Imran Khan’s Casual Sexism: Starring Bilawal Bhutto As Sahiba & Shireen Mazari As Salt Bae
It has got a name. And the disorder is notoriously going by the name of Casual Sexism.
Oh we are sure the people living, born and raised in Patriarchy-stan have very well felt this, sometimes at some point in the day, sometimes all the times of the day, sometimes almost accustomed-to-it-amount of times and it just does not cease to exist, please do, what will it take, really, do they make vaccines for this to stop?
Imran Khan Just Called Bilawal Sahiba, and the internet is furious.
In an address to the public in South Waziristan, Imran Khan called Bilawal Zardari, ‘Bilawal Sahiba‘ it was an ill-advised move, especially because people are thinking, Excuse me, Mr. Primr Minister, sorry to interrupt you while you are busy in your little PM bubble, don’t you read fucking news? Do you have no idea about gender neutrality in the English language, the implications of the usage of derogatory terms that target a specific race, gender, color, creed or caste, have you got no understanding of the ideas that the world is struggling to fight for?
#PrimeMinisterImranKhan‘s sexist remarks about @BBhuttoZardari are extremely poor in taste and quite unbecoming of a Prime Minister. This is wrong on so many levels. pic.twitter.com/c7Kl8SwnmM
— Ali Salman Alvi (@alisalmanalvi) April 24, 2019
Pakistan is Furious.
Poor and misogynist statement by pm against @BBhuttoZardari calling him sahiba . We don’t expect this kind of language from anyone and off course PM
— Asma Shirazi (@asmashirazi) April 24, 2019
And then there is Salman Ahmed:
Calling someone sahiba unintentionally or intentionally is a sign of respect to the feminine side of human beings.
— salman ahmad (@sufisal) April 24, 2019
What are you trying to say, brother? Are you in your God Damned mind, or did your twisted brain cause you an aneurysm? Do you want to reconsider saying anything at all? Would you like to take it back, did you get carried away by the thrill of saying something on a sizzling national nuance? Why are u lyk dis? WHY.
You can laugh, but it’s not funny.
Being called ‘Woman’, ‘Bibi’, ‘Sissy’, ‘Girly’, ‘Unmanly’, ‘Khatoon ki tarah’, ‘Mard bano’, ‘Auratoun wali baat’, ‘Rann Mureed’, ‘Slut’, ‘Hoe’, ‘Player’, and the list goes on, is common. It has become normal, it has been normalized, a lot of us have given up and some of us never tried to break free from these shackles of gendered derogatory usage of terms that insult people, ourselves and others.
But, that still does not warrant the use of them, not today, not ever. Especially not by public figures that sit on very important batons and really run the show for our nation, the so-called government officials, specifically not by them. They are our window of representation to the rest of the world and to our own people after all. And we will not let them stagnate our discourse and undo years and years of struggle in the name of a language, gender, and norms.
The problem is that when someone says something sexist, it is already a pull-my-hair-out-where-to-begin, stop, please stop a moment for most of us. But, when a woman backs the person up, well, that is an entirely different ball game. I CAN NOT. I, JUST, CAN, NOT! And I am sure that this is exactly how a lot of you feel. And it is okay to feel so frustrated. No, please don’t bump your head on the desk, let us help. We are in this together.
And that’s exactly what Ms. Shireen Mazari did.
Quick and snappy, brief introduction of Shireen Mazari:
Most prominent female members of PTI. Federal Minister for Human Rights. Very opinionated, not afraid of making bold statements. Seems fairly progressive, dutifully, as a Human Rights Minister as well as a woman, she must call out sexism, especially in the official realms, specifically when so public and laden with intentions of insult and humiliation, MISS GOD FORSAKEN HUMAN RIGHTS FED MINISTER!
She tried to mask it as a slip of tongue, because, apparently a lot of people say Bilawal Bhutto Sahiba. Cute no? Clean PR move? No, fuck that! Here is what she means though.
Here is another video for my friends calling @ImranKhanPTI a misogynist and sexist for what could be a slip of tongue.. pic.twitter.com/qv9g7KPYB0
— Adeel Raja (@adeelraja) April 24, 2019
And a third one where Bilawal mixes his words himself.. sexist? Misogynist? Or slip of tongue? pic.twitter.com/bsqRRkVV2Y
— Adeel Raja (@adeelraja) April 24, 2019
Like can you not, that is disgusting, even for you, like stop, are you not listening to yourself, this is exhausting, stop, please stop, arghhhh. Are you high? Go home you’re drunk!