In my opinion, criticism of patriarchy at its best should not be an attack on men. As we all know, women can and sometimes do commit atrocities, and of course they can and often are cruel, selfish, underhanded… Even though it is usually the men who commit violent acts, women often foster and support war and bloodshed.
It is true that women have suffered the most under patriarchy. They have often been precluded from leadership, denied education, discouraged from making contributions in the arts and sciences, their opinions have often been undervalued, and in a world where men have been trained to think of themselves as entitled, women have been the targets of physical and sexual abuse.
But even though it’s true that men have generally benefited from the perks of patriarchy, they, too, have been harmed by it. An untold number of men who have not been able to measure up to expectations placed on them as men have experienced scorn, ridicule, ostracism, physical and sexual abuse and even murder. And most men in patriarchal societies where people are expected to conform to rigid gender roles based on sex have had to suppress aspects of their personalities in order to avoid being seen as weak, which would be an invitation for abuse. Intimacy and authenticity are difficult in such a situation.
Patriarchal societies are extremely unsuited for LGBT people, of course. By their very nature, it is especially difficult for them to conform to rigid patriarchal gender roles. And in a modern technological, post-industrial society, patriarchy is impractical.
When we reevaluate the structure of our society and the expectations we place on our citizens, I don’t think it’s very helpful when we allow the discussion to degenerate into a debate about who is more noble, those who have penises or those who have vaginas. We are all human, and from what I can tell, that means we’re all, to some degree, crazy as hell.
It is true that women have suffered the most under patriarchy. They have often been precluded from leadership, denied education, discouraged from making contributions in the arts and sciences, their opinions have often been undervalued, and in a world where men have been trained to think of themselves as entitled, women have been the targets of physical and sexual abuse.
But even though it’s true that men have generally benefited from the perks of patriarchy, they, too, have been harmed by it. An untold number of men who have not been able to measure up to expectations placed on them as men have experienced scorn, ridicule, ostracism, physical and sexual abuse and even murder. And most men in patriarchal societies where people are expected to conform to rigid gender roles based on sex have had to suppress aspects of their personalities in order to avoid being seen as weak, which would be an invitation for abuse. Intimacy and authenticity are difficult in such a situation.
Patriarchal societies are extremely unsuited for LGBT people, of course. By their very nature, it is especially difficult for them to conform to rigid patriarchal gender roles. And in a modern technological, post-industrial society, patriarchy is impractical.
When we reevaluate the structure of our society and the expectations we place on our citizens, I don’t think it’s very helpful when we allow the discussion to degenerate into a debate about who is more noble, those who have penises or those who have vaginas. We are all human, and from what I can tell, that means we’re all, to some degree, crazy as hell.
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