America, you are better than this
Much like any other teenage girl growing up in Delhi, I faced the phenomenon referred to as eve-teasing. It is a euphemism, commonly used in South Asia, for sexual harassment of women in public areas. Sometimes groups of boys catcalled from street corners as I walked home from the bus stop. At other times, it was working men with briefcases in their hands, who tried to cop a feel on crowded public buses. Often, boys on motorbikes tried to touch clothes or body parts for cheap thrills as they sped by. My personal space was ruthlessly invaded and I felt violated. These uninvited touches eroded my power. Unfortunately, I came to learn that this was par for the course if you were a female living in Delhi. I developed a thick skin and learnt to desensitize myself to cope.
Several years later, as an adult, I visited America. I fell in love with so many things America stood for — the sanctity of personal space, the dignity of human life, the mutual respect that people extended to each other, the rule of law and order, the swiftness of justice. I chose to make it my home. Slowly, it chipped away the armor I had built around myself. America encouraged me to believe that my personal space was sacred, again. I felt empowered and whole.
When the Capitol building was stormed by violent mobs, that feeling of being violated came rushing back. This time, it was not my physical space that was under attack but the very premise of the country I call home. The sanctity of everything that made America the symbol of freedom and hope was jeopardized.
Even though the breach of the Capitol and a teen being sexually harassed don’t have much in common on the surface, they are not very different at all. In both situations, boundaries agreed upon by a civilized society are threatened, the rule of law is disrespected and angry/excitable individuals who refused to accept “NO” for an answer, push their way through by brute force. Both acts are serious intrusions that create lasting feelings of intense distress, lack of safety and violation.
It is easy for one to “get used” to this kind of breach of power. We tell ourselves that no real, lasting harm was done and we move on. We close our eyes to the possibility of a small trespass growing into a full fledged takeover, if left unchecked. We develop a thick skin. We silence our voices.
Let us choose not to forget this, America. Let us not desensitize ourselves to this assault. Let us tell our children how badly this threatened to tear apart the fabric of our government and destroy our very way of life . Let us educate our future generations to recognize the signs of hateful, divisive rhetoric look and look infinitely harder at the leaders we chose. Let us be vigilant to threats that challenge the sacred tenets of liberty and justice for all. And most importantly, let us open our eyes, our ears and our hearts to each other. Let us try to heal this country with love, respect and understanding of each other, no matter which political side we stand on.
America emboldened me once. It’s my turn now to remind it of the power of its good people.
