Boys Will Be Boys Analysis

The South Asian community, specifically the Punjabi community, knows the culture of silence all too well. Whether it be silence on topics of sexual harassment, abuse, violence, alcoholism, addiction or aggression, we know how to keep it hush-hush. Earlier this March, a young man from Brampton, ON was taken from his family by a group of senseless angry men. The story of Paviter Singh Bassi has resonated with me since the moment I heard about his passing. I didn't know this young man personally, but I felt his loss. As an older sister and as someone who lived in Brampton and has roots there, Paviter's story had me shaken.

Paviter was only 21 when we was murdered. He had a whole life to live. But, his journey on this planet was cut short due

There is a toxic masculinity in not just Punjabi culture, but South Asian culture in general. The idea that "boys will be boys" is honestly beyond stupid, yet is the norm in our culture. From the moment a boy is born, his birth is celebrated and announced as if the parents have completed their life's mission. Growing up, these boys are given more rights and freedoms, than their sisters, thus eliciting a sense of entitlement and privilege. Our music and film industry just makes the problem worse by glorifying alcohol, substance abuse, harassment and gang violence. To top it off, these young men are grown up in households where healthy relationships are quite rare as well. This problem isn't a new one, its one that has existed for generations. Punjabi men think they know what it means to be a "man", but their definition is twisted to include sexism, violence, ego, manipulation and

Sikhi only matters when its time to get a tattoo, putting up car bling or when Sikhs are racially targeted. However, other than those occasions, Sikhi values are not respected at all. Instead, we love to dive into the world that is Punjabi culture and equate it to Sikhi values. Sikhi values do not fall into this pattern of "lok ki kain gaye"("what will people say"), "saadi problem ni haigi" ("its not our problem") or "koi na, munde puthe kam karde rehnde aa" (don't worry, boys do dumb things") and forget that justice and the truth is what brings honour. Keeping skeletons hidden in the closet and living a lie is not what we should be doing.

Admist this social call-out movement that we are in right now, I want to take a moment to call out those arerelated to Paviter's tragedy. Whether you were apart of it, saw it, or heard who did it, you are implicated and it is your duty as a HUMAN, to step up. We talk a lot about "society this, society that", but we are society. We can make positive changes in our communities, if we begin to take responsibility on our