Friday 10 September 2010

Freedom from stereotypes

My friend Harini recently started this note called Freedom from Stereotypes on Facebook. 

Here’s what she said: I was recently thinking about the stereotypes we break everyday... sometimes in private, in our heads... other times in actual action. These broken stereotypes could be of several kinds... like gender related ones.... for instance girls who think guzzling beer and cheering loudly for their fav football team draped on a sofa in front of the TV is cool.... or boys who like cuddly pink huggables. There are other kinds of very breakable stereotypes as well... like nice girls and guys don't like one-night-stands.... all responsible parents put their children's interests before their own... and such others.
 
Interesting, yes? Leave me comments with some of your own.

Since I was tagged and this was so interesting, here’s what I said:

1. One thing that is plaguing my mind right now because I am leaving today is how much I hate travelling to the US - the great land of opportunity which is such bollocks! And no one seems to understand that! Too long a flight to just hear a bunch of bozos going 'You are Indian? But your English is so good' that begins at the US airport and never ends. I was told that even at Macy’s last year!  
 
2. I do not respect people just because they are old/famous/relatives/rich/bosses/in 'noble' professions whatever. If their thoughts/words/deeds don't speak to me, I like saying 'fuck off' and enjoy seeing them drop dead. I really do not suffer fools gladly.
 
3. I like letting the world know exactly who I am. If you can't be whatever you are, around whomever you are with, then what is the bloody point?
 
4. I like to think that someday I will make a fabulous mom to some child I might not have the conventional way. I don't think men are really required to fulfill a woman's destiny (whatever that is!)
 
5. I'm not religious or spiritual or into yoga or into cooking or into shopping and I'm not going to apologise for that ever. 
 
6. I am essentially and intrinsically irreverent. So I love to swear, smoke occasionally, proclaim how much I enjoy sex, wear clothing that reveals my cleavage and things like that. And no, I don't do it to shock or titillate.  
 
7. I've always believed that healthy bitching is essential in any relationship. Even so, I will never start a fight with anyone, but I will never disappoint anyone who starts a fight with me. And yes, I always win. 
 
8. I know it is possible to be in love with more than one person at any given time. It's not perfect, it's not easy and we all want fidelity; but it happens and you've just got to deal with it. And at the end of the day, what pleases you is all that matters.  
 
9. I make snap judgments about people to amuse myself that I usually keep to myself (unless I'm doing the healthy bitching) but it really gets my goat when people make disparaging and judgmental comments about how someone dresses, what someone's sexuality is and the like.
 
10. I don't do labels. Of any sort. Unless they are calling me 'The Queen' or 'Her Highness'. That's me, all right.  
 

2 comments:

Eveline said...

Amen to all of your points. I definitely agree (Also, I met someone this weekend who thought that he should settle down with someone who can cook and take care of his mom and only wear Indian styled clothing. I laughed for a long time about that one). Sometimes you get almost as much crap about that. People aren't very good at the whole "live and let live" thing.
Who you are, not stereotypical, keeps us coming back. Honesty and intelligence -- that's way better than anything else.

Bhumika's Boudoir said...

Eve, please give the dude a copy of The Vagina Monologues just for kicks. We can blog about "his honest and intelligent" reaction. :)