Ah, the ‘A’ word in India – ‘aunty’. Not a lot of women are happy when they are called that. But guess what, there is always somebody who is going to be two or more decades younger than you who will call you so. I am about to turn 30 and I get called ‘aunty’ by the youngsters in my housing society all the time!
However, there are some women who, when called ‘aunty’, start scowling and frowning and unleash their inner demons. This is what happened in Bengaluru recently.
According to Moneycontrol, a woman attacked an ATM security guard after he addressed her as ‘aunty’. The woman allegedly hit him with a slipper.
An eye-witness revealed that the woman had just withdrawn some cash from the ATM and was standing near the door when the security guard tried to make way for others. When asking the woman to move aside, he addressed her as ‘aunty’, which infuriated her. She went on to slap the security guard and hit him with a slipper. She also verbally abused him.
The security guard filed a case against the woman at Malleswaram police station. Thankfully he did not suffer an injury.
As funny as it might seem, this is a serious issue that needs to be condemned. Violence is never an acceptable response to words. Even though some people might be very sensitive when it comes to their age, physically assaulting a person is not okay. Respectful communication is the answer. Basic civility should be the foundation of our interactions, not violence.