STEALING AFFECTIONS
– IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO
Food
for Thought
By
VIKRAM KARVE
Disclaimer:
1. This is a spoof, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Stealing Affections – It Takes Two to Tango
Today’s newspapers carry a news report about
a Navy Commodore being sacked as he was found guilty of “stealing the
affections of a brother officer's wife”.
(Links to the news item are given at the end
of the post)
The term “stealing affection” is the military
euphemism for “adultery”.
Stealing the affection of a brother officer’s
wife is deemed to be conduct unbecoming of an officer and conduct prejudicial
to good order and discipline and is considered an offence.
Don’t you feel that the expression “stealing
affection” is a misnomer?
The word “steal” implies that you take
something belonging to someone else without her knowledge or consent.
Can you “steal” someone’s “affections”
without the other person knowing it?
Is it a case of one-way love?
Or is the lady (brother officer’s wife)
willingly giving her affections to the officer (her husband’s colleague)?
If she is willingly giving her affections,
can the officer be accused of “stealing” affections?
And, if the officer had forced his affections
on the lady, she could have complained of rape or molestation, or outraging the
modesty of a woman, for which the punishment is much more severe than mere
dismissal.
There is a difference between sexual harassment
and a love affair between two consenting adults.
An officer can “steal” the affections of a
brother officer's wife only because the brother officer’s wife is willing to
have her affections “stolen” by him.
In a love affair, the relationship and the
sex, both are consensual.
So, isn’t the woman equally responsible for
the adulterous love affair?
It takes two to tango.
Yes, it takes two willing people to commit infidelity,
not just one.
Both the man and the woman are equally guilty
of indulging in the immoral act of adultery.
But the man is punished severely, even sacked
from his job, whereas the equally guilty woman goes scot-free.
Is this fair?
From an ethical point of view, is it ethical to
blame only the man for the adulterous love affair in which the woman has
willingly participated?
Is it not a case of reverse gender bias?
Extra Marital Affairs and “Stealing
Affections” are not new to the Navy.
Surely, you have heard of the famous Commander Nanavati Case which, some say, was instrumental in abolishing the jury trial system
in India.
As far as the navy mores are concerned, it seems
okay for officers to sow their wild oats outside.
Even in cases of “stealing the affection of a
brother officer’s wife” – as long as the affair is kept discreet, everyone
looks the other way.
The Navy cracks the whip only when one of the
aggrieved spouses complains, and the complainant is mostly the cuckolded
husband whose wife’s affections are being “stolen” by another officer.
The saddest part is that the wife of the
“straying” unfaithful husband is hit by a double whammy.
First, she has to bear the social humiliation
associated with her husband accused of committing adultery with another woman
and being punished for “conduct unbecoming of an officer”.
Second, she has to suffer financial
consequences of her husband losing his job and, maybe, his pension benefits, if
he is dismissed with disgrace.
The financial jolt due to loss of job and
income of the breadwinner can be particularly severe is the wife is a homemaker
financially dependent on her husband.
The children suffer unimaginable agony too.
Earlier there were no lady officers in the
armed forces.
So the only sexual “offence” pertained to male
officers “stealing the affection of a brother officer's wife”.
With the entry of women officers, new
possibilities have emerged.
Whereas for male officers, stealing the
affection of a brother officer’s wife is deemed to be conduct unbecoming of an
officer and conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline and is considered
an offence, in the case of female officers will the same apply to “stealing the
affection of a sister officer’s husband” or “stealing the affections of a
married officer”?
By the way, for a lady officer, stealing the
affection of a “brother officer” is considered okay.
Conversely, stealing the affections of a “sister
officer” seems okay for male officers.
In fact, “brother officers” are permitted to
marry “sister officers” (yes, male officers are allowed to marry female officers)
and there are many “military couples in uniform” in the armed forces.
It is all very bamboozling, so all I will say
is that “stealing affection” is an affair of the heart in which “it takes two
to tango”.
Links to News Reports mentioned in the post:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/navy-sacks-senior-officer-formisconduct/article6224454.ece
Stealing Affections – It Takes Two to Tango
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve
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© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
1. This story is a spoof, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
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Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@hotmail.com
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925
Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@hotmail.com
Twitter: @vikramwkarve
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
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