One day I read a comment on Facebook that lambasted stories of oppression of DILs by bossy MILs as nothing but fiction, a myth. Such things do NOT happen in urban areas, the woman, for it was a woman doing the lambasting, categorically stated. They belong to remote, rural areas, she went on, putting her foot squarely in her mouth.
Well, I have no objection to anyone putting their foot in their mouth as often as they wish. It is their foot and their mouth. If that is how they want the pair to meet, and that too publicly on Facebook, who am I to object?! Personally I feel apart from stimulating thought, it also has entertainment value, plus the potential to turn into a blog post in the future (like it is happening right now).
Let us take this matter of MILs of the city not being oppressive. I am sure that is coming from the woman being a city-dweller herself, with a non-aggressive MIL. But, isn’t it her word against the rest of those who have had to go through a different experience? She perhaps has indeed been blessed with a doting MIL. Good for her. But hey! If that is taken as reason to disbelieve the rest who do have evil mothers-in-law (link 1, link 2), she is simply begging for the counter argument.
So here it is: Since the city dwelling MIL of x, y or z is oppressive, it follows that the woman’s MIL is an oppressive one too. Howzzat? No? Well, why not? Let her try wriggling out of that one. Ha! If it works one way, it has gotta work the other way too, right?! So if we are supposed to buy her argument, she has to buy the argument of others as well based on the very same principle.
Jokes apart, when I hear such people I wonder whether their brain was also thrown away at birth, along with the placenta. I mean, how difficult is it to understand the world is not about us and our experiences alone? “I have never slipped, fallen or broken a bone because my city has perfect roads. So how the hell can you claim to have fallen and fractured your bone? You are lying!’ How childish and MEAN it sounds when people refuse to accept the fact that experiences of life differ from person to person.
What made the comment extremely amusing to me was the reference to the daughters-in-law in rural areas as being akin to drooping willows. Far from us to dismiss DILs from the rural areas thus. Where many of them stand their ground in face-offs with MILs, many of the city-dwelling variety are found meekly handing over their hard-earned pay packets to their demanding MILs. The truth is, oppressive MILs are found everywhere, rural or urban, just as meek DILs. The same goes for they who do not rule and those that refuse to be ruled.
DILs = Daughters-in-law
MILs = Mothers-in-law.
Shail's Nest 
If it’s on facebook it must be true
Rofl.
Oh, you have no clue about the number of well educated, well read people that I know of whose world view is limited to what they experience and what they read about in newspapers everyday. And despite all this, their constant refrain is that “that can never happen to me”, or “these kind of things only happen in xxx, yyy, place”. The world is filled with people who like to be content with their narrow world view and who don’t want to change it at any cost.
True though really sad that it should be so.
You said it! Glad you brought this out like this. There is no point categorizing them in term of geography. That’s foolish!
Thanks! 🙂
Sometimes I feel like I live in an alternate dimension…That the things I see and hear arent the things that others see and hear. It is very scary. So I do all I can to deny the things that others see and hear, that way I can be As Brave as I can ever Be. (Its a thought blurb that people on both sides of the urban vs. rural divide have). Here’s my expectation which mostly ends up in the disappointed pile – the ability to see and hear things for what it is, without the coloured glasses or ear-buds. I thought I was objective but I had someone tell me off with “what IS, depends on what you want to see.”
Tell me about it, Mysoul. I can so relate to what you are saying.
Aiyoyo, what kind of a DIL would talk bad about her MIL? That too the mother of her husband? *shaking head in disbelief*
😛
Shail, I received a visitor from your blog. He didn’t get the sarcasm from my above post. I was left with a comment together with a link on MIL/DIL related issues.
Haha. He has obsessive compulsive disorder. He trolls blog after blog under different names and does the parrot act. The life some people lead! I actually pity such people. They don’t seem to have anything better to do in life. I have successfully blocked him and his IP and no longer have to see his mad-ramblings. But yes, he has entertainment value in case you happen to read his comments, never fails to amuse the way he goes round-and-round-the-mulberry-bush. Lol.
Amen!
🙂
There are many deluded and delusional folk in this world. Of all the flavours on your blog, I like sarcasm the best. Well said
Thank you Ritu. And I love the fact that you said ‘flavours’! 🙂
Lol ….on the brain being thrown out at birth along with the placenta;-)
😉 Doesn’t that seem the case at times? 🙂
Some frogs think that the world begins and ends in their well. Some such frogs open their mouths only to change the foot! As you rightly said, their mouths and their feet!
Well put, PI!