Thursday, March 08, 2007

Gender equality

To half of my avid readers: congratulations with the day of today! It is International Women's Day!! As the UN website says: "When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development." Jajajajajajajajajaj. So according to the UN the 8th of March is 'their' day (i.e. of the women). The rhetorical question I am asking then, and I guess with me many, many other men: does this mean that the other 364 days are 'our' days? Yes? Great! I can not but wholeheartedly support that.

But what a thing, this women's day. In a time when men and women are supposed to be completely equal, and want to be treated equally at all times (except in matters relating love- then suddenly men are supposed to be forthcoming and with initiative, and should behave like men, and women are the weaker sex again. For modern guys raised in gender aware societies like in Western Europe, this is hopelessly confusing), why is there such a day, stressing the differences between men and women? Ok, in all fairness, I can see why, but still....

Until I got to Sarajevo, I never heard of this specific day. And I am under the impression that most people here never read the UN website about this day either. Because it seems merely a day for men to give flowers to women (I actually think that 'International Flower Industry Day' would be a more appropriate name for this day- there is a flower stand every 10 meters in town right now), than a day of awareness and empowerment of and for women- I have not seen any protests of 'housewives for housewives', or 'men for women' or the likes, at least.

Anyway, it is a fun tradition, this day. Everybody runs around town with flowers, and you see blushing sixteen-year old schoolboys giving roses to fashionably cool fifteen-year old schoolgirls.
But I am a rebel, and did the most manly thing I could think of today: I went to the hairdresser and had my four-day beard shaven of. Wow.

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