I am a feminist. Now that should not come as a big surprise. However, among certain circles such an admission could incite more venom than a swear word. So why is “feminism” the new “F” word?

While I am not one to question freedom of speech, I think the world would have been better off without a soapbox for Sanjiv’s views. His long-winded rant embodies everything wrong with a growing number of boys who feel it is necessary to blame women for their own shortcomings. I’ll deconstruct Sanjiv’s arguments and put forth my perspective on why Tamils today are waiting to get married.

Tamil identity can be distilled into a bipolar spectrum with core Tamils at one end and periphery Tamils at the other. The majority of Tamils do not fall at the extreme ends of this spectrum, but somewhere along the middle. However, what makes the question of Tamil identity divisive is the perceived construction of “us” and “them” in the Tamil community.