Yesterday was spectacular for me because I saw something that I had never seen before. On my way to church, the bus had stopped to pick up other passengers in Oshodi. There were a few other buses
parked with drivers lazying about because it was Sunday which is usually a slow day.Then a plus sized woman walked past. I am on this bus parked by the road side waiting to pick other passengers while close to the walkway, the drivers were just standing about.
This woman walked past briskly in between the space left from where we were on the bus and the area by the walkway.
One of the drivers who had a limp o, motioned to another standing by him and said, “Look at how round she is with everything jiggling”
His colleague ignored him but he promptly got up and walked towards the woman with a stupid leery smile on his face and asked, “ M|adam where are you going to? Laughing foolishly as she ignored him and continued walking without so much as a glance in his direction.
I was sitting on the front row behind the driver’s seat. I sat closed to the door of the bus so I could see and hear clearly what was going on.
There were two men sitting by the driver in front, the one closest to the door was sitting directly in front of me and said loudly to the mischievous limping man, “You are a very stupid man. If she was your wife and another man had just said that rubbish to her in your presence, would you still laugh like the idiot that you are?’
Everyone, including Mr Limps, was stunned for a few seconds before the mischievous driver replied with an insult of his own, after which he asked Mr Hero what his business was.
Before anyone could blink, Mr Hero had jumped off the bus, walked towards Mr Limps and given him a sound punch on his face. The other drivers at the garage rushed to the scene and started begging Mr Hero to leave him alone. Mr Limps didn’t raise his fist in defense but kept talking while his colleagues held Mr Hero back.
Mtshewww!!! I was silently hoping that Mr Limps had hit Mr Hero back so he could have had an excuse to beat Mr Limps up soundly. Meanwhile, the rest of us on the bus were cheering him on because he was doing the right thing.
However, the woman who had been body shamed, whose honour Mr Hero was defending had been long gone by now so she wasn’t aware that any of this happened.
A man, defending another stranger, who he had never met was a sight to behold yesterday. My heart was so glad that at least Mr Hero’s sons would know the meaning of respect. Mr Hero had been on the bus with his friend, but his friend didn’t even get up to stop him when he jumped off the bus to challenge that disgusting Mr Limps.
Mr Hero later told us as we continued our journey that he hated when people picked on others or disrespected others for fun. His face was so intense that I don’t have any doubt that he would have beaten up Mr Limps for sure.
The scenario of body shaming or stupid lewd comments when a woman walks past is not a new thing at all. Even the woman, like many others who have experienced this, had just kept on walking. Not saying a word, not defending herself or cursing him out at least. She just kept on walking..
In all the cases I have seen, the other men would laugh too while some would shake their heads and go about their businesses.
Not Mr Hero though!
He had to make sure that Mr Limps would think twice before shaming another woman again.
Like Mr Limps, some people are just nasty for no reason and if we do not educate them by throwing either verbal or no verbal punches, they will never learn.
I am not saying turn violent, I’m saying take a stand for honour, respect, proper behavior etc. Do not become a part of the crowd and go with the flow that decides that moral decadence is the norm.
Mr Hero had asked Mr Limps, “If she was your wife, would you still laugh when another man makes jest of her figure?’
I understand that some people have had bad experiences o. But please, don’t follow the trends blindly because everyone else is saying or doing it. We have brains for a reason.
Think!
Do what is right!
Stand for what is right!
Before we make any careless comments or laugh at someone’s stupid joke – think for a second if the joke would still be as funny if the people subjected to ridicule were our loved ones.
#Dazzal
Picture: Kleeqers.com
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