Barbara Walters, of 20/20, did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years before the Afghan conflict.
She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands.
She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. Despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to, and are happy to, maintain the old custom.
Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, ‘Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?’
The woman looked Ms. Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, ‘Land Mines.’
Thanks Bella
I’ll would be happy to walk five paces behind Barbara Walters.
Sometimes Baba looks like she has encountered a land mine.
I have heard of this tradition and always wondered if it came from a period of time when a women went outside and there was a very high chance of being raped or murdered.
http://www.snopes.com/humor/jokes/landmine.asp
Status: False.
I doubt Walters has ever, in her entire life, been to Afghanistan, or had any desire or willingness to go.
I assumed it was a joke. No way Afghani women would respond that way.
I assumed it was a joke too, Chris. Thank god for the snopes checkers.
Can’t sneak anything past some folks.