How not to defend gender rights
Are we sometimes overreacting? Or saying stuff just for the sake of saying?
My husband to be and I started watching the Handmaid’s tale recently. Yesterday to be exact. I believe it was the third episode, on one of the flashbacks, new government froze women’s bank accounts to be used by their husbands or male next of kins. Offred’s husband said “don’t worry I will take care of you”, and added “you’re my wife” and Offred’s friend Moira’s reaction was “YOUR WIFE??!!!” “YOU DON’T OWN HER!!!”
That was weird to me. Why that reaction? Isn’t she, his wife? And he, her husband? He didn’t say he owned her, he stated a fact. If he was talking like or acting like he owned her, sure, that’s a no-no. Or I can understand if she would object to his “I’ll take care of you” It still would be an overreaction but an understandable one. I could defend that by saying he should have said “I will help you out” or “I got your back” or something. But reacting that way to a completely innocent phrase is ridiculous.
Why are we so afraid of commitment? Or is it even about that? We are talking about two people who loved and decided to commit to each other. Why is it such a blasphemy to say “my” He’s not claiming ownership. Or would she react the same if all those stuff happened to men in the society and Offred said “I will take care of him, he is my husband”
As a woman, living in a considerably conservative country (I’m definitely on the left but the country is governed by the right) I know how gender roles are mostly wrong and the point of view must be changed but not like that. I think this type of reaction is one of the best examples of making someone wrong while being right.
If you want to change, this is the tiniest thing you should focus on. This is not even a tiny thing. Fight for the real stuff. Fight for equal pay and opportunity, fight against gender stereotypes. Reacting to something like saying she’s my wife just makes you look clueless. She is his wife, he is her husband. Come on.
Remember when the COVID-19 started to spread, lockdown started and celebrities sang Imagine for support? This is just like that, out of context and empty.
Isn’t Luke’s words too normal to require such a response? Or am I overreacting as well?
The show is quite good tho, we just finished the first season and loving it so far.
Peek-A-Book 