In what is a paradox of modern times, a lady I am acquainted with wrote an article on the apathetic state of unavailability of brides for most men in urban society; and the correspondingly irrational needs/statutory requirements the few brides who are available, present. Thankfully, the article doesn't condone the high handedness of any one gender conditionally (or otherwise). But it does point to "how the times have changed" in the sense that brides who wouldn't have been worth a second look a few decades earlier (for extremely flimsy reasons and reasoning) are now in high "demand" (Yes, brides and grooms are commodities for sale in contemporary society). And conversely, the very kind of groom who would reject brides like turning down HoLige at the 'in-law's house, is now there at that very house, probably cleaning the table after his bride-to-be has retreated to watching television.
Global warming is killing us. But screw us, we're the ones responsible for the mess. Unfortunately though, the first casualties of global warming would be plants and animals. in particular, the Bengal Tiger. Now it can be argued that it is fate biting the tiger in the ass (Do NOT try that at home), a deserved fate for an animal that for hundreds of years has preyed on several "innocent" animals, and god forbid, even the occasional human. But justice must be restored to balance of all crimes of tigers past, by killing off the dastardly ones alive today.
Anyway, that was a completely unrelated lament. My loving dedication to all wannabe-feminists (just the wannabe's) to get extremely worked up and make themselves feel important and empowered for however long it takes for the next time a Kareena Kapoor video is played on TV.
By no stretch of imagination is the previously mentioned analogy plausible in this ongoing drama between men and women. It is laughable to think that some these "men" I've met could be called tigers. Likewise it is also humourous to think that this approach of modern brides to be, to be the same as global warming. Although, I must say, both global warming and women seem to induce the same effect in me. Suffocation. Just kidding. Maybe not.
The stories I've read of women oppressed through the ages have had a very disturbing effect on how I think about society as a whole. The problem for me is not so much of the cycle of women oppressed-men grovelling in succession. Rather, as i see it, it is, men oppressing-men grovelling-men taking "revenge"-men grovelling with the constant sub-layer of women being oppressed-women being annoyed-women getting oppressed and annoyed-women getting disgusted. Men have been acting without the slightest thought, and women have only been reacting. I say this, not out of sexist prejudice but, it appears to me that for all history it appears that when snobby grooms were unacceptably dismissive, the brides felt hurt (understandably so) and now, when grooms are on more than one knee, they're flustered (well understandable too)?
My question is, has society gotten it completely wrong? The approach men have taken is obviously brash, uncouth and not pleasant. But why haven't women initiated anything i say! Give the stupid men an opportunity to react, maybe that would herald the beginning of an equisexual society (Yes I made that word up, and I like it). But no they won't. And not even present a reason why they won't. "I needn't have to tell you. You're supposed to know. Humpf!". The answer could lie in my observation that however stupid it might be, men have a practical understanding of what they want. They (we) have had an unwaveringly strong stance over millennia. We want the "sex" and the "eyelashes" to flutter unabatedly as we whine about our various sorrows from the past day, week, lunar or martian cycle. These two needs constitute the three cornerstones of manhood.
Clearly the last cornerstone is missing in a lot of men, none of whom are single.
(Hmmm, maybe there is something to that.)
But what is it that women want?
Frooo... oooo... oosh. (That was the sound of hell freezing over with that question still unanswered)
"Good looks"? Well how long will that last? Surely women know all about that. (Ok, that was mean. Sorry). "being well settled" (Coded phrase to mean being-loaded)? No comments on this one. Maybe the men who want fair, slim and homely brides have something to say. "A good sense of humour"? Bollocks, a woman wouldn't know a good joke if she was reading one right now. I'm kidding. Am I? No really. Oh well. *smirk*
A pictorial representation of probable vectors involving society and women would appear thus.
In vectorial terms, it appears Society's needs and Women's happiness would never meet in positive planes.
Furthermore, upon juxtaposition of our previous diagram.
We find that only being whiny will cause least distress with women while being highly acceptable with society. Intellectualism, is of course unacceptable on both axes.
Digressing, at the present rate of temperature change the Sunderbans, the last thriving habitat of the bengal tiger will be under 10 feet of water in a little more than 20 years. But anyway.
Coming back to my friend's article, I'd hate to think that this cycle is perpetual, as it appears on the face of it. I'd loathe the thought that my hypothetical male offspring from my postulated spouses and mistresses could turn out to be the sexists that my ancestors apparently were. Even more so would I dislike the planned female offspring of my hypothetical male offspring to be the unreasonable brides of today. But, like the bipolar couple that is society's needs and WHI, so too are reality and my hopes for the same.
The reason of course, why all this came up is because how many of my friends, especially females ones are getting married (well, for the most part in India, for every girl getting married, there's a guy as well, but that's not what I meant). So I just wanted to wish the lucky bastards the best of married lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment