when you speak about feminism

they like to hit you with things

i call 'what about's–

what about women in the middle east

what about women in third world countries

what about focusing on them and not the problems here

and this all sounds good in theory

yes

we need to help them

yes

we need to help young girls

trapped in child marriages

yes

we need to help women

marred by acid attacks

yes

we need to help victims

of human trafficking

yes

we need to help women

who will be imprisoned

beaten

killed

for speaking out about their sexual assault

for getting an abortion

for leaving an abusive husband

yes

we need to help them

of course we do

it is our job as decent humans

to help them

but we can help them

and help ourselves at the same time

we can help young girls

in child marriages

and we can fight to end

the objectification of young girls

here

we can help women

marred by acid attacks

and we can work harder

to arrest abusers and assailants

here

we can help victims

of human trafficking

and we can stop stigma and violence

against sex workers

here

we can help women

who will be

imprisoned for speaking out about their sexual assault

beaten for getting an abortion

killed for leaving an abusive husband

and we can also help women

who will be

imprisoned for killing their pimp and captor

beaten for refusing to have sex

killed for rejecting a man

here

because terrible things still happen

here

women are still getting hurt

here

there is still not total equality

here

they say

what about this

what about that

what about them

i say

well

what about

they say nothing

because that they mean

when they say

what about the middle east

what about third world countries

what about them

is

what about sitting down

what about shutting up

what about not saying anything

at all

-c.h.

~