KVT – Ngày Phụ Nữ Quốc Tế…Một Trò Đùa hay Một Tương Lai

Commendable sentiments.

Walking on Lang Yen Phu by the West Lake yesterday in the late afternoon, I passed by few young men who were propping up in front of their business premises a huge cheerful placard in celebration & with greetings for the 8th of March — The International Woman’s day.
These fellows were proud of the lovely placard they were erecting and their activity to be noticed by the folk going by.
They showed it by friendly greetings, flashing happy smiles all -round…
I thought it was wonderful!

Yes – smiles and cheery signs are quite nice, but I couldn’t believe my first International Women’s Day in Vietnam last year: it seemed to be just another ‘Buy your girlfriend flowers and perfume and designer handbags etc etc!’

There doesn’t seem to be much consciousness of women’s struggle for equality, the appalling rate of domestic violence, the harsh mistreatment of daughters-in-law, for example: all around the world and right here here in Vietnam.

Anyhow, I loved KVT’s piece, thankyou — and Happy International Women’s Day to all!

… quite right, Brenda… quite right…

…and in all my many-many years living in Australia, I could not believe that this day is not mentioned overtly at all by the Australian mainstream media and the population hardly knows it, and does not think it is worth noticing either (unlike the truly commercial Mother’s Day and Father’s Day)…
…also… speaking of this day’s celebrations in different countries… 3 years ago I happen to be on that day in Paris, steadily combing private and state art galleries — most impressive for me was that every one of them without exception was showing exhibitions on the theme of ‘Woman’…

Cheers!

Did a search through the Oz media and found a quiet reserve about IWD but hit upon two nice bits tucked away in comment section of SMH: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/international-womens-day-has-yet-to-achieve-its-purpose-20130305-2fiv3.html and http://www.smh.com.au/comment/this-womens-day-remember-fallen-in-domestic-wars-20130307-2fo1v.html . Also one good piece from the Oz national broadcaster http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-08/baird-international-womens-day/4559846. Perhaps it shows how parternalistic and patriachal we Ucs might tend to be. Yep I’m a true blue too but more gypsy than oi oi oi!

Good on you Tristiana!

All the write ups touching on IWD in SMH today are in the Daily Life section, which to the all readers’ very recent outrage was about to be re-named “Women’s Perspective”…
Well, we did put up a good fight and now it is as it should be — an all-embracing and positive title that it was … because, that is how we see and perceive ourselves …

… and here is another one from this morning front page on SMH, (swimming in international waters on the issue of Paternalism) — the comings & goings of Saudi royalty… !
… so, let us spare a thought for this princess — http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/the-runaway-shopaholic-saudi-princess-who-left-iou-notes-for-millions-has-her-assets-seized-20130308-2fpfz.html , who could not help “protesting” the patrimonial relations in her family…

… trust & hope that on this day women celebrate the recognition of (in one form or another) the quiet power of their being…

To Brenda
PS>>>… a bunch of flowers and a bottle of perfume from a boyfriend or a husband …?
… yes, please — let’s not be hypocritical about it all either… nothing’s wrong with a heart-felt gesture — just like a smile from a stranger on the street could be a gift to you….

I think that more than the ‘quiet power of their being’ its about time they got a bit or a lot angry. As one of Tristiana’s links said, there’s nothing wrong with women’s anger when it’s directed at inequality and human rights.

As to the perfume and flowers, great if it isn’t a matter of here’s a gift Darl now get back to the sink and the dishes and when’s me dinner ready.

Are you sure that you are not too much of an appeaser?

@ Portia
…is your question directed at me…?…in which case my answer is: no, one can never be “sure”… however, I am not too sure why should you berate me ?
re anger: … do not think I was attempting to stop anyone expressing their anger and outrage…just not my style to be overtly militant when it comes to sociopolitical or feminist activism…

It was good to see an excellent documentary on Friday night at about unmarried mothers in Vietnam with an audience of lots of Vietnamese women there too. This addresses a good and current issue for Vietnamese women

To Ngoc,

I appreciate you giving us this example.
It shows that that the Vietnamese people are well aware of whatever social problems they may be facing today …

P.S. to Portia,

re “… directed at inequality and human rights.”:

In my humble and not so very humble opinion, I dare say, we have come to the sloganeering we would most likely disapprove of, if it came from quarters other than ours…

I personally do not subscribe to the notion of inequality between the two genders. Each and every one of us is a human being with, I believe, equal potential and in as much as I know of most countries today, our iqual rights are constitutionally inscribed and presumably protected, but I also acnowledge that they are projected and utilised differently in different societies and under different circumstances.

In the light of what you said in your comment … what, I believe important is not just how angry or outraged we can get, but the ways in which this ‘inequality and human rights’ you protest could be constructively addressed…

…and as soldiers say .. the battle is conducted and decided on the ground… so, it is up to each and every one of us …