some opinions that are best left said

This is part of the email I sent to a friend of mine. The article in question is this one - http://www.suhaibwebb.com/ummah/women/a-letter-to-the-culture-that-raised-me/

Is this oppression or is it an expression of their free will?

"I do find this interesting. The conversation and the article. And here's what I think of it (I know no one asked me for my opinion, but I'm used to giving it nevertheless). It doesn't matter if she believes that God asks her to cover her body from men for respect. It doesn't matter if she, or rather another woman with a different point of view, wears short skirts to impress men. And it doesn't matter if gender is a dividing line in religion. Each individual life form (or at least every sentient life form) has the autonomy to decide what is best for them. So if one woman wants to wear makeup and pretty clothes and make men go gaga on her, who are any of us to tell her that she must not be so? If we say that she is more than just a pretty face, then we must also say that she has the ability and the right more so, to decide if she wants to be just a pretty face. If another person wants to cover herself, let her do so. If a man wants to wear a burqa, let him do so too. I think where a lot of movements go wrong is that when a particular point of view arises that tries to impose on others, then a contrary opinion arises that tries to impose too. And that's where we go wrong. All of us. We make the same mistake that the other side does. Believing that our moral stand point is the right one, or the superior one. I don't wear a burqa and would feel constrained if asked to do so, but that doesn't mean someone else would too. Unfortunate it is that we usually judge others by our own experience, and believe we have the right (in a moral sense, not in a legal sense) to tell others what is best for them. Like our parents did with us. Like we realized that they don't know what's best for us. We do. 

(sorry that was really long. i was just mostly thinking aloud)"

just thoughts

I was going to write about something else but now I want to say first that I don't like this new layout of blogger. Or maybe I do. I don't know. I could get used to it I suppose.

I was talking to my friends about internet security. I'm always talking to them about internet security. I'm not entirely listening to my own advice though am I? Writing on blogger and stuff. But then again, my opinions have always been public. So all I need to do is to make sure that I only write opinions on blogs and stuff like that. There was this article I was reading the other day that my friend sent, that spoke about how what we all really want is to be heard. And that is really true. That's why we write on blogs and go on facebook and stuff right? Because what we want is to have other people watch us. We want them to see our lives as we want them to see it. Pretty neat in a way.

I'm really zonked out today. At work, but can't concentrate or socialize. What am I thinking of? Lots of things. Right now, internet security. And also how there are some people who are just born with brilliance. And there are others who are born with slightly less brilliance. And all the slightly less brilliant ones can do is admire the more brilliant. I think brilliance is something that comes easy to the brilliant. I think there are few brilliant people who would actually believe that they are brilliant.

What am I getting at? Nothing. I just wanted to write. Put myself in the public domain so to say. I'm done now. 

continued from the last post

Here are the labels I came up for myself -

1. Female
2. Indian
3. Mallu
4. Bi-sexual
5. Urban
6. Student
7. Upper middle-class
8. Liberal/progressive
9. Leftist
10. Political
11. Agnostic
12. In a non-exclusive relationship
13. Tom-boyish
14. Intellectual
15. Foodie
16. Vegetarian
17. born christian
18. lawyer to be
19. Feminist
20. Human rightist
21. Non-conformist
22. Fat
23. Morbid
24. GOT fan

that's where I stopped counting

Labelling

We love labelling. Us, humans. Everything needs to have a name, a label. Homosexual-heterosexual, asian-caucasian, friend-boy/girlfriend. Why can't we just people be? Let ourselves be, actually. I wear 'boyish' clothes sometimes, and speak English, and have lived all over India, and like both women and men - sexually and otherwise. I study law and want to teach in a school and love old hindi songs and Beethoven. I'm also in love with (and sexually attracted to) a fictional imp who in turn is fascinated with whores. (which ofcourse is a very politically incorrect thing to say cuz imps are "little people" and whores are "sex-workers", which would usually lead me on to a tangential line of politically correct words, which I think is bullshit cuz I don't think it fucking matters what word you use and what really matters is the intention with which you use it). I'm apparently a feminist who wears the symbol of female slavery, the anklet. That makes me a whole lot of labels. I counted 23 and then got bored. 

Because I'm so mad this sounds like a diary entry

There are few things that I'm prickly about - books, my intelligence, and (I realized right now) my appreciation of good humor. I'm a comedy fan. It is my favourite genre, of movies, music, books, tv....anything. I enjoy a good laugh. But it's more than that. Comedy is to me what fantasy fiction or science fiction is to some people. It's almost a religion. And I feel just as outraged when someone says or implies that I don't appreciate humour as when a Harry Potter fan is told that s/he is a muggle! So today I got irked. Okay, more than irked. I got mad. I got mad because three of my friends who are big fans of the tv series Friends implied that I don't appreciate humour because I don't like that show. And I know this probably sounds silly, but I actually could not stand that!! The essence of appreciating comedy is understanding the difference in tastes of humour. Not everybody likes the same kind. And here's the deal - Friends is NOT about comedy!! It may be a great show, but it isn't about comedy. I'm not saying it's not funny. It is. But the show is a sitcom - it is some drama and it is some comedy, and most of all it "endears" to people as the very same friend says. COMEDY DOES NOT ENDEAR!!! I know all the Friends fans will kill me. But I'm so sick of this! Enjoy the kind of funny that you like, but do NOT tell me that I don't appreciate humour. Because if this is ever done to me again, I will watch all of Friends just to criticize it as a work of comedy. And I don't want to do that. Because as a fan of comedy, I must accept that every person likes a different sort. And really, shouldn't friends keep away from sensitive topics? Pulling someone's leg is funny, but even comedy has a limit and when stretched too far, just becomes sad and terrible.