Back to the basics
When I think about the #MeToo campaign that is raging across the world, I cannot help but come to this conclusion that it is not merely a question of rights, but it is more basic than that. It is about respect. Or, should I say lack of respect for another human being? Gender, religion, creed or colour, notwithstanding.
As we read a slew of reports of men in powerful positions being called out for exploiting women; harassing them with complete insolence and impunity, their salacious behaviour validated by the systemic silence, I wonder where did we go wrong. Is it the fault of the flawed institutions that are infested with patriarchal hypocrites or the problem is more basic than that? I guess it is the latter.
There is no running away from the fact that while teaching our kids the basics of three Rs – reading, writing and arithmetic – we forgot to instil in them the importance of the fourth R – respect.
In our new series ‘Let’s Talk’, we hope to bring to the table uncomfortable issues that are nibbling away at the social and moral fabric, leaving us tattered inside out. While it would be practically impossible to find a cure for the socio-psychological problem, the aim is to start a conversation, just so that we are able to not just heal better but are able to redeem ourselves in the eyes of our future generation.
While teaching our kids the basics of three Rs, we forgot to instil in them the importance of the fourth R – respect
And to kick-start the series, we touch upon the need to go back to the drawing board to sketch out the outline of what is appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. But more than that, the feature is about knowing what are our arms in this fight for dignity.
Read it all on page 18 and let me know your thoughts.