Is Ignorance a bliss.. or is it selective?

20 years of living in this world even as a part time couch potato. I could say I have seen some stuff. Not everything but enough to realise that ignorance is not always bliss but it is selective.  Ignorance could be a preventive method to stay out of other peoples business, it could perhaps be bliss for many too but often ignorance in our society is selective.

Ignorance's towards crimes such as domestic violence and eve teasing towards women are quite common. Everyone keeps mum when a battered wife shows up to work with a black eye, no one seems to notice a girl trying walk faster because she can no longer take the teasing of groups of men following her every move yet everyone has ample amount of time to notice that the girls skirt was little too short and her make up a little too loud.

What form of ignorance is this, driven by gender, social status, personal liking and disliking? The prejudices and stereotypes and social classes seem to be the base of selective ignorance. Times when some of us try to avoid sitting next to that one person on the bus because of the clothes he is wearing or because of the way he looks or smells yet we completely ignore the life and suffering he may be leading of not which does not even enable to get better closer. We disregard the hard work that could have resulted in the smell, the dirty clothes.

Genders seem to classify selective ignorance, where a daughter is constantly ambushed with thoughts of the society regarding the way they should look behave and suffer long term scrutiny for everyone for their short comings. However,

For a son usually a simple "keta haru ta tyastai ho" is suffice enough to explain their almost every mistake.  Often the societies inability to see that "kt haru pani tyastai ho" baffles me, although many of us have come a long way, there are still many who seem to ignore the wishes and wants of a girl.

Hold it there! I know what you are thinking ignorant enough to believe that I am overly fired of feminist? But hear me out. I do believe in decency and adhering to certain rules as a human being but these rules are to be equally imposed on both the genders.

When I was  in high school I did "try" to play the role of the justice girl once or twice sadly those who I stood up for never stood up for me when I landed in trouble for my so called acts of heroism. I now know that it is wise to not to be involved in such mindless conflicts of other people. But I strongly believe that people need to intervene if a certain form of ignorance has seriously hampered someone.

Bullying is a subject close to me. When I was bullied, I felt incredibly alone it was a sad time for me and probably only some one who was bullied would understand. I am friends with most of my ex bullies now, they did not know better then neither did I, both parties held the barrel of the gun at one point. But the 2 years of being "unanimously talked" about yes this was the term used by one of them, I learned a lot. I learned that selective ignorance is like a wildfire you do not know when it is going to happen but when it does it spreads like there is no tomorrow. In the 2 years I had fall out with friends quicker than Kim Kardashian bagged Kanye. Yup! it was that quick! There were a couple of us who did not quite fit in the whole high school picture. I remember how at times I felt there was no mercy. A single word was added fuel to the fire that is when I realised that prejudice is another reason for selective ignorance. It did not matter what I was saying as long as it was me it was evil.

Often we are so caught up in our prejudices that we forget to be compassionate.

So think about it is ignorance really a bliss or simply selective?

PS: Do not feel sorry for me, I mend the bridges, made and reunited with some great people. I can look back and say hey did not need that but since I got it I learned a lot from it.