Read 6 tweets
Oct 21, 2021
“Arranged marriage” is basically child marriage for older children based on caste. It has to be abolished.
Aren’t the “older children” adults? Then how is it “chid marriage”?

For parents, their children will always be children, whatever their age. So as long as parents arrange the marriage for their child, it is a child marriage irrespective of age.
What about those who are unable find love and want their partner “arranged”?

People can use whatever legal ways they can to find a partner including advertisements, it just should not be “arranged” by parents, nor should the parents feel that it’s their duty to do so.
Read 4 tweets

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