HeForShe:The Peaceful Coexistence of the Sexes

Dear Readers 

I’m sure by now you’ve all seen or heard of the UN pro-gender equality campaign #HeForShe, and especially the very eloquent Emma Watson‘s emotionally stirring speech.   

The quiver in her voice I felt emphasized the direness of the situation and served to further strengthen the whole message. 

Truly inspiring.

This set me off on an exciting, gear crunching thought process. 

What is sexism derived from?

Sexism stems from the biological differences between a male and a female, or in scientific terms the sexual dimorphism that arises due to the DNA composition of humans. 

Just for the sake of it I’ll mention a few differences both general and physiological:

Women have a higher life expectancy

Men have a higher muscle mass and testosterone 

Men have a higher tolerance of pain

Women are more cold resistant

Men have a larger and denser bone structure  

Women have better skin 

Men are from Mars 

Women are from Venus 

Women have a vagina 

Men have a penis 

I could go on. 

But the point is that this led my train of thought to the second stop of its journey. 

Generalization and Stereotyping

All the above mentioned qualities are generalizations based on quantified standard deviation, means and bell curves. Although statistical quantification has many merits, generalizations however come with a price.

The communion between these generalizations and society gives birth to skewed preconceptions and stereotyping. 

Women are weak, Men are Strong is a classic exemplification of prejudice that has been drilled into our subconscious. This is could not be further from the truth however. 

I direct you to footage of this 13 year old girl who bench presses 240 pounds; More than most of the guys I know and way more than I can which isn’t saying much but serves to render this preconception to be false.

The negativity that stems from standard deviation is that, for this skill she is considered an anomaly, an outlier. Women with muscular bodies are viewed as unnatural. Having no muscle tone or strength is a considered a threat to the masculinity of a man. 

Thankfully this narrow mindedness is dissipating rapidly, however the fact that it is still even present should be cause enough to take action should it not? 

Everyone is unique and has a unique set of traits, skills, ideals and flaws. Why aren’t we more accepting of the choices of our own species?  

Human nature 

We are a communal creatures and such I believe that we have an inherent need to fit in. But does this need to familiarize in turn cause a primal instinct to discriminate?  

It is indeed human nature to judge things; an ability that has enabled our very survival to be just.  However reckless, uneducated, biased and callous judgment instigates inequity and injustice. 

But are we all really equal? 

Equality and Communism

The answer is No.  There are countless factors that affect equality, cultural and general, local and global, most of which only serves to feed bigotry and intolerance.  So why then do we cling to such disparity? Why not level the playing field?

Thus, Communism was born.  An incredible sociological, political and economic notion and concept brought into theory by two German philosophers Karl Marx and Fredrich Engles, and first implemented by Lenin and further established by Stalin. It sought to eliminate the boundaries of social class and wealth and promote common ownership of resources and means of production. 

Although a revolutionary ideology its functionality suffered due to the fact that it didn’t take into account that people, although communal, were indeed diverse, in their beliefs, needs and aspirations leading to its demise.

  

Inequality

Inequality it would seem is the fundamental nature of the world. We all start our lives at different places, associate with different societies and adopt different ideals and morale compasses. Yet it is this struggle through inequality to achieve our destinies or goals that inspires change, makes us push the boundaries of our knowledge and motivates us to strive for continuous improvement.  

And if by some extraordinary event we manage to achieve absolute equality we would simply be dull drones living the same life stuck in a state of homeostasis.

Inequality adds diversity to life, and in my eyes, diversity enriches the existence of humanity.

However this only applies to general inequality. Inequality between races, gender, sexual orientation and classes should be abolished.

Equal opportunity, rights, and tolerance should be afforded to everyone.

My perspective 

This winding track which my train of thought chugged along finally arrived at station “where do I stand” 

Call me old fashioned but I think it is highly inappropriate for a man to hit a woman, although there are probably many women (including my girlfriend) who could kick my ass in a real fight, just boils down to how I was raised. 

Gender equality doesn’t necessarily mean that boys and girls should be treated in the exact same way

The general aim for the HeForShe program is to instill equality amongst the genders based on the following principles.

Both genders should have the same rights

Both genders should be offered the same protection from the law

Both male and female counterparts must have the same wages

 

Both genders must be given the same respect 

Both genders should be given the same opportunities

                                                             

It sickens me to think that there are some patriarchal societies that think of women as possessions given to men to be done with as they please.  Not only is this archaic viewpoint morally and ethically wrong to its core but it is obsolete and only a hindrance to the growth of the community.  

I urge, beg and plead for men, especially to the youth, who are in such communities to step back and grasp the gravity of these actions; these are irrefutable and unforgivable crimes and sins against the entire race of humanity.  

Think of these actions being performed on your mothers, your sisters and  your daughters 

Seek Repentance

Seek Change

Seek Equality