Posted by: Vivant January 24, 2013
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@Riddle
An unaccompanied woman may face hurdles when riding a micro-bus in Nepal - especially late at night - but I have noticed the majority of riders these days on micro-buses are often women which I think is a reflection of changing attitudes in Nepal. There are plenty of streets in America where women get mugged or raped late at night. I don't know how long you have been away but the commuting culture has changed quite a lot. Women ride micro-buses and safa tempos all the time and it is not uncommon to see men giving up their seats for pregnant women on those buses and tempos. We still have a long way to go but things have changed - and visibly so - maybe just not at the pace some people want.
Yes, some of the women I talk about may be financially well-off. But that's besides the point. The more important thing is they are well-established in their careers if they are working outside the home or lead fulfilling lives with their families if they stay at home. That grounding, rather than their finances, is what keeps them content in my opinion.
People struggle everywhere in the world. Rape and sexual abuse are rampant in America by the standards of a western industrialized democracy. Some might argue there is more depravity in the America than anywhere else in the world. Case in point the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church. Or the shootings in Sandy Hook and Aurora. Racism and sexism exist in their own forms in America too. Americans are just better at disguising it in nuance, because their social norms call for subtlety - but the end result is the same - the perpetuation of the power of the ruling elites. Those on the receiving end of that must be in quite a hole too I imagine :)
An unaccompanied woman may face hurdles when riding a micro-bus in Nepal - especially late at night - but I have noticed the majority of riders these days on micro-buses are often women which I think is a reflection of changing attitudes in Nepal. There are plenty of streets in America where women get mugged or raped late at night. I don't know how long you have been away but the commuting culture has changed quite a lot. Women ride micro-buses and safa tempos all the time and it is not uncommon to see men giving up their seats for pregnant women on those buses and tempos. We still have a long way to go but things have changed - and visibly so - maybe just not at the pace some people want.
Yes, some of the women I talk about may be financially well-off. But that's besides the point. The more important thing is they are well-established in their careers if they are working outside the home or lead fulfilling lives with their families if they stay at home. That grounding, rather than their finances, is what keeps them content in my opinion.
People struggle everywhere in the world. Rape and sexual abuse are rampant in America by the standards of a western industrialized democracy. Some might argue there is more depravity in the America than anywhere else in the world. Case in point the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic church. Or the shootings in Sandy Hook and Aurora. Racism and sexism exist in their own forms in America too. Americans are just better at disguising it in nuance, because their social norms call for subtlety - but the end result is the same - the perpetuation of the power of the ruling elites. Those on the receiving end of that must be in quite a hole too I imagine :)
Last edited: 24-Jan-13 01:25 PM