In response to
Guest post “Sexual Violence, Consumer Culture and Feminist Politics –
Rethinking the Critique of Commodification” Sreenanti Banerjee on Kafila /FEB 03, 2013
On social activist Arundhati Roy’s intreview on the Delhi Gang Rape Case, conducted by channel 4 (a British Media House)
The Right, Left, Centre and the Aam Woman
“I , an intellectual from the Centre,You a one book intellectual Left ? He, a Right wing thinker.What does it matter ?
Centre – Such women, taking calculated risks ?
Right – Wearing western clothes, mimicking the west !
Left – Western consumerist, values de-possessing the already poor…
It’s all the fault of urban and semi urban women
These are frivolous giddy young women,
Consumerist to the core if upper middle class or lowest.
Their crime is not that they are born in to the middle class milieu..
It’s just that they have neither read your ideology nor mine.
Worse they do not jump in to my mind’s bandwagon nor yours.
What do we care if they face the social and economic constraints
or have to move with the times – Morally weak,
They have not joined my mindset nor yours.
Too bad if they get raped…….off course a dalit or rural rape is worse.
Who is that interrupting? What are they saying ? “
We, the Aam Aurat, from Delhi
We are women of the trodden men and women of men who trod on others.
We gathered and the Media focussed on us……
Because,Left, Right or Centre all could see
As the world saw the lone man at the Tiananmen Square
Just as you protest at Jantar Mantar, so the world media could see
We, the women fed up, jolted, cried out as one….
Punish both, the rich rapist and the poor.
You might be right when you support the Robbing Hoods
For stealing from the Rich to feed the Poor.
Whoever heard of Robbing Hoods approving
Raping the sheriff’s women Or women who dwelt in his County ?
Rape is horrendous…it’s not mere violation of a woman’s right over her body,
It is more, a fundamental dangerous statement….
It says never mind rapists political ideology…
Males, of the Left, Right or even the Centre
Intellectual or otherwise, shall speak up for them
In the most insidious, sneaky ways, by allusions and collusion.
What pains is concurrence from you Women from Left, Right & Centre
For they well know, these psychopaths
That though they can not vent their frustration
Kick,Hit or Kill a Dog, Cat or Horse or even your or their own pet Snake,
(There is a powerful lobby to protect them.
Sensible too, for they don’t care whether the Dog or Cat
Is Exotic, Costly or pampered).
But Women ? Ha ! Ha ! They are fair game !
There are lobbies who shall pontificate on Discrimination and Reverse Discrimination…
We the Aam Women, of no ideology have none.
That’s why we were out in Delhi,
The wannabe dalit woman, the backward and the forward
All there.
For we realised..
Such Psychopathic Men are united, they need no reason to rape.
Besides, why bother ?
You all Men & Women, intellectuals from Left, Right & Centre
Shall build up the excuses and absolutions.
Ashwaruda 