A Positive Change
Some shocking comments that I came across during the survey are that women are being cyberbullied because they do not know how to properly use them. When Thiruvothu’s and Kallingal’s cyberbullying cases were reported a few years ago, more than support, they faced backlash. They did not physically handle the cyberbullies. But in 2020, surprisingly three women who confronted cyberbully received support from the Kerala Society. It can be viewed as a positive change. One of the criticisms the Bhagyalkshmi faced was why she did not take her grown-up sons with her to confront Vijay P. Nair. According to them, if her sons confronted Nair it would be considered as an act of heroism. When a woman slaps a man her status is diminished. K.K Shailaja, current Kerala Health, and Social Welfare Minister, publicly announced her support to the three women. Former Malayalam actress Lissy called Bhagyalakshmi and the group’s activities, a strong step against cyberbullies. Consequently, Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan announced that Kerala Government would not allow any sort of insults against women.
Why are women cyberbullied? Why are they cyberbullied again and again? Women are cyberbullied more than men. This is not just the case in Kerala. It applies to the whole world. According to the article Battle of the sexes: An examination of male and female cyber bullying, women are more likely to get cyberbullied online. It is because still, even some people think that women are inferior to men. According to those people, women are still the weaker sex. During my talk with a forty-eight-year-old Keralite woman, Leela (pseudonym), she argued that women are not superior or inferior to men. She said that all genders are equal. That is when the question about physical strength was raised. When we examine physically aren’t the men stronger usually? Her reply was no. She argued that with the advent of modern technology women can do any hard work that requires physical strength. She also pressed on saying that intelligence weighs more than physical strength.
People will have opposing views on different matters. Some of the views might be wrong. But those people with wrong views think that their views are right. What people with morally right views must do is to speak out. During 2017, all social media in Kerala brutally criticized women for publicly expressing their concerns and opinions. Those women’s social media posts were bombarded with derogatory comments from cyberbullies. We should appreciate the fact that Thiruvothu and Kallingal did not back down even when their career came at risk (they were threatened that they will not receive job offers). But today, in 2020 these same women are receiving support from the public. Current supporters supported these women in 2017 too. The thing is they only started to publicly express their voice now. It is a psychological fact that humans tend to back down from expressing their views if they are surrounded by people with opposite views. But if you start expressing your opinion bravely, others with similar opinions will come together. I think we should continue doing that not only in Kerala but also around the world. Remember that social reformations started when some people bravely came forward.
Table of Contents
- Kerala a South Indian State
- Cyber Harassment Cases in Kerala and Culture
- How fish fries can make someone feminist?
- Parvathy Thiruvothu- A Fearless Woman
- Bhagyalakshmi and group
- Ethically Right Or Wrong?
- A Positive Change
- References