Well, you could say that I never really saw or experienced the ‘patriarchy’. The man as the ‘head of the family’ didn’t exist in my childhood. The man contending with a sort of fierce force of nature -- whose submission to any kind of instruction not aligned with her own agenda was minimal -- this was probably closer to reality. That’s probably not politically correct but there we go, it's true. The man who earned one pound for every 80 pence his spouse earned, or the man who expected his wife to cook and clean, or the man who was even married, he also didn’t exist. My mother did what she wanted, was very successful, and my father is now glad to be retired while she continues to earn well. Essentially this spooky power dynamic espoused by feminist was difficult to identify in my close relationships. In fact it’s fair to say that nowhere in our family can it be observed -- like, not even close. You might say the opposite is true in some fashion. So it does feed into a discussion of power. In these intellectual spheres power is often conflated with income and wealth. OK well I was the only earner in my relationship -- did it mean Sheree had no power? You don't know Sheree, but anyone who does would smirk at that question. Yes housewives really do have power and influence, and men really are beholden to that in myriad ways. Just because he drives a taxi 12 hours a day doesn't mean he 'wears the trousers'. I say ‘housewives’ because of the conflation of money and power. But really the broader reality is women do have power which isn’t really accounted for in the traditional theory of patriarchy; at least so far as I can tell. Y’know, who raises you? Who are the adult figures at nursery? Who are your teachers predominantly up until secondary school? You really think the female authority figure isn’t by that stage mapped out and established? OK so yeah the archetypal female authority figure was mapped out for me just fine. And if you were looking for a reason why the men in my family sought after strong, imposing women it is probably that. Who was I afraid of as a child? Who dished out the beatings? -- no it wasn't dad. Indeed if my mum felt like knocking him upside the head then she would, and no one would care because... why would they? I should add that my mum is black and my dad is white -- oh no, my story really doesn't fit the narrative. In my case all the above along with some other social pressures probably did lead to a mindset which accepted female dominance, even to the point of abuse, as just part and parcel of being a man. This works just the same way as male dominance might be traditionally mapped out for girls… we’re just witnessing pendulum swings here -- or probably more accurately just different spheres of power dynamics. My general thrust on this subject is that power and dominance is infinitely more complicated than one could glean merely from a basic understanding of patriarchy. My final thought is that we have a tendency to become that which we fight against; and nowhere is this more true than in feminism (the women fighting misogyny can quite easily give into misandry, the anti-fascist can become the fascist, the civil right activist becomes the racist etc etc etc I see this literally every day, in fact fighting against these things, paradoxically, appears to be the only occupation in which such behaviour is actually accepted, even in the mainstream).
For a few seconds, I thought this was another eloquent post by Ishambalamambammamama. (Sp?) Ibshambat.
Negro females have a reputation for being dynamic. My kindergarten teacher was Negro -- well mostly. Her complexion and that of her son was very caramel -- like yourself. But she was very firm with us kids and a professional teacher. Hopefully your mom/mum was like that too. The most important ingredient for raising a child is LOVE. One parent can do it but that's harder for her/him alone. Anyway I always spent a lot of time with my Negro/caramel kindergarten teacher during recess because she was very smart -- smarter than my own parents -- so she could answer questions that they could not. One day during recess her son came to her crying because the other white kids would not play with him. Amazing how young children learn racism. Anyway she sat us all 3 down and the 3 of us played together. Then the other kids were jealous because they all loved her too, so some of them, two girls I think if I recall right, sat down with us and then there were 5. I think it was a good day for her son who was experiencing racial prejudice for the first time in his young life. That was 60 years ago.
I see this post quite differently; Many Countries have Peoples of a wonderful blend of many Races, Not specifically Negro or White or Asian, etc..... Like Lions, Women do more than Men, the Lioness is a better hunter and nurturing the cubs. The Lion, is great at making bloody great noises. Women do more in Societies than Men do, raising the Children and organizing family life, Some or many Men ( not all Men ) are not good at those aspects of family life.
Your parents get the first chance at brainwashing you. If they neglect to do so then it is usually your little friends. Teachers come next. Ministers and priests usually third. The Government comes fourth. Your university fifth. Your parents' political party sixth. And finally your employer gets a cut of the action. By age 25 you are probably brainwashed many times over. Only pure Philosophy can ever set you free. Try reading "History Of Western Philosophy" by the late Bertrand Russell. Don't let his atheism get to you however. He was a troubled young adult before and during WW1. Atheism is a religion of itself anyway. He failed to note that. https://www.amazon.com/End-All-Wars-Rebellion-1914-1918/dp/0547750315
I had a Poultry Philosophy I learned at age 7, let stuff pass undigested. Pick and choose what I would believe. Hence, I was never Brain Washed. I kept my beliefs to myself. Hippies R Evil ! I liked Hippies. Gays are Evil ! I did not agree. All the technicalities of who was going to Hell. I parroted all the correct phrases, however, I was never Brain Washed.
