Monday, January 19, 2009

Should Indian women be allowed in combat roles in Military?

A touchy issue.

A 'No' would have the pseudo feminists in arms while a 'Yes' would burden the vast majority of women who wouldn't even know of this debate brewing with the onerous task of living up to the impractical demands of a Military combat job.

So i would go on to state the reason for my NO. I would be talking about my country's armed forces and not US's. Ours is a developing country with ethos entrenched in cryptic corners of our minds and weather one likes it or not, the men folk here end up looking at the women with gaze that's a mixture of condescending and lecherous designs.

I speak here about the very highly educated who hold the reigns of higher echelons and not the undereducated Man of the ranks. And the situations as you would guess gets worse as the dealings get murkier in the quagmire of ground level situations.

While i do believe that there exist women out there who can put the fittest of men to shame with their level of fitness, such cases are far and few between and are merely exceptions rather than the rule. And mind you, being a fit women doesn't immunise her from the meaningful gazes she has to learn living with to earn a living.

Well, gloomy as it may sound, It's as true as the hypocrite in you wanting to peg me down for my rather politically incorrect view.

(AS posted in another blog)

4 comments:

Usha Pisharody said...

It's rather like you to take the bull by the horns and then watch the world go into a tizzy. :)

Am sure that anyone who reads this is going to be somewhat forced into an opinion, politically correct or incorrect!

Even if not combat, I had those dreams, aeons ago of joining the Services, which came to naught given the fact that they took no women then, except in the Medical Wing :)

Do the women pilots in the AirForce fly at/close to the Frontline? I really dont know!

However I am able to understand the point of view you express here, wrt the male perspective, which, almost always, Services or No, is rather a One Track one, wherever! More in Kerala than anywhere else as I see it too!

But if they want to, and if there is at some point an education that seeps through the mentality of the male soldier, why not? I know I know, politically correct, practically impossible, or near to!

What brought this on, is what I am now wondering. Lol!
In fact I'd go so far as to say that it's perhaps the Higher Echelons that would carry this attitude, than the Men of the Ranks!

Food for thought; to ruminate and still not digest :)

amit2992 said...

Hi Usha,

i am part of a community on internet about military issues and I read the question there. I chose to respond despite most of the other opinions being American.

You have put forth a very thoughtful response. I realise that my view was short of depth and did not allude to several facets. But' that's the way i wanted it to be. An incomplete, unassuming and blatant statement of truth the way i see it. :)

Usha Pisharody said...

But you see.. the post is absolutely ok too.. and that is the way it should be.. :) I do not know about unassuming though. Lol!

Usha Pisharody said...

By the way, you have loads of awards to collect, :) Have left links here, I think?

If not.. it's
here

and

here