When was the last time you did your stuff all by yourself? I am asking this because I came across this refreshing take on self-reliance from an American celebrity chef, Late Anthony Bourdain, in an old video that is now going viral on Twitter.
In the video, a woman can be heard saying that a lot of women in Singapore are in the workforce because they’ve got “maids” to look after their houses. She legit said her husband did not even know how to serve himself a glass of water.
Hearing this, Anthony Bourdain asked if people at the lunch table knew how to do laundry. He went on to say that he did his own laundry because it made him feel very self-reliant. He then joked about how he wanted to “live off the labour of repressed underclass,” and the people on the table reeked of embarrassment.
The subtle bashing by Bourdain has really impressed people on Twitter. Here’s how they reacted to it.
Most Indian households have house-helps working for them. And often, we see instances of them getting exploited with unfair wages and dehumanizing language. And the worst is how some desi households are capable of segregating cups and plates for their house-help. You’re legit not considering them worthy enough to touch and eat from the same plates as you. These suffocating habits reek of classism and casteism that should have died ages ago.
The part that got to me the most is how the woman so candidly spoke that “women” can join the workforce because they’ve “maids” to look after their houses. My question is: what about the “maids” and their houses? Don’t they have the right to join the workforce, or what they’re servicing you is not work? And wait, you identified yourself as a woman. Great! But “maids” are just maids, right? You dehumanized them with one sentence.
The moral of the story is: if you have a house-help at home doing your stuff for you, you ought to be grateful. And please don’t flex about independence when you can’t do your own laundry!