The teen comedy “Never Have I Ever” has dealt with one of the issues that GalaxShe wants its members to be aware of and take a stand on, in a strong, positive way.
The show portrays how white male patriarchy affected a brown character, Kamala, at her workplace. Because of her being the only woman in the lab, Evan started treating Kamala inferiorly. This inferior treatment does not only come from a mindset of racism, but also heavy sexism.
Despite her doing extra hours of work and putting in all effort to mingle with her labmates, she was still receiving condescending comments.
Her patience gave way when she saw that Evan didn’t add her name to the research paper when the greatest contribution was hers. When she talked to her fiancé about this, expecting his support, he tried to explain to her how she will get many opportunities and she should leave this the way it was.
When Kamala brought the issue to Evan’s superior, Dr Peters, he gaslighted her by assuring her she was likely excluded from the paper for a reason. He told her that he didn’t get involved with the “politics” of the lab.
It was only when her cousin, Devi, the protagonist of the show, inspired her with her teen vigour, Kamala added her name to the research paper with the help of Setseg (another labmate). When Evan caught her in the act, she threatened to expose him for the racist and sexist person he was.
Our dignity is in our hands. It is important for us to speak up when someone else takes credit for our work because they think we are easy to be quietened. We cannot let this happen to us! It’s our time to raise our voices and break this vicious cycle.
