The right-wing misogyny on Twitter during Eid reminded me of an interaction I witnessed when I was about 10. Buckle up for an "insider" RSS story, kids ...
1/
1/
I come from a family that had (I say had because my dad was too lazy to be associated with anything) a strong RSS connection. My grandfather was a shakha man. Most of his friends -- orthodox Maharashtrian brahmins -- were associated with RSS.
2/
2/
This incident is from a time when grandmother's younger sister was visiting us. My grandmother and her sister were polar opposites. While GM was a karmath (orthodox to a T) person, who practised all the brahmincal ideas of "cleanliness" (yes, read it however you want to) ...
3/
3/
... and believed in the patriarchy, her sister was a firebrand, independent thinking person, who would be feminist even by today's standards, and had a healthy disdain for patriarchy. I don't know what she thought of "Brahmanism", but that's not relevant here
4/
4/
So on that day, a friend of my grandfather had come to visit him, but since he was out, as was the custom, he was invited into the "living room" (not that we had a living room), and was served tea, and being a family friend, they all started talking.
5/
5/
This guy, an author of a (surprise, surprise -- one sided) book about partition, started lamenting about how women these days are wearing "Punjabi dress", and how every Hindu woman must wear "nauwaari saree" (the traditional Indian saree)
6/
6/
Rangu maushi, as the young sister was called affectionately, had heard enough. "So why are you wearing a shirt and pant", she asked point-blank. The expression on the face of the guy was priceless -- instant anger at being called out by a mere woman.
7/
7/
He tried to argue - voice uneven, words faltering - but Rangu-maushi didn't suffer fools. She just called out his hypocrisy, loud and clear, and he stormed out, seething with righteous anger. I don't remember the particulars of the debate, but I remember his reactions.
8/
8/
Remember, this was an older generation. Not as "crass" as today's right-wing extremists are, but the institutionalized misogyny (thanks to male superiority) is a hallmark of the right. The treatment given to widows in "paavam" Brahmin homes then is a testimony to that.
9/
9/
Women, in that worldview, are inferior by design. So the leap from that "foundation" to overt misogyny is hardly surprising. Remember, for all the faux concern this group has for the plight of Muslim women, they see them as "objects", more inferior to their own women ...
10/
10/
... who aren't treated as intelligent beings, either. There is just hierarchy (or low-rarchy, if there were such a word) between women, in their eyes, and only women who are "respected" are those who play by their rules: The obedient, self-less DILs, the patriarchal MILs.
11/
11/
And if there are two things that bind right-wing extremists, it's their hate for the Muslims (I've heard enough slurs growing up, in otherwise, educated, cultured members) and their "male-centric" worldview. And Muslim women are the perfect target.
12/
12/
But make no mistake about it, if not Muslims, they'd go after any women (bottom-up in their hierarchy) to feel "superior". And that is why it's extremely important for sane Hindus to keep calling them out, like Rangu-maushi, on their infractions, small or big!
13/
13/
Channel your inner Rangu-maushi every time you see these guys going after minorities (or just being bigots) - WA groups, family/friend gatherings ... When you call out their bigotry, you'll see that they don't have much of an argument. It's like their emperor's clothes.
14/
14/
Their power is in our silence. To strip them of it, you need to keep calling 'em out. Consistently. Remember: a ten-year-old boy was saved from that ecosystem, thanks to 1 such "calling out". Words matter. Don't be a bystander. Be an #upstander. In all spheres. Thank you!
END/
END/
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
