5 DEVASTATING Truths that need ME TOO
Who hasn’t heard or read about the Me Too movement?
Me, a word that acts as a reference to oneself, the self that one learns to accept and love, and save from harm’s way since the beginning of one’s life. Too, a word that means also, or in addition to. However, when ‘Me’ and ‘Too’ are combined — Me Too — these two tiny words lose their simple natures to adopt a much greater and horrifying complexity.
VICTIMIZATION!!
And as you all know, in the present scenario, the Me Too movement represents sexual harassment, one of the worst forms of victimization. But then, which form of victimization isn’t the worst?
Victimization is a long word with an even longer list of woes. In a world filled with GOOD and BAD, there will never be a dearth of victims. But, what does the word victim actually mean?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, victim is defined in the following ways:
i) A person harmed, injured, or killed as the result of a crime, accident, or any other event of action
ii) A person who has come to feel passive and helpless in the face of misfortune or ill-treatment
iii) A person who is tricked or duped
iv) A living creature killed as a religious sacrifice
I think it’s imperative to say that all the above definitions point to one thing — SUFFERING.
Suffering is probably one of the most abstract concepts that exists in the world. It’s not something that can be seen, (suffering is not essentially visible to one and all in the same light). It can’t be felt (yes, you can feel your own suffering, but you can’t feel another’s suffering in the same way that they do).Suffering cannot be shared, (if it’s yours, you can’t reduce it by handing it over to someone else). It can’t be measured, (what seems like a death sentence to you, may just be an hour of agony for another).
I think by now, it’s quite clear that victimization and suffering go hand in hand.
Every passing day brings with it a story that narrates horrid details of past and present incidents of sexual harassment. It’s likely that some stories may be questionable truths, but then many are sadly the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It’s not easy to sit up one fine day, and reveal that you are or have been a victim.
A victim isn’t viewed in a very holy light anywhere around the world.
Weak!
Pathetic!
Stupid!
Irresponsible!
Burden!
Useless!
These are just a few accusations and opinions that accompany a victim on his or her path of misery. If a victim’s suffering is accompanied by so much negativity, then where does all the attention and fixation disappear to when a victim is finally able to triumph over his or her suffering?
Where are the encouraging words…
Congratulations!
Well Done!
Powerful!
Role model!
Spectacular!
Hero!
No, in today’s world, it’s not the good and the positive that deserves to be paraded. In fact, the trend is to shame, embarrass, and humiliate victims who have already swallowed their pain quietly. And if others aren’t available for this horrendous service, then victims themselves are quick to put themselves down, and assume that it’s partly their own doing for all the ill that has transpired with them.
What a traumatic twist to an already traumatic twist of life and faith!
However, victimization and the Me Too slogan isn’t just limited to sexual harassment. Come to think of it, victimization can be categorized into many more heinous categories. And for every such category, there will be an uprising of many injured hearts, minds, and bodies, not shying away from screaming ‘ME TOO’!!
Me Too is a sad reality that had found home in the voice and conscious minds of many victims.
Yes victims!
Just as suffering is abstract, so is victimization. There are no definite parameters that describe an act of victimization. If a person is left feeling emotionally distraught or physically harmed, then they are definitely a victim that has suffered.
Let’s take a look at some of the preposterous acts and reasons that would trigger an avalanche of many more ME TOOs.
1) The curse of RACISM
Superiority and inferiority have often been defined in terms of physical features such as skin color and facial attributes. How many of you have encountered racism, especially if you’re not white? It is demeaning and torturous. It defies all the laws of logic, and has no history or background to support its barbaric nature. Racism can range from a few mean words to gory acts of violence. It’s the subjugation of humans by humans for the sake of dehumanizing the very concept of humanity.
Many have been a VICTIM of Racism!
I’m sure many more will say ‘Me Too’!
2) A question of CASTEISM
Now where racism doesn’t apply, casteism kicks in. This is prejudice and discrimination based on the basis of one’s caste. A caste is a hereditary class distinguished by purity and social status. Now, in countries like India, where caste carries great importance and value, especially in the Hindu society, people are automatically demeaned for being born to a lower class. And with the practice of caste system having been around for many centuries, different castes have developed and progressed according to their means and opportunities. So if you’re born in a higher caste, you most probably are better off socially as well as economically as compared to a person born in a lower caste. Treated with disdain, and made to live with a feeling of despair and guilt, the low-castes are humans given a tag of ‘not so human’.
Many have been a VICTIM of Casteism!
I’m sure many more will say ‘Me Too’!
3) The brunt of BULLYING
Bullying is a social evil that can take on numerous forms. It affects people from all walks of life. You can never be too old or too young to be bullied. It takes place in schools, colleges, offices, homes, and even in crowded public places. Bullies don’t need a reason to bully, and will justify their actions with any lame excuse. Children, adults, and the elderly, can bully and be bullied too. It’s simply a matter of mind over muscle, or should I say vice-versa. Bullying can be verbal or physical, and the latest trend is cyber-bullying. Sit back, kick up your feet, and rip to shreds the dignity of another human just for a few laughs, or to satiate some unexplained vindictiveness. Is this a technique to feel powerful, or a way to hide a feeling of extreme low self-worth? Whatever the reason for it, bullying has devastated lives, and driven people to the doors of death.
Many have been a VICTIM of Bullying!
I’m sure many more will say ‘Me Too’!
4) The dilemma of MENTAL HEALTH
Yes, you heard me right. Mental well-being is the most prized possession a person can have in this day and age. Mental illnesses and other disorders have robbed people of their sanity and quality of life. You might wonder who the victim is and who’s to blame in this case. Sadly, mental health is a sensitive subject. People suffering from any sort of mental health issue are not only ostracized for their misunderstood conditions, but they also have to suffer the agony of dealing with a mind that never ceases to contort reality. Yes, these souls are victims of their own minds. They suffer not for the wrong of others, but for the lack of their own well-being.
Many have been a VICTIM of Mental Health!
I’m sure many more will say ‘Me Too’!
5) The darkness of GREED
Greed has been the bane of mankind’s existence. It has been the reason for wars and genocides. Greed has been the cause of bloodshed and violence. Many have fallen victim to its addictive pleasures, and many have been led astray due to its misleading glamor. How many have gambled away everything to satisfy this inner demon? How many have stood and watched their lives and homes be torn apart by this devilish entity. Greed has stolen, greed has killed, greed has raped, greed has tortured, greed has transformed humans into monsters and beasts. It gives nothing, but takes everything, a storm that has rained hell upon the lives of many.
Many have been a VICTIM of Greed!
I’m sure many more will say ‘Me Too’!
There are many more wicked aspects that could gladly contribute to the growing size of Me Too. It’s said that ‘man proposes, God disposes’, yet can we wait for God to dispose of this ill will?
It’s high time that we rise above the status of ‘victims’ and tame our circumstances so that they allow us to breathe and live freely. Sure, preaching alone won’t do the job. However, free expression of common sense can surely defy the unnecessary silence that has been persisting for so long.
It’s no longer the age of ‘what to do’…it’s time to be bold enough to say ‘Me Too’!
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