Australian Feminism

Women’s history has been seen as always been targeted as achieving lesser than man in career fields and legal rights. An image of mother and wife is always haunting her. Perhaps in 20^th century women mostly gained the right to vote and have increased their education and job careers. The most important thing that they fought and have now accomplished a different set of mind in traditions as well.

The liberation of women brought foremost changes for women in an Australian Society. Right through the period of 1970’s till 1990’s. The imbalance of gender stereotyping at areas of work, health, law, education and welfare were greatly reduced and many initiatives were taken to lessen it. Women took the man domination power into their hands and then used in favor of women.  Alike changes were taken in United States, United Kingdom and Europe. International Women’s Year was declared in 1975 by United Nation and it was a step towards international means for women.

Mass waves have been brought in Australian feminism through the different changing roles of women. The vote in State elections and federal by women was the first wave. Manly suffrage was brought in colonies almost halfway through nineteenth century, excluding women. It was in 1902 when Australia agreed that women should vote in federal elections. All women were given a chance to vote in 1902 except for indigenous women which included Asians, Australians or African. Even though women were included but none of them were actually elected awaiting 1921.In 1943 the first parliament of female was elected. Women were still considered only in this universe to be married and then take care of their off springs. And the women who worked also had to burden themselves with household chores and nurture of their children.

In the lead-up to World War II the women protesters and groups were very much popular. And they kept on campaigning about the rights of women in public life as a profession or the right of being treated equal at pay or own their individual property. The main spark created in women after the Vietnam War in which they realized they were treated so wrong all this time and they established their own movements for liberation. The women’s movements to seek liberation were at their fame in a small span of time. Some group emphasized on the unions and parliaments representatives that women should be a part of them. Others did all the ways to express their selves. Women who were a part of liberation movements kept themselves isolated from patriarchal society and brought the consciousness among the society. The main concerns were health, culture, education and of course sexuality. Art and Literature were the ways to express themselves to Patriarchal; Germaine Greer was the main author. The male orientated paths like science and sports were now also for girls. Women who faced violence by man were also mainly highlighted in these movements. And the health and safety needs of women became very important like abortion and contraception. The inequality made the feminists chose a different a path for themselves either same sex relationships or no relationships at all.

Theoretically it has been accepted that issue of racial discrimination between women is present. Some evidence has also been laid that the effort of White Women’s Movement has breakdown the barriers of black and the white sisterhood. Refugees of women are now serving to Aboriginal women more than the Aboriginal Women has even been employed as a refuge worker. Most of the feminist activists were anti-racial in contrast with black women who were far more limited. It was a disappointment to incorporate black women, as for the women’s movement was for ‘White Australian Female Society’.

The biggest mistake by feminism was that they thought they knew what black women wanted. It was like a position of White women as ‘Helper’ and black women as being ‘Helped’. The powerful relationship which existed in the white community and black community also existed in Black Women and White Women. Black Women always being embarrassed of the fact that they were inferior. The White Women’s Movement toward the Black Women is struggles between the two different sexes which use oppress black people. Whenever Black Women use to face any problem they felt comfortable with Black Women solving their problem not with White women.

Hilary Saunders has summed up the feelings of many black women:

“We must not let this awareness as women go too far: We are a race of

People who have suffered many injustices. We are fighting for self-determination.

Women must play a large part in this yet we can only hope

To achieve this as one people not a race of men, nor a race of women but

Of Black United People”.

 

 

A women to look upto

In a society where women have no bodily autonomy, no reproductive rights, and are used as a tool in dispute settlement mechanisms, Asma has been an advocate for gender equality. Historically she has influenced major social and political issues in Pakistan.

            Pakistan had one of the most draconian, barbaric, and absurd set of laws, the Hudood Ordinance (Introduced by the Army only to appease Saudi Arabia so that they participate in Operation Cyclone). Due to this law, hundreds of innocent men and women had been wrongfully convicted and imprisoned. Women who dared to report rape were, and still are, often accused of zina and locked up while their offenders were never questioned and as a result walked free. Asma came as a savior for most of these persecuted women some familiar names are Safia Bibi, Mukhtaran Bibi, Jehan Mina, and Shahida Parveen.

            According to Robert Fisk, Pakistan has the grotesque reputation of being one of the leading ‘honor killing’ countries. Millions of women in Pakistan live under a constant threat of being shot, burned, or death by stoning for violating traditional norms. Judicial bias and gender discrimination adds to the affliction of women in Pakistan. Governmental response has been mostly indifferent. Thanks to Asma, many cases of injustice towards women have come to light and have resulted in international criticism of women’s status in Pakistan. (Abbas, 2010)

            She has also proposed interactions on the civil society level through social exchange combined with efforts to uplift the status of women and at the same provide financial stability through business and job opportunities to poor Pakistani.

            The human rights violation in Afghanistan had never been a major part of any international discussion until 9/11. But Asma had highlighted the crimes against humanity committed by the Taliban well before. The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) has also been praised her for her efforts towards the human rights situation in Afghanistan.

            An equally vicious law, commonly known as the Blasphemy law, has been responsible for persecuting thousands of minorities; Asma has spoken out against this law and has represented a number of people falsely accused of blasphemy.

            Asma Jahangir has raised concerns all over the world on religious/ethnic discrimination, sectarian conflicts, constitutional violations, and child labor in Pakistan.

            Asma has always resisted military governments and is a vocal critic of military dictatorship and the past military policies in Bangladesh, Baluchistan, Afghanistan, and FATA. She is despised by many for bringing to international attention the factual accounts of abuse reportedly committed by the army in Baluchistan.

            Another major reason behind the military’s hostility towards Asma is due to her opinion on Indo-Pak relations. Asma has publicly supported friendly relations and cultural exchange with India. She has also criticized the mujahedeen training camps and the Islamists-military nexus.

            Despite her achievements, she is often harassed and criticized by the State, the media and intelligentsia. It is ironic that a person who has worked towards promoting human rights and democracy has been maltreated and slandered.

            Asma Jahangir is recipient of several national awards, including Sitara-i-Imtiaz

(Star of Distinction) in 1995. In recognition of her services in the field of human rights,

she was awarded the American Bar Association International Human Rights Award in

1992, the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders and the Ramon Magsaysay

Award in 1995. She was also honored with the Bernard Simons Memorial Award of the

International Bar Association in 2000. She has authored two books: Divine Sanction?

The Hudood Ordinance (1988) and Children of a Lesser God: Child Prisoners of

Pakistan (1992). She is a mother of two daughters and a son. Her contributions for the

uplift and emancipation of women are extremely commendable and unmatchable.

I read this article..

After reading the article literally my nerves stretched. As if the brain can fell the air pass by it. Well, Pakistan does really need critical thinkers. It’s like a great emergency which should be imposed by government.

Pakistan is a country with culture diversities. A lot of culture differences have been enhanced in a very short time and people have become very possessive about their own religion or culture. Many religions and cultures exist within us that we hardly know about. A great number of people in Pakistan are extremist in their religion and a few percentages are moderate; they are like the chill crowd in the country.

The chill crowd in the country I am referring is those who are enjoying their life to the fullest, who does not care about anything. They are happy and satisfied with their life. While the extremist ones are those who are; hyper and possessive about their religion. If a person from other community says them something this is against their religion. Rage and anger is created in them. And due to that they can’t hold their emotions or feelings. A lot of misunderstandings and chaos is created just because of one comment. People need to be tolerant and patient. They need to think in a critical manner that comment is not against them, it is just a feedback.

Another issue in Pakistan is that people know how to make fun of each and everyone. They are very limited to their own shells. And all others are clowns to them. They make fun of them and this creates distance among the people who live door to door. Pakistani are very judgmental and nosy, they can’t mind their own business and let a person practice their own religion. They have to pass judgments which don’t even have a reason.

But I am glad some things are changing like the new generation is more curious about everything. They ask questions about each and everything. Even if parents try to shut them they won’t just shut easily. They seek answers and conclusions. I have a very good example of my own younger sister, she is extremely sharp and I can proudly say that she is an emerging critical thinker. She has loads of questions for everything and if you want answers from her, she can also give that with proper reasons. It shocks me that even I never thought about that.

Realism

In actual fact Realism concerns with study of peace and war among states and nations. It witnesses world which is inescapably plus eternally separated into nation-states and controlled through governments who are rational enough to keep their interest in shielding their safety. Realists divided themselves on the basis of how they consider nearly all governments obviously endeavor to do; Classical Realists who say that governments effort to boost their power as probable greatly (the government can only control its destiny the more powerful a state is). Whilst Neorealist says that states can boost their safety but without being hungry for power (the government can only control its destiny by securing the state). It might be right that realism in the essence has reduced towards principle of politics ethics. This theory perceives a very long history of being apparent in ‘Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War.’ Then the theory got prolonged on with Machiavelli in ‘The Prince,’ moreover others i.e. Thomas Hobbes, Spinoza, and Rousseau followed. At the end of nineteenth century the theory undergoes an innovative manifestation forming social Darwinism which advocates social and political expansion in conditions of a fight and only the strongest polities can survive. Realism also assumes benefit that is continued by exercising of power and the world is only recognized by competitors.

The book of Hans Morgenthau ‘Politics among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace’ claims a theory of international relations. The theory shouldn’t be judge as per being pragmatic and empirical but it should be judged by concept or principle that is preconceived towards reality. And also by its purpose so that mass phenomena can bring meaning without being disconnected. 

            This theory raises issue on the concerns of political nature. History of Modern Thought surrounds through two schools which differs in fundamentals and concepts in nature of society, man and politics. A person believes in moral and rational political regulation derived universally from which abstract values can be accomplished here and there. The assumption of crucial goodness and unlimited impressionability of human being as well it blames the failure of social array to calculate the rational principles on being short of information and thoughtfulness, outdated social foundations or else the decadence of certain individuals or crowd who are isolated. Education, reorganization and the erratic use of power for remedy of such defects are surely trusted.

            While another school have different belief systems; the world is flawed which is from a rational point of view that results of services innate in human being  World can be improved only when one will work with such forces and not against those forces. Thus being intrinsically a world of contrasting interests plus conflicts between them so ethical values will never be realized to its fullest. However it must at its best be approximated from side to side the provisional harmonizing of interests and yet     precarious completion of disagreement. The following school sees an arrangement of checks and equilibrium of a universal standard for all pluralist humanity. It requests towards tonic model to a certain extent than to theoretical principles and wants at the understanding of slighter immorality relatively of complete good.

Perspective about critical thinking..

Another person's perspective about Critical Thinking is everything based negatively. Questioning our values and customs, going against our religion is definitely not being optimistic. Why cant we just accept something as they are being provided to us? Why do we have to analyze everything? The people who question a lot and analyze everything are critical thinkers?
Who gets to judge that who is a critical thinker or not?

Well there are surely some major barriers in the above opinion. Critical thinking is not being negative but being able to think rationally. A critical thinker knows how to question in every way. He knows whatever he is saying has a reason behind it and can give any form of explanation behind it.

Formal Training. CT skills are simply the exercise of generic thinking power which can be strengthened by intensive training, much as general fitness can be enhanced by running, swimming or weightlifting. This approach recommends working out in some formal ‘mental gym such as chess, mathematics or symbolic logic as the most convenient and effective way to build these mental muscles. 

A few queries regarding critical thinking might be:

Q.1 Critical thinking is essential to effective learning and productive thinking but why?

Q.2 how can we be so sure that critical thinking will be right for us?

Q.3 What If someone does not want to be a critical thinker or doesn't like critical thinking. So then what do we do with it?

Shopping and some more shopping...

Shopping has always been a top favorite of most of the people in the world. Be it male or female, shopping is one activity that has been enjoyed by all. Some take it as a real job as for some a time pass activity. In both ways, it is highly addictive.

As times changed, shopping also modernized. From little shops they became rows of shops turning into small shopping centers and eventually to beautiful tall buildings we call shopping malls. But that’s not ALL!

After the shopping mall craze faded, people turned on to shopping from home. Those who owned a credit card to buy online via different websites, spent time surfing for the best buys rather than searching around the city.  It saved time, fuel and energy. As for those without credit card or computer access, raided the shopping malls. But online shopping was boy-oh-boy! What a luxury-only-some-could-by it was. UPTIL times CHANGED!! 

Life was no more WAS easy. The option of shopping from home became valid for all when our very own local brands started their business over the internet too. They would post the pictures and charges of the services/ materials they provide on public forums and people could order by emailing or calling them at the given numbers. Once the order is placed, the goods are sent to the purchaser’s house and the payment received on delivery!

Shopping DONE!! The easiness that technology has bought to us has been going on since a few months now and loved by many ; who hardly get time to shop and find it easier to fill up their shopping bag online! 

Transgenderism

     Transgender is an umbrella term which consists of all, transsexuals, cross-dressers, genderqueers, transvestites, drag kings and drag queens. Drag king is a person, usually females, who dress up like men mainly for public performance and drag queen is a male who dresses up like a female mainly for public performance. Transvestites are those people who adopt the dress, manner and sexual role of the opposite sex. Genderqueer are those people whose gender identity is a combination of both the genders male and female. Ellen Friedrichs defines transgender individual as those having “genitals of one sex but their gender identity associated with that of the other sex”. Transgender people can be traced in history in many different cultures, for instance in India Hijras are associated with fertility. Hijras in South Asia, are a member of the “third gender” neither male nor female, they are “physically intersex or male” but some are “physically female”. Also in Native American tribes there are “third gender” individuals who are called two spirited. Back in Shakespeare time in England men were allowed to play female roles. These third gender individuals are famous for negative and positive reasons. They have to face Legal issues like “legally changing one’s sex” and “without a legal sex change a transgender is not allowed to marry a partner of their birth sex”. People transform into transgender in their teenage or in twenties. Teenage transgender face a lot of “discrimination, harassment and violence” from school and family but nowadays they have many support networks. They also face issue regarding “surgery and the use of hormones”. Transgender people have been able to get treated earlier now due to “gender identity disorder”. There are some very famous transgender people like Sylvia Rivera an activist and Christine Jorgenson who was the first American who got sex-reassignment surgery. Transgender people are protected, supported and helped in many ways by various organizations.