Why do parking for women does not degrade our dignity?
Text: Diana bruk
Last week, American media struggled for parking for women in South Korean Seoul, the result of a $ 100 million initiative to make the city more “friendly to women.” Presumably, these parking spaces will be wider, with a bright pink outline and marked with a pink figure in a huge, umbrella-like skirt. Simply put, it would have looked like parking if Barbie from Malibu were driving.
American feminists began to instantly express their outrage at this blatantly sexist rush. "There is no more eloquent way to show women their care, how to passively and aggressively assume that they are shitty," they wrote in Jezebel in their usual sarcastic manner. The Huffington Post UK called it "the latest news from a world of stunning condescension." And finally, in Bustle, another cradle of sarcasm, pointedly remarked: "... the officials insist that they were not going to seem lenient - they just wanted to contribute to road safety and simplify the lives of women. How sweet of them!"
They managed to find fault with other aspects of the Seoul quest worth $ 700 million, in which the city is trying to become a paradise for women. For example, to the fact that there were installed special toilets for women who are much more comfortable than ordinary ones. I would like to see these toilets, because it is completely unfair when men can simply pull out and do their own thing, and women have to wriggle in various poses, take a number of actions and make an unpleasant choice between sitting on a dirty toilet and managing a potentially uncontrollable urine flow. just to fulfill the simplest biological need. Or to the fact that pedestrian lanes are covered with spongy material, which facilitates walking in high heels (again, how many times have we regretfully watched as men walk peacefully on the sidewalks, while our favorite studs get stuck in the holes and grates?). And finally, to the fact that the handrails and belts, which can be held in public transport, were hung a little lower to make it easier for women to get to them (statistically women are overwhelmingly lower than men, so again, this initiative seems reasonable) .
The sad truth is that modern American feminism has become a whining culture where no one can win
They found a reason for frustration in the seemingly feminist enterprise of the possible - when parking is made more illuminated, located closer to exits and elevators and install surveillance cameras so that all women can feel safe when leaving their cars. You would think that since the main goal of modern feminism is to prevent violence, then people will be happy - but no. You might think that since the world is meant for men, then reorganizing it for women will be a reason for celebration, but no. “In fact, it’s like a parking space for people with disabilities, only for the whole gender,” wrote Bustle. “Even if the city’s intentions were the most honest and they really want the best for women, was the pink color really necessary? And this mini-girl icon "A skirt? A plain white W sign would not be enough?" Because, unfortunately, this is exactly what modern American feminism has come down to: instead of praising the South Korean officials and the huge amounts that they have brought to reduce the risk of sexual violence against women, feminists decided to focus on the surface nonsense like the color of the parking space and on what wears the figure that marks this place. It's just a sign, whose sense of taste should not matter. And maybe this sign wanted to put on a pretty, lush pink skirt, maybe the road sign looks like that.
Worst of all, no one seems interested in the fact that this request came from the women of Seoul themselves. The city’s mayor, Ou Se-hoon, transformed her into life - only after meeting officials who complained about heels stuck in sidewalks. The author of the article in Bustle finds this fact “ironic” instead of, I don’t know, logical, because when people complain about something to officials, and these people actually take measures to solve the problem, then it seems to me that called democracy. The fact that this is exactly what the women themselves wanted, and the fact that the goal of the whole event was to make their lives more comfortable is not enough to save the initiative from the "antifeminist" tag. The question is what feminism really means in America. Hint: no one knows.
In theory, it should imply an improvement in social conditions and the environment for women; in theory, it should imply a reduction in the risk of sexual abuse; in theory, he should reduce the degree of popularity of being a man when they are more comfortable and more fun. But in practice, it does not mean anything of the above, because the South Korean initiative achieves all of these goals with their soft sidewalks, brightly lit and guarded parking lots and magical new toilets. The sad and inconvenient truth is that modern American feminism has become a whining culture where no one can win. When women are treated the same way as men, they complain that they need to be treated in a special way, because, well, we are women. But if women are really treated in a special way, then they complain that this is sexism and that they should be treated the same way as men. In English, this is called "Catch-22" - a paradoxical situation that no one can avoid because of cyclical and contradictory rules.
I understand that some may be upset because these parking spaces suggest that women do not know how to drive. And indeed, not all women are bad drivers, and some men are very bad drivers. But let's admit - most women do not lead with this macho bravado and reinforced concrete confidence, as men do, so even if this stereotype justifies its existence, is it really that bad? Even if, theoretically, to summarize and say that women in general are not as good at driving as men (or, as in this case, in parking), we are damn better at a billion other things. For example, in the ability to do several things at the same time, either in sewing, or in learning new languages, and even in bringing a new life to this world. Why are we trying to convince the entire planet that men and women are exactly the same (this battle is already lost), and we do not recognize that each of them has its strengths and weaknesses, and we will adapt to all of us at once?
Feminism, it seems to me, is primarily about choice, so if women of Seoul chose these large parking lots, then we have no right to call them non-feminists. That was their choice. Personally, I would love to have a little more friendly toilets, soft sidewalks, a little more parking space, because, damn it, I do not know how to park in parallel and adore my high heels. Although Cho Yun Hee, the assistant mayor for women and family, expressed it best: “The main idea of“ Women Friendly Seoul ”is the idea that when a woman is happy, everyone is happy. Not that women take the most tasty from men a piece, ”she told The Korea Times.“ Women's happiness is an indicator of the happiness of society. " Sounds pretty feminist to me.