Tuesday, April 30, 2019

HUM AUR TUM, OR, IS 'OLD' BOLLYWOOD SMARTER THAN UNIVERSITY PROGRESSIVES?

As I return to blogging, I never thought I would illustrate a point with a link to a Bollywood musical number.

Hum Aur Tum is a romantic song from the film Daag (1973) starring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore. From the little information I could find, the title beginning the song and the second line could be translated as "I am the man, you are the woman," "You are the woman, I am the man," or, "I am the man, you are my woman." If the song expresses sexist stereotypes, I wouldn't know, since I don't know the words to the whole song. However, I can say that the song does contain one assumption that should be evident to all. That assumption being that there are innate differences between men and women. Furthermore, declaring oneself to be the biological opposite of the gender you are born with cannot make you become someone of the opposite sex. This should not be a controversial statement. But it is in some quarters. Especially among progressives who have taken over our universities and social media.

If you doubt me on this, let me bring the trials of Caroline Farrow , to your attention. She is a British Catholic who debated a mother whose son now claims to be a female. During the debate, Caroline Farrow referred to the woman's son as him or his. The mother threatened legal action against Farrow and a vicious social media campaign has made Farrow's life and that of her family miserable. She has even been contacted by the police. After several weeks, the police informed her that she would not be prosecuted.

Or take the example of the American professor, Dr. Nicholas Meriwether. Here is how the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing him, described his circumstances:

"Dr. Nicholas Meriwether has served as a philosophy professor at Shawnee State University for over 20 years.
And until recently, he did so without a blemish on his record. Last fall, however, Shawnee State launched an investigation into Dr. Meriwether, formally punished him, and placed a warning in his file – claiming he “created a hostile environment.”
So what changed?
Dr. Meriwether refers to his students as “sir” or “ma’am” or by a title (Mr. or Miss, for example) followed by their last name. He does this to create a respectful environment in the classroom.
But this considerate practice is exactly what landed him in trouble with university officials.
One day after class, a male student approached Dr. Meriwether and demanded to be referred to by female pronouns because the student identifies as a woman. When Dr. Meriwether did not immediately agree to do so, the student became aggressive, circling around him, getting in his face, and threatening to get Dr. Meriwether fired. The student then filed a complaint with the university.
As a Christian, Dr. Meriwether believes that God has created humans in his image, as male or female. So, he offered a compromise. He would refer to the student by first or last name only – respecting his own convictions as well as the student’s.
But that was not enough for Shawnee State officials. They demanded that Dr. Meriwether refer to this student as a woman or risk losing his job."

So we see that the Christian expression of what is evident to the overwhelming majority of humanity is under attack in the United States, the United Kingdom, and in Europe.  And the time will come when those targeting any expression of the differences between men and women will target other cultures. Even "new" Bollywood may be forced to change its tune. (For all I know, it already has. I don't watch anything Bollywood has produced after 1980.) So, enjoy Hum Aur Tum, even if you don't know the words, and other songs with similar themes, while you can. (I particularly enjoy the part starting at 31 seconds to 36 seconds; Sharmila Tagore has a killer smile. I always get a kick out of the ending, 3:23 - 3:40.) These songs not only celebrate the differences between men and women, they would not exist without the acknowledgement of those differences. While many progressives can't accept something so obvious, at least Bollywood gets it. At least "Old" Bollywood does.   

Here is the link to Hum Aur Tum.

Update: Dr. Meriwether , represented by the Alliance Defense Fund, filed a suit against Shawnee State. Unfortunately, the judge in the case sided with the University, ruling that Dr. Meriwether can be compelled to express beliefs he does not hold. Dr. Meriwether and his legal team plan to appeal. See here for a link to a post from ADF. 3/14/20.

    
Update: The Alliance Defense Fund appealed the judge's ruling on behalf of Dr. Meriwether. In March, the U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit, reversed the lower court ruling, stating that a University cannot compell a professor to expouse ideas they themselves do not agree with. I don't know if Shawnee State plans to appeal.

Update, 07/22 : Shawnee State has decided to settle with Dr. Meriwether, agreeing to pay him $400,000 in damages and legal fees. Also, the university administration has removed the note critisizing his actions from his personal file. Praise the Lord for giving Dr. Meriwether this victory! Here is a link concerning this cases' outcome: