Social Media as the Courtroom
Social media has increasingly become a place of public judgement. Short clips circulate rapidly, opinions form instantly, and sides are chosen long before full context emerges.
In many viral moments, gender quietly influences the verdict. Online reactions often reveal more about social expectations than about the facts themselves.
The Public Pad Debate
One recent incident sparked intense discussion after a woman was seen wearing a sanitary pad in public. Reactions broadly fell into two camps.
Some praised the act as confident and empowering, framing it as a step towards normalising menstruation. Others simply argued that women should not be shamed for natural bodily processes.
The dominant tone was empathetic, with the moment widely described as bold, liberating and progressive.
The Road Accident Incident
In another case, a woman was filmed verbally insulting a man after causing a road accident. The footage showed the man attempting to explain himself calmly, while the woman escalated the exchange verbally.
Online reactions were divided, but a noticeable pattern emerged. Many viewers justified her anger as shock or stress, while others questioned the man’s composure.
Emotional reactions, it seemed, were being interpreted differently depending on who expressed them.
Expectations and Double Standards
Public judgement is rarely neutral.
Men are often expected to remain calm, absorb blame and suppress emotion. When they show visible anger, it is quickly labelled as aggression.
Women, by contrast, are more frequently excused for emotional outbursts and viewed through the lens of vulnerability or circumstance.
This observation does not dismiss the real inequalities women face daily. Rather, it highlights inconsistencies in how similar behaviours are interpreted.
Accountability and Consistency
Certain principles should remain fixed:
Causing an accident is wrong, regardless of gender.
Insults remain insults, regardless of who delivers them.
Public standards should apply evenly.
Respect should not depend on who attracts sympathy more easily.
The Role of Platforms
Social media amplifies extremes. Context is compressed, narratives harden, and fair assessment becomes difficult.
In the process, a simple but essential sequence is often lost:
Action → Context → Accountability
A Shared Standard
Equality is not about automatic defence. It is about applying the same measure to everyone.
Actions should be judged as actions—not softened or intensified by identity. Until that balance exists, debates around gender and behaviour will continue to feel decided long before the full story is heard.But that is just my opinion…
BY Gabriel sironka
