God created man first, truth. God created woman from the rib of a man, also true. This is what is Christianity teaches us. This is of course for those who are believers, not of Darwin, but of God and creation. My knowledge of the theory of evolution is limited, so I do not know if Darwin established who came first man or woman. The physiological and anatomical differences between a man and woman aside, what is it that makes a man superior to a woman? This is not so across the globe mind you, just in some places where the thought process is still stuck in an age where the man went hunting and the women bore children and cooked for the man.
India is a country where this line of thought is not only considered correct, but is also propagated. The superiority of man not that is not the caveman lifestyle. The basic issue lies with the fact that in India the male progeny is considered as a demi God. Men are always given special preference. If meat is cooked the biggest and best piece of meat is kept for the man or the son, in fact they are urged go eat before the women even and women eat whatever is left over. This of course is mildly exaggerated.
So how then did India a country where Goddesses are worshipped more than Gods, a country where swayamvars were conducted so that the bride could choose who she could marry become a country where women became so oppressed. The dowry was paid to every girl child so that she could have financial stability after marriage. Property was always given in the name of the girl. Then, the British in their infinite misguided wisdom and misconception that they were doing what was good for the country passed a law that prohibited a girl child from owning property. Which meant that any form of wealth given to the girl child would be owned by the husband.
The dowry system is something when discussed in western societies is a matter of ridicule. It makes places like India look like they are in some time warp. But if a message is passed on correctly this can change. More and more youngsters are refusing to accept or give dowry. This is of course a very good thing to happen, but we must understand that India is a country with a very large population. She is entrenched in beliefs and a culture that is so deep rooted that some customs simply cannot be stopped easily or quickly. The youngsters often have to give in to the demands of the the parents. But for those of you women whose parents have paid up the dowry or mehr, and for those men who have collected this gracious offering, here is a different take on this premise.
Let us go by the law of purchasing, which states that to purchase is the ability to acquire something in exchange for money or its equivalent. Once a purchase is done, the person who has paid to acquire that something gains its ownership. If we are to go by this logic, it is the woman who owns the man simply because, she has paid to acquire him. In fact in most cases it would ideally be the parents of the woman in question. So for you women and their out there who have paid this sum please note, if you or your daughters are oppressed, humiliated, demeaned or disrespected because of a sum that was paid to acquire this priceless commodity, you are the rightful owners and not the other way around.
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