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Is Feminism a Double-Edged Sword?

Woman Verbally Attacked and No One Really Helps

By Shivon WatsonPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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This morning whilst casually scrolling on the internet, I came across a video that left me frankly quite alarmed and astonished. In fact, I was so shocked by what I was seeing presented to me that I literally stopped, covered my mouth and gasped for air. You know that thing you do when you're really quite surprised. (Before I continue, I must admit that I am most definitely a dramatic individual, so forgive me for my over-the-top explanation.)

The video that I'm banging on about was a video of a woman being verbally attacked and screamed at by a male passenger on a packed and rather busy London train. The video had gone viral within hours and had been reported by London newspaper, The Daily Mail. OK, before I continue, I just want you to be aware that I am a very much desensitised individual. I have seen several videos, such as this, floating around on the internet, however this one just intrigued me. What was most intriguing is that this man was 100% aggressive, super intimidating and it was quite uncomfortable to watch. If you have been on a London train during rush hour, you will know from firsthand experience just how busy it actually is. From the woman's perspective, I can imagine how embarrassed and belittled she must have felt being squawked at in such a confrontational manner. It must not have been easy at all.

The train was bursting to the rim with passengers and a lot of the people who surrounded her on the train were in fact men. One man attempted to cool the heated situation down by stepping in front of the woman whilst the aggressor continued to point fingers, brawl, and swear at her, but even his somewhat calm approach did not counteract this loud-mouthed man. Don't get me wrong, the woman did also give her best attempt to try and argue back, but she was no match for this brawling outlandish figure of a man.

When I finished watching the video, I instantly read some of the comments from others who also watched below. Whilst everyone more or less sang from the same hymn sheet, which was on the basis of more should have been done to stop this and why wasn't enough men doing anything to stop this from happening, one comment from a man really stood out. Forgive me as I paraphrase, but the comment said "why should any man help this woman? You women campaign for equal rights, and how you don't want to be seen as a damsel, now you can fight your own battles!"

It took me a few seconds to digest what this man had wrote (10 seconds in fact) but you know what, I agree with him 100%. When I first saw the video, I was appalled that, though there were many male passengers present, only one got involved, but he was unable to shut this man down entirely. But as this commentator rightly said, why should they? You can't pick and choose when you want a man's help. Often men are very confused as to whether they have a right to get involved in such matters, as they feel that they may cause offence to the woman. So to avoid being lectured on how the modern woman should be treated, they stay well clear of situations such as this one.

I, obviously, can't assume that this woman is a campaigner or a mere supporter of feminism just because she is a woman, no. However, she, just like many women, will feel the double-edged sword that is associated with feminism which is a hairy, grey area that many feminists hate to mention. But I have a feeling that I've already opened a can of worms, so let me go ahead and open some more by telling you this: you can't always have it both ways. Though I am a feminist, I often feel that some men are literally fearful of doing something charitable, helpful, or heroic just because they are scared of being portrayed as the man who won't let a woman be a woman and do it all by herself. Due to this notion, women now have to suffer being verbally abused and humiliated on a crowded train with no one really there to help or defend her. So what do you do?

At the moment, I cannot really offer a clear, cohesive solution to this matter (because, I don't have one suckers), however I will highlight that feminism does come at a price. Chivalry is at an all-time low and this may be partly due to feminism. What I would say, though, is that us as humans have a responsibility to look after one another. In my opinion, more should have been done to prevent this man from escalating the way that he did, but in heated situations such as this, when faced with adversity and confrontation, you sometimes never know how you will react.

feminism
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About the Creator

Shivon Watson

I love to write and share my views & stories to anyone who loves to read!

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