- In Hinduism the god Vishnu took the form of a boar in order to save the Earth from a demon who had dragged it to the bottom of the sea.
- The pig is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar.
- In Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and other older Christian groups, pigs are associated with Saint Anthony the Great, the patron saint of swineherds.
Now, you may ask what did I do to be called a MCP so many times last month. Well, I just honestly answered this question. "Would you be ecstatic if your wife were to earn way more than you?" (Damn, I didn't even take a second to answer this..should have at least pretended that I am giving it a thought). Intrigued by being called something other than a dick, I did a little googling to find out out what exactly does this term stands for -
A male chauvinist pig was a term used in the 1960s among feminists for men, usually with some power (such as an employer or professor), who believed that men were superior and expressed that opinion freely in word and action.
"Chauvinist" means someone who assertively maintains that his or her kind -- usually people of the same nationality -- are superior; "chauvinism" refers to an extreme and bigoted form of patriotism.
"Pig" was a word of derision used by some student activists in the 1960s and 70s to refer to police officers and, by extension, others with power.
After reading this I was quite sure that I dont qualify to be a MCP as my not being comfortable with my wife earning way more than me (that is if somone is crazy enough to marry me at the first place) has nothing to do with 'male superiority over female' garbage. It is plain jealousy, and jealousy is gender agnostic.
We all know that our scoiety has miles to go before women liberation is realised in the true sense of the word. Most women in our stinking society are at the receiving end of appaling and brutal expressions of male assertiveness, something that we need to quell forever. But, are we making the right noises? Are we addressing the right issues here? I dont think so, for all the english news channels debates I have seen on women emancipation have more or less been centerd around -
- Kata laga girl's right to wear a thong and how item girls should not be typecasted
- Complexion debate. you called me kaala kalutha? how dare you?
- Missing out on top civil service berths due to alleged gender bias
- Size Zero Vs Vuluptous figure
- Airhostesses right to bring down the plane with their weight etc etc
But, not even once I have heard these so called ' bra burning feminists' talk with the same vigor about the 'real' problems faced by the women in villages or the ones belonging to relatively poorer sections of the society. Women in such places have no freedom to speak of, and may I dare say lead a life of unimaginable horror. They have always been stuck right in the middle of a voilent tornado encircled by century old superstitions and sick male chauvinism. Unfortunately it dosen't look as if this tornado would subside anytime soon. Thank god for Brits for having conquered us and banning the 'Sati' tradition, for I am sure we Indians blinded by superstition would have never done it.
It would only be appropriate to touch on furore over 'women reservation bill' which proposes 'Reservation for women at each level of legislative decision-making, starting with the Lok Sabha, down to state and local legislatures.' If the Bill is passed, one-third of the total available seats would be reserved for women in national, state, or local governments. In continuation of the existing provisions already mandating reservations for scheduled caste and scheduled tribes, one-third of such SC and ST candidates must be women.
I am not against the bill as such, but am not sure if this going to solve any problems. We have a women president, does that help? hell no! We dont need more women representation in parliament, what we need are massive pain stacking initiatives at grass root level to educate people and kill the century old male chauvinistic attitude. Raise the economice stature of women in the villages by educating them and arming them with desired skills (Few coporate initiatives such as HLL Shakti Ammas haven been a major success). Reservation is never a solution to a problem, its like putting a simple bandage over a grave wound and not treat it properly, this would eventually lead to the amputation of the limb.
But in this case, one may argue that a larger women representation in the parliament would bring these issues to the forefront and accelerate the healing process. If so, then bring it on!
