Victimhood, Feminism and Identity Discourse!

A Post-modern Feminist Demonstration

Cruising through the day, I stumbled upon a rusty graffiti around South Delhi which said “Hum Pinjra tod ke aaye hain” (We came out by breaking the cage). Not knowing what it was, my curiosity made me stop listening to songs and google what it was about (I remember listening to “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen at the time. It would have been really funny if it was “I Want To Break Free” instead). And there it goes, I found another social issue, maybe political (Who knows really!), that happened a decade ago, and I had no clue about it. Fundamentally, Pinjra Tod was a feminist movement in 2015 which challenged the unnecessary impositions on students, purely based on gender, which majorly curbed any female to step out of her hostel after 8 pm. Yes, 8 pm. Well, however noble the intentions of this movement were, some activists left it into something which caused discrimination on another aspect, which is caste. Some were later charged due to their involvement in CAA 2019 protests and Delhi Riots in 2020. It creates an impression of “upliftment in assumptions but political gains in conclusions.” This is nothing but identity politics, in layman terms, divide and rule.

You know, there was a time when identity politics or feminism were powerful forces of positive change. These were the movements born out of genuine struggle, movements that fought for fairness, for equality under the law, for the right to be treated as individuals with dignity and respect. Basically, something like the movement above, which started off with noble intentions, to reform the social system, to value women as people just like men in the society. But somewhere along the way, this message shifted. And now, when we look back, we see social turmoil; which makes us wonder. I don’t know about you but it makes me wonder if those ideals have been twisted into something less prudent, or into something harmful. Something corrosive, like acid. Before the outrage begins, let me clarify that I am not dismissing the historical importance of any movement that fought for fundamental rights, women’s suffrage, civil rights, or the fight against discrimination. I believe these were some struggles which were very significant in nature, which changed the course of the world into something better. But something did really shift, maybe it was another “Silent Revolution” that Christophe Jaffrelot probably missed, or it was something the deep state is always accused for, but something did change. And the shift that I am talking about, it needs to be said, well, at least by someone: “Post-modern feminism and identity politics have done more harm than good to this generation.”

I come from an essentially masculine household, which is ironically managed by my lovely mother, somehow she does not wish to take the credit for it, and never does. I was raised prominently by my mom and my elder sister, and while doing so, I would hear different anecdotes as to how a woman really is, her traits, wishes and desires, many stories of bravery and of sensitivity; a full spectrum of womanhood (Long story short, I am not a misogynist!). She would tell me how the society was before and how it has ‘progressed’ now, basically referring to how her generation as well as my grandmother’s generation was about fighting for real, tangible equality; like the right to vote, to work, to be treated fairly. My mom was right, she always is! (except when she says I don’t study at all or I am on my phone all the time).

An Anti-men Demonstration

Coming back, the feminism I see today, is about ‘Entitlement’ and not ‘Empowerment’. Young women are being taught that they are oppressed not because of systemic barriers but because of mere existence of men, suffering of an omnipresent patriarchy (You know what, now it feels like it's not even ‘Entitlement’ but ‘Resentment’). Women are being told that masculinity itself is toxic, that every interaction between the opposite sexes is mere dominance. Truth to be told, this has just created a trust deficit between the two sexes, women are projected as perpetual victims, fragile and in need of constant protection from “mansplaining” and “male gaze” while on the other, men are afraid to speak their minds, even terrified that a joke would be labelled as harassment. But the female rights activists would always push this narrative of “systemic oppression” because victimhood has become their currency. Because it offers moral authority, a shield against criticism. Most importantly, there’s power in being perceived as oppressed. It’s easier to blame the patriarchy than to face personal challenges face on. Here, I talk openly, without hesitation, because it’s the truth (Hemlock is most probably on the way).

And then there’s identity politics—post-modern feminism’s ideological cousin. It started perhaps with good intentions, to amplify the voices of marginalised sections, the vulnerable sections of the society, to ensure everyone has a seat at the table. But the reality lies in the fact that, now it has become a tool for political mobilisation, maybe even an obsession for dividing people into different categories, reducing a human into parameters and indicators! A person’s worth is judged by how many boxes they tick. The more categories of perceived oppression you can claim, the higher your moral standing. Merit has taken a back seat and your background claims its authority now. You have a higher chance of becoming a minister if you represent a certain identity or identities (favourable if multiple) than your competence, call it tokenism or vote bank politics.

The problem it creates is similar to that of the argument of “straw feminists” that there is oppression everywhere, even when it’s really not there. It has made its way so deep that even disagreement is a hate speech now. If you challenge such narratives, you’re labelled as a bigot, a misogynist, a racist—no further debate allowed. We now have raised a generation so sensitive, so shielded from discomfort that they now fear words. Words. Ideas that challenge them are labelled “violence.” This is really just a division of a solid unity of people on very trivial issues which are politicized so to the brim that people get offended if someone mistakes their identity for something else, which seems fair enough, but raises particular questions such as, do you really want to be identified like what you say? I mean an entrepreneur, a scientist or maybe a lawyer would be better, if not, an engineer (Its okay, you have a special place, engineers, sadly in my heart though, maybe not in the company you want…) but you conscientiously choose to be identified as what, AS GAY? I mean how reductionist can you be? People should stop reducing their personality just to their sexual orientation and begin thinking of an alternative. I think calling themselves as “ideologically addled” might be a good start.

Trump allegedly displayed as a "Misogynist"

Now, the reason I am so critical of these two ideologies is because it robs young people of resilience. Every failure is someone else’s fault. Some of the radical feminists have waged a war against men, pointing towards the abolition of heterosexual marriages. In short, one tells root cause is men, and the other blames it on the society. The end result? Loneliness. Isolation. Anxiety. Depression. SUICIDES! It’s very evident that most of the second wave feminists (the radical ones who opposed heterosexual marriages) spent most of their life in solitary, away from social environment, without a husband, family or a child. They died, lonely, in their flats, where they lived with maybe just a cat as their pet (not even a dog, because they thought cats were more feminine and dogs resembled with essentially masculine traits). This is how sad the picture was for the people who were spearheading the so-called movement. They say “all’s well if it ends well” and I can not resist myself but ask “does it end well by demonizing men?”

Well, life isn’t fair. It never has been, and it never will be. But the way forward isn’t clinging to victimhood—its to rise above it. What if we stopped obsessing our differences and started focusing on common values—kindness, affection, courage? What if we reminded people that empowerment doesn’t come from perpetual outrage but from personal strength? What if, instead of teaching young people to dwell in their identities, we teach them the strength of humanity? I think its time we stop tearing people down in the name of justice. This generation needs power of self-determination. Not more resentment. Or division. The real path to equality isn’t found in endless grievance. An empowered character is enough, not to be shackled by identities. The pivotal question is—do we have courage to break free? I believe we do!