Let’s talk about something interesting: Slutwalks. What is a Slutwalk? Wiki answers:
The SlutWalk protest marches began on April 3, 2011 in Toronto, Canada and have since become an international movement sparking rallies across the world. The SlutWalk rallies protest the belief that female rape victims are “asking for it”. The original march walked from Queen’s Park to the Toronto Police Headquarters located on College Street. All sexes, races, and sexual orientations were represented, and the attire of the marchers ranged from conservative to revealing to zany. The protesters marched in response to remarks made by a Toronto Police officer that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized”, and also in response to comments made by a Manitoba judge when giving a convicted rapist a sentence of house arrest.
The motive is reclamation of the word ‘slut’ from being derogatory to being liberating. ‘Slut’ is a word used very often by guys to refer to any woman they hold a grudge against: A woman — or even just a person with long hair whose face you cannot see — cut you in traffic? Slut. A woman at work is way out of your league? Slut.
You get the idea. A similar movement began in the 70s called Take Back The Night. The difference here is the prominent use of ‘slut’.
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At it’s core, the idea brings an uncomfortable idea in the open to spark a debate. A similar recent example was PETA’s ad showing babies being cooked in a microwave to drive home their point of veganism.
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Today, news is that Delhi is organizing a Slutwalk. I have mixed feelings about it. That is to say while I think the women (and men) participating have a right to slutwalk and should do whatever they think contributes to a solution — much like my thoughts about Anna Hazare or Baba Ramdev — it is not the most brilliant idea ever conceptualized.
[But I'm just an armchair talker. If you are a participant, you should ignore this post and continue with your work.]
Reason one is the title. I don’t have any problems with the word slut or its connotation (In fact, I respect sluts — as defined by misogynists – more than I respect normal women. Oh, I’m serious!). I reckon a middle ground between naari mukti andolan and slutwalk would’ve been amazing. The Pink Chaddi Campaign was ingenious. Even a rickshaw driver could easily understand it. With slut, I’d reckon that almost none of the molesters in Delhi except for the educated chauvinists would have heard the word. But I’m not sure if the walk will indeed be called a Slutwalk.
Second, I fear this movement is turning into an echo chamber. This I feel after reading blogs and tweets from supporters of the issue. The Pink Chaddi campaign attracted a similar demographic but I won’t be surprised if that pwns Slutwalk in getting the message across. Across is the key word here: The message needs to go from the victim to the perpetrator.
All said, women who show up will feel liberated — as echo chambers often function — and might be reason alone to slutwalk if you are a woman.
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With its flaws, the participants are not frivolous activists though. Much like those who fasted for a day with Anna Hazare weren’t frivolous or wannabe-activists but did whatever they could to get the message across.
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Humans, I believe, haven’t evolved much from being animals. Given a chance and the necessary power, we will still oppress or rape or kill other humans or animals. Being civilized has made us more efficient animals, if anything. Just look at the number of rapes in cars in the capital for evidence. Or how efficiently we produce meat.
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June 8, 2011 at 9:26 am
Purnima Rao
If I were to be absolutely honest, there is so much rage inside me for having lived 32 years of my life trapped by what may or may not label me a slut that my first reaction to the term Slutwalk (& the idea behind it) was almost euphoric.
For me, that sense of ‘liberation’ is the starting point, a fuel for change. Which is why I feel the Slutwalk is important (if not for anything else then just for women to feel that freedom and security even for just a couple of hours). But I think you already know that.
But it would be dangerous if I just stopped at that feeling of euphoria. And that’s where I agree with you & several of the tweeters from last night’s #Slutwalk debates on Twitter. We may have to rethink the term ‘slut’, we will HAVE to adapt this formula to include women from all socio-economic backgrounds. We also have to be careful not to label all men as ‘bastards’. etc. etc.
I’ll be participating in the slutwalk & I’ll be anxious to see how it unfolds. It could fizzle out if people can’t relate to it or if it becomes a joke. Or it could be a show of strength & self-affirmation that goes on to do great things like the Gay Pride Parade did.
I hope it’s the latter because I’m idealistic like that.
June 8, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Deepak
I few thoughts:
1. Would you and others feel the same way if it were called a ‘Randi Walk’?
2. Atleast some supporters are wasting their time discovering new bastards or that tiny bit of bastardness in clearly (to me) non-sexist males. It would be great to identify the right enemy, as you said now.
3. Humour and satire is holy to me. And I disagree with the ‘anyone making any joke/pun is sexist’ premise. This was mentioned in the popular blogpost that I decided not to link to as I wasn’t certain the trackback would lead to constructive debate.
June 8, 2011 at 8:14 pm
Purnima Rao
1. Yes, I absolutely would. Specially since the word ‘randi’ has been hurled at me in the past. Cannot speak for others.
3. I also agree that this subject like others is fair game for humourists. Having said that, it was interesting to observe some of the jokes on Twitter – they thought they were Lenny Brucing it up but often the jokes revealed their hidden prejudices. But deciding what’s genuinely funny & what’s not is a delicate matter – one that I often get wrong myself. To me, good humour – the best of satire – has a great deal of maturity in it – even if the punchline sounds juvenile.
June 9, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Deepak Iyer
I agree with your definition of good satire. But there is always silliness with small doses of profundity unless one is George Carlin. Even Jon Stewart has to resort to silliness.
I’m also not sure about how you conclude ‘hidden prejudices’ from jokes.
For instance, almost every gay joke stereotypes homosexuals. Does that mean everyone making them has hidden prejudices? Some sure might have, but to generalize in either way is questionable logic.
That said, I need to see the specific jokes you are referring to.
The LIFW or sidin’s quip aren’t examples of hidden prejudices. And if you have other examples, they have to be hidden, mind you, not obvious [:)]
June 10, 2011 at 5:11 am
Purnima Rao
I see what you did there and I concede my inarticulateness (is that a word?) When I say ‘hidden’ prejudices, I don’t mean that I’m reading layers within layers (ha ha) of their jokes in search for cryptic signs of misogyny.
What I meant was – and forgive me for what may seem like paranoia – that there are several men that I know of who, if asked to expound on issues like gender equality & individual freedoms, will have no qualms about saying (and in that moment being quite convinced) that they are all for it etc. etc.
Yet make a trip to Select Citywalk or attend a LIFW fashion show and suddenly, a woman dressed a certain way is a slut.
There’s a disconnect here and to be fair, it exists in both men & women. So what I meant by ‘hidden’ prejudices was this: In making jokes about the slutwalk, much was revealed about how many of us think. We may say that everyone has the right tho make their own life choices, yet we’re uncomfortable when certain individuals actually go ahead & do just that.
(It’s similar to when men say they love ‘working women’ as long as it doesn’t interfere with raising the kids – a valid expectation if it worked both ways, but sadly it doesn’t.)
And yes, I understand what you say about silliness, which is why I mentioned in my earlier comment that deciding what’s funny & not is a delicate thing and one that I often get wrong.
Here’s where I stand on humour: Everyone has the right to make jokes on everything. I’m not going to find everything funny – some jokes will be difficult for me to laugh at. Does that mean those guys don’t have the right to joke? Not at all. Does that mean I can’t express how unfunny I thought they were? Not at all.
June 8, 2011 at 10:35 am
Caius Preposterus
This is EXACTLY what I was telling Purnima yesterday on chat. “Slutwalk” loses relevance when you consider the animals they are targeting. I also brought up the Pink Chaddi campaign as the perfect example of universal appeal – although I mean “comprehension” and not actual appeal
I stand by the initiative but I hope it is consistent – because systemic change is a slow process. In the case of misogyny and sexism, much of it needs to start at home. Slutwalk is a wonderful tool for empowerment and it is a punchy way to reaffirm independence. The pity – it will only last a few hours.
On another note, and I’m NOT being frivolous, this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4trrE7Y5X_I is the best short-term solution. A lawyer friend disagreed with me calling it “vigilante” and “criminal” but I see it as self-preservation. I read a post the other day where the writer narrates an incident of a man sitting next to her in a Delhi bus who whipped out his penis and started touching her with it. Everyone looked away and she sat silently, fuming.
I understand the dangerous consequences associated with retaliation but it’s either bodily harm or losing your self-respect.
If you want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself. A few friends confirmed that no Delhi bus rides were undertaken without the sharp point of a compass on hand to deal with gropers. Why not?
June 8, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Deepak
I have to agree with the self-defense argument. It’s just good sense while social reforms take place. (I can’t comment about legal details though: Would one be totally exonerated in case one uses the weapon? How much injury would be okay for a deliberate brushing against, for instance, a girl’s thighs?)
Then there’s another touchy issue: Where do we draw the line between sensible self-defense tactics and what feminists consider a ‘sexist who says they asked for it’?
As for people whipping out their penises or rubbing it in front of women, that’s a story atleast a few girls I know have *experienced*. The most bizarre incident was at a traffic light in the few seconds before the light turned green.
P.S. I did read the blogpost but I’ve explained above why I didn’t link to it.
June 8, 2011 at 8:23 pm
Purnima Rao
I don’t think any woman is dismissing self-defense as a tool against abusers. But this violence against women goes deeper.
It affects the mind. It affects how women feel about themselves. It starts at an early age – pre-puberty even – for most women, regardless of socio-economic background. Most girls don’t even have the opportunity to ‘outrage’ because they grow up in an environment where it’s just ‘part of life’.
Then ‘slutwalk’ comes along and the word shocks you into thinking about this trap you’ve lived in. For some the shock is too much so they dismiss the campaign altogether. For others, it’s a wake up call.
To be honest, I don’t see this campaign or this walk as a way to change a misogynist’s psyche (which is a much longer term, generational thing). I see it as a first step towards self-affirmation.
(Yeah, and the whipping out the penis thing, I think that’s happened to all the women I know…funny when you think there are all these penises being aired out all over the country, all of the time… )
June 8, 2011 at 8:42 pm
Purnima Rao
Sorry, went off on a tangent there…
June 9, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Deepak
On the self-affirmation point, I have a feeling the name and concept might alienate even liberal females. Two friends I know do not like the concept and wouldn’t take part in it. One had no opinion. They’re liberal and are vocal about feminist issues by most standards. How does this generalize to everyone else then?
That is why I fear it’ll turn into an echo chamber (meaning self-affirmation of already self-affirmed women). But I haven’t been following it closely enough to know if something is being done to bring women of all socio-economic backgrounds to the walk.
All said, if it makes someone happy, they should totally go for it
June 10, 2011 at 5:21 am
Purnima Rao
Well, let’s wait & watch. I’m attending because this is something that makes sense to me. I don’t know of too many women in Delhi who are ‘already self-affirmed’ enough to wear what they want to, when they want to & not fear aggression. So one hopes that this won’t be just an echo chamber. Will let you know how it turned out : )
Am curoius: why couldn’t your friends relate to this concept?
June 28, 2011 at 1:22 pm
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