I have a son. He is barely seven months old. We are dragging him to the third country of residence next month. The whole process of moving halfway across the globe is fuelled by just one thought – for posterity. So when it comes to raising him, I want him to be raised the proper way – as a feminist.
Like many powerful concepts, the concept of feminism is not fully understood by many – even by some who claim to be feminists. Well, this is not a place to correct the viewpoints, but I will try my best to stick to the original idea – equal rights for women in all areas of life.
And as a man, I am ashamed that it has come to it. It is shameful that women have to fight for their rights, and those same rights are gifted to a boy, just because he has an appendage between his legs. This is a false entitlement. And to shield my boy for this kind of ridiculous notions, I have decided to expose him to the concept early on.
So here are the reasons why I want to do so.
1. It makes sense
For ages, women have been on the wrong end of what can be called ‘fair’. They gained the right to vote only recently. So it is only fair that they are treated fairly. There is no doubt about it.
And it looks like the American women are going to lose their right to decide for their bodies soon. Planned Parenthood, the establishment that gave women the right to decide if they were ready to be a mother, is in the process of losing funding. The reason why some women are supporting this move is beyond my comprehension. But let us not make this political.
Son, your mother and I are working towards ending this gap. So when you read this, hopefully, you will be growing up in a world where you are going to take a few things for granted. I took my freedom for granted. Hopefully you start taking equality as a norm.
2. Oppression is ugly
When my kid grows up, he will see many kinds of people. Now, the thing with people is that they want things, but may not be worthy of them. So these people then start snatching things that are not theirs. A sense of superiority is one of them. That is why there are wife-beaters and child-abusers walking among us with heads held high. They get their sense of purpose by breaking wills and dominating those who cannot fight back. They are bullies.
This business is ugly. We all have a power within us to see the right and wrong. Even the oppressor knows that whatever he is doing is wrong. Feminism is important here, as when someone, anyone, stands against such cowardice, things start to change. So chose the right side son!
3. He will be a dad some day
What kind of dad treats his sons and daughters differently? – a spineless one. I don’t want my son to be a cold-blooded spineless sponge. Equality starts at home. And when one decides to fight for other person’s right to freedom, he shows the world that he understands the equation of humanity.
So when I have grandchildren, they need to be exposed to ideology that spells equality. I may or may not be there to witness this, but in my heart, I want them to be kindhearted souls that would not think of taking someone’s rights away.
And that is why, mums and dads, I want my son to be raised as a feminist. That does not mean he is going to be raised any differently. He is just going to be raised as he should be – believing that everybody has a right to exist equally.
Read: Why we need to teach our sons to be good men without pressuring them to ‘man up’
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