“Only families may enter”. You might have seen this phrase written somewhere. On the doorway of a restaurant, out front of a shopping mall or perhaps an amusement park. But what does it actually mean in my beloved country? Before we go in the insight of the actual topic, let us talk a little about what is a family? Google defines it as “a group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit” or in simple words a group of people that share the same blood living together as a whole unit. A family is the people who you share your blood with, the ones that you grow up with that you learn from.
Now that we’re familiar with the term family, let us go into the depth of the phrase “Only families may enter”. The phrase is mostly used by places that are visited by general public mostly for the purpose of amusement. The reason the phrase is used is to limit the visitors to families only and avoid the non social events that could be lead by the participation of non-family members or as they are often referred to, “stags”. Personally, I do not mind this concept of limiting the visitors in places related to socialization. But what “family” do you actually have to be in order to gain access? A husband and a wife are granted the access, which is good. The parents along with their children are granted the access, which is good again. A brother and a sister may enter. Two brothers are stopped at the gate, they cannot enter. Why? Not considered a family. Two sisters may enter, no restrictions for that. Why is it alright for one but not the other? Let us move further. A group of female friends that have no relation among them are allowed to enter while there is no way that a group of male friends can enter that particular place. Who makes these laws and why are they not looked upon by the people that suffer this injustice? These lame laws where a father and a son are not considered a family but a random male with a random female is considered one. That is just how hilarious this particular law is in our society. As hilarious as it is, it gets strictly followed by several places, with “modern day civilized places” at most. I certainly condemn these faulty laws that defy genuine relations and anyone out there who’s sane enough would condemn them too. So take a stand before they stamp a piece of paper on the face of the earth with the phrase “Only families may enter”.