Are feminism and chivalry mutually exclusive? This guy seems to think so.
Digital media specialist Jonas Gan posted a now-viral photo yesterday of a woman he saw sitting on the aisle of a loaded jeepney. According to him, the woman complained loudly that no one among the passengers was chivalrous enough to offer her a seat.
“What’s wrong with this photo?” Gan started his post.
He added: “The fact that she volunteered to sit there after she wasn’t able to find a good seat & then afterward complained, saying out loud: ‘There isn’t a gentleman in here.'”
Gan told Coconuts Manila through a Facebook message that he felt uncomfortable when the woman was ranting.
“When she didn’t stop, I felt I needed to say something because she wasn’t being fair,” he said.
Gan asked the woman if she were pregnant, a person with disability (PWD), or a senior citizen.
He wrote that she burst in anger and told him: “I’m A WOMAN.”
Gan continued in the post: “MY FEMINIST HEART IS TRIGERRED (sic)???”
“NO ONE should be given special rights & privileges based on gender as this follows the logic that no one should be discriminated based on gender,” he added in the post.
Eventually, the woman stepped down from the jeepney and just before their heated exchange ended, he said to her: “That’s called equality, miss.”
She shot back at him: “EQUALITY MY ASS.”
Gan said he believes in the equality of all sexes.
He told Coconuts, “No gender should be given special rights/privileges based on gender alone because we are straying away from the idea that one sex inherently has more capabilities than other sexes – thus needing to help/be helped.”
He added that people commented on his post that chivalry is dead.
“Well, I’m glad it is. Chivalry is nothing but a patriarchal concept based on the belief that men are more capable than women.”
“It is, therefore, a concept that has done more harm than good in giving women the rights [and] opportunities they need & deserve from society,” he shared.
The photo had over 20,000 likes and 11,000 shares as of this article’s posting.
But netizens had mixed reactions to Gan’s views.
Facebook user Daphne Kristyl Del Monte agreed with him and said: “Nothing is wrong with that picture. That’s a PUJ (public utility jeepney). Men also pay and the woman probably knew that it was full. It was her choice to ride the jeepney even if there’s little chance of getting a comfortable seat. If someone offers their seat, thank you, if not, it’s ok. There shouldn’t be hard feelings. When we (women) ask for equality, we should also remove the mentality that women should be given a seat. Better luck next time.”
As did JDion De Leon who wrote: “You shouldn’t force people to give you privileges. If someone gives you a seat, then thank them. If no one offers their seat, still say thank you because the jeepney driver let you sit at the exit. That’s usually not allowed. Can’t you wait for the next jeepney?”
However, Chadz Lagman Briones said the passengers should’ve given her a seat since she’s a woman and looked to be older.
Victor Kyle did not mince words when he called Gan out for schooling people on feminism.
“Instead of shoving feminism on everyone’s ass why don’t just be a gentleman? It’s wrong that she demanded [to have a seat], but being a gentleman is a choice,” he said.
What are your thoughts on this issue? Leave a comment below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
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