The Pepper Spray - A Gendered View

Thoughts this morning while I was on a shopping site.

4/5/2018
8:00 AM
You know what is one of the saddest things to buy in the world? A pepper spray. The very fact that a woman buys it, keeping a particular scenario in mind, makes her small and powerless in her own eyes.

I know, being able to afford one is a privilege, and yet, needing one, is a misfortune.

Apart from questions ''Will such a situation arise?'' and ''Will I get time to take it out?'', there are questions like ''If all woman carry pepper sprays at all times, will crime against women not happen at all?''. The last one is nothing but a rhetorical question.

What can we do? Carry one. Trust no one. TRY TO be safe.

The scenario of using a pepper spray could arise in any situation. A man following her, or getting home late from work, or getting home late on a bus after watching a movie. Why is a woman considered to be the physical manifestation of vulnerability in all these situations? What did she do to feel so insecure? And when they say, stay indoors, why does she feel like wrapping herself with bubble wrap and getting a tattoo on her head saying fragile?

4/5/2018
10:50 AM
And yet, looking from another angle, the pepper spray is a symbol of strength. She is ready to face the world. She is unstoppable. She is ready to fight in any situation that might arise. She is not unarmed in the constant battle to be safe. She IS a fighter.

Why I Decided To Move Halfway Across The World To Canada

"Can you go halfway around the world, and live in a cold city with freezing winters? Can you leave your friends and family? Wouldn't you be lonely?" -Jumpa Lahiri, The Namesake This is the exact question I asked myself, as I saw my invitation letter from the Government of Canada with the following words: "We are pleased to invite you to apply for permanent residence under the Federal Skilled Workers". This is a highly competitive score-based immigration system for experienced professionals valued internationally for Canada's social benefits, healthcare, education, and a high quality of life. I usually never second-guess, but in that moment, the prospect of quitting a well-paying reseach & consulting job in India and the proximity to my people to start life from square one barely held any appeal. More so, because I love India. The love, the education, the principles, the family values, the work diligence, the peace-loving outlook, the experiences, ...

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - In the Context of Workforce Management and Marriages

Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, created the theory of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to assist business owners in maintaining elevated levels of employee engagement. The theory proposes that there are five essential needs that drive human motivation, arranged in a hierarchical order. Maslow's theory states that people first attend to their basic needs, then progress to higher level needs only once the lower level of needs are met, leading to a sense of fulfillment. In marketing, the hierarchy is used to market to specific groups of people based on similar needs. However, it can also be applied to other areas - to ascertain employees engagement and arguably, even in marriages! Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in the Workplace : Many companies use this hierarchy in the workplace to determine how to motivate employees and meet their needs. 1. Physiological needs Survival needs such as coffee, clean water, comfortable working environment, breaks to eat, access to a restro...

Stereotypes Debunked

Note: Some content of this article is set up in Indian context, and might not be understood by other readers. You need to read this article because there is a very high probability that you are subconsciously driven by conventional or formulaic conceptions or images of a few things which are degrading to a group, a state or a caste. More often than not, it is not the fault of the people who stereotype and form an image of a particular thing that they don't want to change, but weakness of the society as a whole which fails to introspect, find loopholes in its judgemental capabilities and change. A very pathetic form of stereotyping is the baniya stereotyping. It's a shame that even the so called ''educated'' people in most parts of the country use 'baniya' as just another word to insult someone by meaning to call them miser or the money-minded. If you think that miserliness is quintessentially a baniya quality, you might need some help. Have you ever ...

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