Out of the three things that we have read/watched from the Turkey group (“Women on the Frontline: Turkey,” the headscarf clip, and the three short stories), “Women on the Frontline: Turkey” was definitely the one that impacted me the most. It is unbelievable that the statistics said that 16-17 girls and women were killed in the name of honor per day in Turkey over the two-year span of the survey. The film also stated that honor killings affect more women than cancer affects them, and that it affects one in three women around the world (I presume that this “affect” means they are killed?). The film was maddening to me. Even though the men that did these killings talked about their honor, their family’s place in society, and deep traditions as being excuses for murder, there are really no reasons good enough to excuse the murder of a family member.
The headscarf film was tricky for me. I believe that these women should be able to wear a headscarf if that is what they truly desire- it should be a basic freedom of choice. But I wonder how much traditions are not only affecting their choices, but mandating them. That is to say, I wonder how many girls fighting for the choice to wear a headscarf are not being pressured to do so by a traditional community where they live, a community who would ostracize them if they did not wear it. I just wonder how many of their “choices” are really choices. Even if the government bans certain things, I wonder how many traditional communities follow these bans- communities like the ones where honor killings are happening the most- and how many force “choices” upon their members. Not to say that a girl would never have the desire to wear a headscarf… but how many actually would, I wonder? Even more, how many would actually choose to wear them almost ALL of the time?
Finally, the short stories were very different for me. I did not care for them. To me, it is as if the authors were drunk while writing! I did not understand much of anything, especially from the last two! But maybe they will make more sense after class tomorrow…
I liked your comment about how the authors must have been drunk while writing the short stories...the last two I think really showed that, so maybe more information tomorrow will make it better. I also agree that the head scarf film is tricky for me too. How can anyone deny one's basic freedom of choice, but at the same time doesn't it perpetuate the restriction of women?
ReplyDeleteWhat makes it difficult for me to accept this idea of Honor killing is that honor is not a physical thing so it is really up to the men to decide when they have been dishonored or when they feel like killing the women in their family. It must be very frightening to live as a girl in Turkey. I really liked your point about the headscarves and how maybe the women fighting for the rights not to wear them merely weren't being pressured and perhaps their choice wasn't really a choice, I hadn't thought of it that way. What my problem with that movie was Turkey as a government and country, how can they be so desperate to become westernized that they are making it illegal to follow a tradition that has been going on for centuries?
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