Breeding broken society
There may be many praises for the strength and ferocity of a woman. We may be applauded for having shoulders broad enough to carry a nation that is embroiled in self-doubt.
But no matter the depth of our tears and the spirit of an ever-rising phoenix, can we just get a break? Can we, as mothers, wives, sisters and girlfriends, be respected? Society needs education in treating women with dignity.
A video of a certain minister went viral and Twitter and social media commentators had their laughs for the day. While the man in the video remains the butt of jokes, there remains a wife who must smile as if she is unaffected. Society expects her to fall apart – and she refuses to let us see her tears. Are these not the triggers of a woman scorned?
Then, as we mourned hip-hop artist HHP, the story broke of his wife being ostracised by his family. Whether they were legally married or not, HHP considered her to be his wife – but outsiders have a mouthful to say.
She must bury her friend, her companion – and will also have to bury her legitimacy in his life.
Had this been a man in her uncomfortable shoes, the boldness in which she is delegitimised would never have happened, I believe.
There is very little security in being a woman. We are offered very little protection, respect and dignity for the struggles we face – and daily being dishonoured, if not by the men we marry, then the in-laws we marry into.
The spectacle becomes even more bitter when we are turned into fodder by public ridicule; when Twitter turns our challenges into jokes and tweets.
These are women who will one day crumble and we, who once scorned them with ridiculous jokes, will mourn them.
The responsibility ultimately rests with the men we align ourselves with.
They must protect us from the embarrassment.
Society must show basic human compassion and treat people, even those in the public eye, with the compassion they too would like to one day be shown if the shoe was on the other foot.
Broken women will inevitably breed a broken society.
Stop and think – all of this has far-reaching collateral damage.