Wrong argument
This letter is in reference to Rohan Thomas’ op-ed, “The Sunny Leone effect” (The Goan Everyday, February 26). Rather than slam Bollywood for making low-calibre, degrading “sex comedies” (the industry’s own term), he accuses Sunny Leone of being “guilty as sin for using her body to entice viewers” in the film ‘Mastizaade’. He also uses the example of John Abraham in the film ‘Dostana’ to argue that women objectify men, forgetting that that display of John Abraham’s body was a product of the male gaze (Karan Johar’s direction). Further, he refers to the “male obsession with washboard abs and shaved chests”; that has nothing to do with women but, rather, is a male aspiration (i.e., not a valid argument against feminism). And he rants about so-called feminazis without providing even one example of such a person. He does, however, rely on an example of one false allegation of rape made against an NFL player, which, awful as that is, does not even remotely prove that feminists hate men. By all means, critique a public figure, critique feminism, but provide a logical argument.
Christine Russon, Canada
Night colleges
The Chief Minister has stated that the government plans to start night colleges to enable office-going people to complete their graduation and get standard education instead of pursuing studies through correspondence which, according to him, has limited scope (The Goan Everyday, February 24). This seems to be a step in the right direction as it will also contribute in raising the literacy rate in the state. However there are some glitches. The CM has reportedly said that initially only four to five colleges will be started on experimental basis and if the project is successful then the government will concentrate on starting additional classes. The colleges also need to be started in all major cities as those interested will find it difficult to travel from the villages or from one city to another at night. The question that will be uppermost in the mind of those who want to attend the night classes is what happens if the government decides to discontinue with the night colleges
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
Curb alcoholism
Recently King Momo waxed eloquent on the salubrious and medicinal value of cashew feni. But King Momo, having the reputation of a court jester, nobody ought to give much value to his perorations. That apart, it is now clear that Goa today faces a horrendous alcohol problem. Not only have we more people drinking more, we cannot escape the fact that we are sadly breeding a big phalanx of teenage alcoholics. What is more worrying is that the recent 2015-16 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) reveals a worrying fact: the gender gap in the world of tipplers is fast shrinking with a 100 % jump as far as female drinking population is concerned which begins in early teens. Experts are further concerned about women's newfound fondness for Bacchus for physiological reasons. Regrettably, alcohol doesn't metabolize as quickly for women as it does for men; inebriation is hence quicker for women than for men. The problem in our State is acute and must be tackled on a war-footing.
Dr. Francisco Colaço, Margao
