Riding a vehicle brings in liberation like no other, being on the road is freeing. With the wind on our face, speeding in our comforts, sometimes a 20 with a 2nd gear or a 60 with a 3rd gear invokes joy from within. This is a mutual feeling every bike or car rider feels irrespective of any race, caste, or creed. But, why is this feeling still a luxury for many women?
A man rides, races another man, with no hard feelings. A woman races another man, sudden eruption of emotions. It suddenly is a matter of disgust and insult for the male, they need to overtake and show their superiority to that lady driver. Few may say this is a coincidence, it can be at times but there are times it is not too, and yes #NotAllMen too! This is an open letter to such men who have the urge to put those female riders in their space as they would feel.
If a woman races you, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she wants to race you, and even if she does just like any other male counterpart of yours, What is the problem here? It’s just the same road, each of us has different destinations and time-bounds. Let you be! Let her be! Let each of us be!
To be honest, racing is not the real issue here. It is going forward, forward than men. It’s years of patriarchy and societal teachings, that women need to subside to men and shouldn’t move forward and here in this instance, it means not to race/go before them on the road.
There are even times when such an incident would be so obvious, that say for instance a girl races the guy who is going at a normal speed, and at that instant, he races her and returns to his initial speed. Such a deed just to prove his manhood superiority is what is wrong and demeaning. Why this urge? Why such an act? Is it to show that men will always be ahead of women or is it just always done to anyone who races? The frequency is quite often that it is sometimes confusing to say the difference between the former and latter.
Maybe it’s time we look into the bigger picture as a society, men, and women. This incident on the road sounds pretty petty and small but such small things constitute a bigger enemy – Patriarchy, and Misogyny. That is true root and cause. If such small weed plants are plucked, it sure would form a beautiful garden in the end. Such small acts if avoided or let go sure can constitute a bigger and equal society!
Once again, no woman has any desire to race or move forward, all they seek is for the dash of equality and respect!
Yours sincerely,
A woman rider who is put in her place every day!
