A men's rights non-governmental organization called women a burden to pay alimony

Today, on the third day of the brand new year, a men's rights NGO aims to “make waves.” We live in times where learning and disseminating information is easy. It literally only takes a few clicks. So it's especially concerning when we can't even get THAT right. A recent contribution from the Save Indian Family Foundation is just one example that proves this. The non-governmental organization Men's Rights published a cartoon detailing how women are burdens to men. The goal was to talk about the impact of alimony – with factually incorrect information.

Normally I would argue: the fact that women are a burden is pure misogyny, but clearly enough has been said about it and we're still here. I also feel like it's a waste of effort that women have to constantly ask for things and only get disappointment in return. “Deewar mein sar maarna,” comes to mind. When people came to the site they were asked to pay attention to “logic,” so that’s exactly what I’m going to do. With all due respect (and logic), when men ask for things, why do they want to take something away from women? That can't possibly sound fair.

As a viewer, it just seems like the group views women as their enemies. Sometimes it feels like they are so drunk with power that they cannot digest women's desire or demand for equality. If you're at the top of a pyramid scheme, you wouldn't call it a scam. Patriarchy is very similar. So this NGO woke up and realized that for women receiving alimony after divorce, it is something that hurts them. They explained and added, “The contribution means that the maintenance for a common man in India is 1 Crore or 120,000 USD if his wife wants to destroy the marriage.” If the man does not pay 120,000 USD within 2 months, he faces 3 -4 different court cases. He needs to spend seven to eight years fighting these trials.”

Another user pointed out that this was incorrect information, which was problematic as it could easily be misleading.

Pathetic, pathetic liars. All these people and it's the Indian men on X that disgust me the most. What ordinary person in India can pay $120,000 for God's sake? Pathetic liars. India is the worst country for women. pic.twitter.com/kX4TIwd4tH

– 🧸💌🎁 (@k__bayraktar) January 1, 2024

It's scary that a legitimate group of activists has to rely on derogatory cartoons and false claims to get attention. And this is about attracting attention at this point, because there is a strategy behind it. They understand the meaning and motive of a message based on the way it is packaged. In this case, for example, if we look closely at the “Agenda” based on other posts on the platform, there is a clear pattern. It's not just about humiliation, it's about not letting women into a place where they are treated as equals.

Let's face it: if a statement has a hashtag that says “one crore alimony”, people will fall for it – which is not harmless. It also bothers me that men push for equality when it helps them. For such a group, it's all about convenience. Tell a woman to pay for her own things because she wants equality, and take the time when it comes to dividing emotional and physical labor at home. So let’s see these agendas for what they are – a way to deny women equality – a way to take away what they have fought for. Because if advocating for men comes at the expense of destroying women, then it's not really activism.

source

What's really problematic is the fact that so many things could actually bring about change or raise important issues – to help men. However, when information is shared to incite hatred against one group, it may not necessarily be seen as a way to help the other group.