The cost of security

Some say money can't buy happiness. Others disagree. But I think money plays a bigger role than just the ability to purchase. The more money you have, the more access you have to class or rather, status. For women, more money means better sanitary pads, and in some case any sanitary pads whatsoever since we know that many women in India can't afford sanitary pads at all.

Most of all, for women, money buys security. Safety is a major aspect of living life as a woman. The recent gangrape case of a Dalit girl by upper-caste men is a major reality check for those of us who are privileged, living in the city, where life is obviously free of such hierarchical structures of society, at least in the most obvious ways.

For women, money buys comfort and security. Privilege comes with status, comes with money.

But even though this is how life is, is this right? I always say, that certain things in life should be free, everyone should have access to those by the simple rule of them being alive, and I'm not talking about just humans.

Unfortunately, it's a straight white man's (utterly fucked) world. Let's see it from the perspective of men who are reduced to becoming rapists, especially these type of men who belong to the rural set up in India.

They are raised like the kings of the world simply because they are boys (due to the maddening obsession of Indians with having sons). Then they grow up and realize that they are more privileged than certain people out there such as the unfortunate Dalits. At the same time they realize that they are more privileged for simply being men because of how utterly biased this world is against women. To top that, they are poorer than some and have zero access to knowledge that builds character. This is a perfect formula to raise monsters!

For a boy to grow up to be a good man, he needs to build character, develop interests in some kind of sports or any other hobby that defines him as an individual. Somehow, Indians are failing miserably at providing a healthy environment for boys to grow up to be real men who enjoy the company of women in a respectful manner without seeing them as prey for the predator in them.

Long story short. Women have access to civilized men only based on the kind of environment they are in, the kind of money they have, the kind of education they are all receiving, the kind of variety of interests their men have access to. On the other hand, some unfortunate women still become victims despite having all of this... but oh well...

I am lucky to be surrounded by boys and men who are civilized... at least up until now, can't say that I will never come across a monster in my life. If I'm lucky, I won't... and that says a lot.

~~ToOdLeS~~