Former Governor of Meghalaya and Tripura Tathagata Roy resorted to slut-shaming a woman because she shared a meme that offended him. When a woman targetted Roy, who identifies as a "right wing Hindu socio-political activist" in a tweet, the ex-Governor responded by tweeting, "Like didi,like bahin! Thank you for crossing the line, so that with a clear conscience I can give you the treatment you deserve. Out,you slut."
After Twitter called him out for slut-shaming a woman, he defended his tweet by writing that "A ‘slut’ is a ‘slovenly woman’,obviously including one slovenly in speech," further adding that he valued his status as a swayamsevak a thousand times more than one as an ex-Governor. "Criticism of RSS is one thing. But I cannot and will not take lying down anti-nationals or Urban Naxals abusing it in filthy language. Even if the abuser is a woman or a transgender!"
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Tathagata Roy may have got his definition of a "slut" right from Merriam-Webster, but he conveniently overlooked the misogyny that steeped his outrage. To paraphrase it like Roy's own tweet, outrage is one thing. But to slut-shame a woman because she directed an unpalatable tweet towards you is unbecoming of a former governor. Whether he values his status as an ex-governor or not, the fact remains that Roy held a post that commands dignified conduct even after leaving it. How can he put his personal views and beliefs above the Constitution of India that he once was responsible to implement, when he held office? Isn't it unbecoming of a man of his stature to get down low and dirty on Twitter to counter trolls? Also, why does a man feel that get away with slurs that are female centric?
It is common for social media trolls to slut-shame women because they clearly lack the acumen to argue in favour of their beliefs. They choose the easy way out handed out to them by patriarchy. Any woman who doesn't fall in line, who challenges your opinion, or calls you out in the open, must be labelled a"slovenly", because "good girls" keep their mouth shut.
Also Read: Stop Slut-Shaming Women Who Own Their Sexuality
Would Roy have shamed a male troll using a slang that shamed a person for having multiple sexual partners (does such a slur even exist for men)? Then why did he use this specific slang to shame a woman? He could have reported her, he could have taken legal action against her for outraging his sensibilities. But why do that when you can simply slut-shame a woman and demean her.
No one is defending the woman's tweet here. But even if someone makes a comment that is not in good taste, hits you where it hurts the most, a person of Tathagata Roy's standing should have put more thought into how he retaliated. We do not expect civility from faceless trolls on social media, but where do we stand as a nation, as a society, when a state governor resorts to slut-shaming a woman and then defending his views?
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