13 Reasons Why, is one of the many series that created a thunder-storm, both, critically and among the audiences because of its bold (and true) content. When I was watching the first season I realized that every small action that I take, affects one person or the other.
It made me think of the time I was rude, or behaved in an unusual manner with anyone. It made me feel how I can be wrong in people’s eyes and not even realist what they are thinking or going through. I have always followed the ideology of “Always think from the point of view of the person on the other side”, because what you feel is right, can be wrong in someone else’s perspective, and it literally helped me look beyond myself, and see the bigger picture.
I’ve always been vocal about how India is a country that disrespects women, how India is a hypocritical country where people worship goddesses but rapes or molests infants, young children, young women, and the entire female community of India. I’ve always supported feminism and equally opposed feminazism.
But when I finished watching 13 Reasons Why Season 2, something just popped up in my mind, that molestation, rapes and sexual assaults, are not only the problems (disgusting problems) of India, but of the world. In the last episode, when Jessica was testifying against Bryce, other women were shown testifying and telling their stories of how they had been the victims of molestation, sexual assault and how many men have seen them with creepy and hungry eyes.
Yes, I belong to the male community as well, I’ve written an open letter to women before, letting them know how ‘not all men are the same’, how not every man is a rapist or a sex freak, but seeing the other half of my community (yes, other HALF), I feel ashamed, I feel disgusted and I feel responsible, as I am not able to do anything about it.
In one of the episodes, Clay asked ‘Why did she even go in that room?’ suggesting it was Hannah’s mistake she was raped, but he got a solid answer from Sheri, saying it was not her fault, she trusted them and would never have guessed what was going to happen.
In India, we blame the clothes, we blame the girls for wearing ‘provoking’ clothes and we blame them by saying ‘She wanted it’. Guess what? She didn’t.
A girl or anyone in this country (or, the world) should wear whatever they like, should live a life as they choose to, you can’t blame a girl for getting raped, you can’t force a girl to not go out of the house as there might be BOYS who would rape her. Teach and control your boys; tell them that they are no one, if it wasn’t for a woman to bring them into this world, teach them to respect not only elders or higher authorities, instead teach them to respect every human being as an equal, be it a man, woman, child or an elder.
But saying all these is useless, as this has been going over the internet for years. No one heard, no one cared.
Even after Jessica’s testimony and her story, Bryce was just given ‘3-month probation’ as a punishment for raping a girl, what does that tell you? What does it show?
It shows that problem is with the system, how the world, or how India works. How rapists are let free over some amount of money and how corruption is spoiling the culture and the way any human would seek to live, or even seek justice.
I sincerely applaud the creators, the writers and the actors of 13 Reasons Why, for raising their voice, and for choosing the medium to talk about and spread awareness about important issues of the world.
Thank you, seriously!
I request you all to raise your voice against any wrong in this world, I request every human in this world to help everyone in the time of need.
I sincerely request the members of the male community, I know many of us are good human beings, but there are some others who are ruining the phrase ‘being a man’ for us, who are pursuing disgusting ideas in their minds and who consider women as weak and small.
I request each and every one of you, to not let the ‘ruined part’ of our community ruin the world for us, and I request you to teach them the concept of equality.
[Stills courtesy: Netflix]
