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Women Protest "Government-Sponsored Dowry"
"Sometimes We Have To Take The Law In Our Hands": Pink Ladies Fight For Rights

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moringa_march
08/10/09

In reply to Women Protest "Government-Sponsored Dowry"
I was in Nepal just about a year ago, and it was staggering how pervasive the societal expectations for women are. Interesting, too, because as globalization brings "modernity" into a very traditional country, young women are seeing the sexualized MTV images and seemed to me to be teetering between maintaining their traditional roles and trying to fit a new "urban" lifestyle that is taking root.
Though I will keep my judgments of the MTV effect to myself, the upside of the changes that are taking place certainly comes in the form of Nepalese women advocating for their rights. There are some incredibly strong women over there who are fighting centuries old traditions in order to better themselves and others. Pretty amazing!!
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wtfox?!
08/10/09

In reply to Women Protest "Government-Sponsored Dowry"
Widows are considered "impure" and "evil," while women who choose to lead single lives are looked upon suspiciously.
The 10-year Maoist insurgency that cost the country more than 13,000 lives produced thousands of widows.
And once again, women and their reputations have to pay the consequences for what a bunch of assholes with guns did. Tradition, what can't it do?
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NefariousNewt
08/10/09

In reply to Women Protest "Government-Sponsored Dowry"
[Lily] Thapa says marriage is not the solution to the problems of single women.

Amen.
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JudithButlerisGod
11/25/08

In reply to "Sometimes We Have To Take The Law In Our Hands": Pink Ladies Fight For Rights
I wonder if this will lead to a rise in hot pink clothing in India? Because this defo makes me want to go out and buy a hot pink bandana Right. Now.
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Mkp-hearts-NYC
11/25/08

@JudithButlerisGod: I don't know if there /could/ be a rise. While I was there, electric blue, orange and hot pink were everywhere...and could be coordinated effortlessly with eachother :D
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pantsless economist...access RESTORED
11/25/08

In reply to "Sometimes We Have To Take The Law In Our Hands": Pink Ladies Fight For Rights
Though prenatal gender testing and gender-selective abortion are now illegal in India, having a baby girl is still widely considered shameful, and over 10 million baby girls have been killed in the last 20 years. Only 798 girls were born in Punjab last year for every 1,000 boys.

are they killed via illegal abortion or at birth? either way, its very sad.
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Hana Maru
11/25/08

@pantsless economist: Abortion is legal, but testing for sex is illegal. Sadly, this is difficult to enforce when it happens in doctors offices.
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DinnerBelle
11/25/08

In reply to "Sometimes We Have To Take The Law In Our Hands": Pink Ladies Fight For Rights
Oooh, this was on NPR a morning or two ago. Sampat Pal Devi was pretty amazing in the report. Kind of scary, in a vigilantes-are-bad kind of way, but also awesomely PR savvy!
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DinnerBelle
11/25/08

@KittyConner: The Pink Gang carries pink sticks, modeled after the nightsticks that the local police force carries. Even the reporter from NPR seemed impressed with her level of fearlessness.
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yvanehtnioj
11/25/08

@KittyConner: Yeah, I heard that report too. I was like, yay women! Way to wake up in the morning!! And then they recounted a story about tying up cops and THEN beating them b/c they thought that they were holding someone just for a bribe. Yikes. All things in moderation, ladies.
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Sukie in the Graveyard
11/25/08

In reply to "Sometimes We Have To Take The Law In Our Hands": Pink Ladies Fight For Rights
what is the arrow pointing to?
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Grim Reaper of the Forest
11/25/08

@Sukie in the Graveyard: That looks suspiciously like a man trying to sneak into the cool lady gang.
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Sukie in the Graveyard
11/25/08

@treecut...Grim Reaper of the forest: unless it's one of the ladies who hit the gym and got Madonna inspired arms...
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DinnerBelle
11/25/08

@treecut...Grim Reaper of the forest: The NPR story interviewed a male gang-member. He felt that the rights the Pink Gang were trying to support (like the defeat of political corruption and access to local services) were important. Also, he seemed to worship Sampat....
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Sukie in the Graveyard
11/25/08

@KittyConner: oh yah! Recruits!

I also liked that the color of the arrow matched. Just that special touch.
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Grim Reaper of the Forest
11/25/08

@KittyConner: I want my own gang of pink-clad men willing to carry out my nefarious plans.
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formergr
11/25/08

@Sukie in the Graveyard: I assumed it was pointing to Sampat Pal Devi, but then I looked closer, and she either has some wicked biceps, or for some reason that is a man sitting with the women.

Regardless, these women are awesome! I read tons and only vaguely remember some of it so I can't remember the full deal, but I think it was in an African country that women were able to almost completely stop a major tribal-based conflict that was responsible for thousands of deaths by withholding sex from their husbands until they stopped fighting and became reasonable in negotiations. That too was very cool (and brave of them) I thought!
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Kenyakarma
11/25/08

In reply to "Sometimes We Have To Take The Law In Our Hands": Pink Ladies Fight For Rights
I spent 3 months in India traveling around. Loved and Hated it. Now I'm a pretty laid back, even sweet kind of gal, but after 3 months of India I was a pissed off bitch.

I couldn't stand being stared at, commented at, touched and I was sick to death of watching all the women do all the work while the men sat around drinking tea, smoking tea, and harassing me.
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taranwanderer
11/25/08

@SweetSerengeti: I nearly made a comment on how you were my twin -- I had the same exact experience in India, down to the pissed off bitch part -- and then I realized that this is the experience of ANY western woman living and traveling in India. It still makes me sick.

And those women do need to take extreme measures. Sometimes the only way to get the men to stop touching you was to hit them with your shoe.
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bibomaco
11/25/08

@taranwanderer: I can totally relate! The amount of times I was harassed on the bus by Indian men, and you could see they were not used to being told off by a woman. I like to think I've done my part by putting a few men back in their place during my stay there, but I think I simply contributed to their stereotype that Westernized women are out of control. Sigh.
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Kenyakarma
11/25/08

@bibomaco:

I think I was in Jaipur about week 10 when some guy reached over my shoulder and grab my boob, that I totally lost it. I grab his arm, twisted him to the ground and told him to keep his hands to himself. I was actually very proud of myself for not stamping on his face while I had him on the ground.
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Mkp-hearts-NYC
11/25/08

@SweetSerengeti: I spent a semester in Jaipur! One night I was walking in front of my guest house talking on my phone and two guys on a motorbike drove by, and one grabbed my ass. Then they came around for a second pass.

Topping that is the time I was followed by a guy on a bicycle masturbating for at least 4 blocks.
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MakeMeSmile
11/25/08

@SweetSerengeti: How interesting, I wonder (for curiosities sake) are all of you non-Indian? I've been to India multiple times in my life to visit family and while I agree to the stares and some lecherous looks-- nothing like you guys spoke of and I wonder if it's because I'm brown like they are?
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Ulookinatmyjunk, JOC
11/26/08

@MakeMeSmile:I was wondering that too. I would love to visit India, but those horror stories sort of scared me. Obvs, from my avatar, I'm non-Indian and (for better or worse) fully indoctrinated into the Westernized culture. However, I've always had a very different experience than my Caucasian traveling partners when we would go abroad. Generally, the people I interacted with refused to believe that I was actually from the US. And when they finally accepted this fact, many thought I was a thief, prostitute, troublemaker, slut or some combination of all of these. In other instances, I was treated very affectionately, particularly in places like Panama...I felt right at home there. So, yeah, long story short, I'd love to know that answer to your query.
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Mkp-hearts-NYC
11/26/08

@MakeMeSmile: Being a Westerner was definitely part of it -- when we would visit popular/crowded areas groups of Indian guys would come up and ask to take pictures with us. Total strangers!

@goodywitch: I was living with an Indian family, so I saw a lot of beautiful parts of Jaipur where "real people" live too. It was mostly when I was by myself that I ran into trouble. I didn't /think/ I was constantly asking for sex just by having my eyes open, but some of those men were so helpful I realized that's just what I was doing...
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Mkp-hearts-NYC
11/25/08

In reply to "Sometimes We Have To Take The Law In Our Hands": Pink Ladies Fight For Rights
I like that their social uprising ranges from violence in the streets to "exercising to achieve toned arms." Oy.

Can't condone violence, obvi, but at the same time... you go girls. Standing up for yourselves and the rights of your daughters is awesome.
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BrutallyHonestBabes (aka Mrs. Sarah.of.a.Lesser.Hobbit)
11/25/08

In reply to "Sometimes We Have To Take The Law In Our Hands": Pink Ladies Fight For Rights
I love these women. There is power in numbers! Hard to ignore an angry, hot pink mob!
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Miss Smith Drank Your Vodka
11/25/08

In reply to "Sometimes We Have To Take The Law In Our Hands": Pink Ladies Fight For Rights
Wasn't there another pink gang posted about on here the previous summer?

I welcome more of them if so!
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ucelluccia
11/25/08

In reply to "Sometimes We Have To Take The Law In Our Hands": Pink Ladies Fight For Rights
Anyone getting a Handmaid's Tale vibe from this story?
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