EcoTrain Question Of The Week: What Is Patriarchy,Is a patriarchy the same as a society led by men, or is it more, a society led by fear and a feeling of scarcity, that happens ..........
What is patriarchy?
Is a patriarchy the same as a society led by men, or is it more, a society led by fear and a feeling of scarcity, that happens to be an environment in which the masculine takes charge?
Patriarchy is the rule of the father, it is a system in which men have all or most of the power and importance in society.
If we look in Wikipedia the definition is:
A patriarchal society is one that has had huge negative effects on both women and men. It is very out of balance, as it focuses only on certain male qualities and In order for men to be seen as successful within the patriarchal society they need be seen as possessing only these qualities.
Patriarchy sees male qualities as being the most important and that everything else is of little or no value. Within Patriarch these qualities are power, control, competitiveness and manipulation. Males are seen as superior to everything and as a result are dominant over women, children and the environment. Exerting control over all.
From a young age many of us would have had patriarchal gender roles assigned to us. Boys are expected to behave in a certain way, not to get emotional 'to be a man about things'. Girls are allowed a lot more emotional freedom, allowed to get upset and even shown more affection. Certainly this is not the way all children are brought up, but not that long ago, certainly when I was a child this was the norm.
I have heard both mothers and fathers tell their son to be a man and toughen up. Or to not be a cry baby. When I went to school girls were always advised to do, Home economics and boys to do Technical drawing. This was seen as the norm, this came from the mouths of both men and women.
In schools they all too readily adopted the male quality of control, which led onto obedience, blind obedience, destroying any individuality or individual willpower. Leaving kids ready for the work force where that blind obedience and culture of being ruled continues.
Girls are seen as weaken then boys and as such need to be protected, this then brings in the defender role for men. Wherein they need to be physically strong and use violence in order to protect. This role of defender though has got very confused during the ages but the acts of violence with Patriarchal society has always remained high. Patriarchal society is very aggressive and violent, towards women, men and the environment.
There is no room for weak emotions, fear is the number one emotion to be exerted and projected within Patriarchy. This fear has led to a society that has been handing their power over to others. Those seen as weaker especially woman and also some men, are controlled, put down or put in their place as we hear too often. But in reality they are not weaker but more seen as a threat.
That culture of fear, leads to greed, wanting more money, more land, more possessions. A culture of excess, of grabbing everything, fearful that all that we need will run out. Seeing women and children as possessions. Resulting in a lack of respect for both and dominance over.
This dominance has led to the very destructive worldview many have over nature. Believing that nature is there for humankind's benefit. Where nature has been used to serve our needs. Giving so many ,what they believe, is the right to destroy and abuse our home and everything in it. Seeing the planet as a place first and foremost for humans and as such ruled by humans.
This Age of Patriarchy has been imposed on humankind for a very long time, it continues to creep into our lives today in such a way that we have grown an acceptance for it. Both men and women are tied into the Patriarchal way of thinking. Well not all of us, but unfortunately the majority seem to have accepted that this is the way that it is meant to be. We only have to look at the educational system, the medical/pharmaceutical world, religion.
Look at how one of the most sacred things we have in the world, Birth is been taken from us and turned into a money making business. Obstetrics is the highest paid medical profession in the world. A woman's body knows how to birth, they do not need a Patriarchal profession interfering, trying to control and introducing fear and doubt.
Look at the rate at which are natural world is disappearing, being destroyed, our forests logged our rivers polluted all for humankind's benefit. All as a result of the growth of the industrial world, all in the name of greed.
As it stands now, a lot of the ruling power rests in the hands of men and with that the Patriarchal rule. But a lot of men suffer with this, leading to some becoming and remaining emotional cripples. In this ruling class they have to be seen as strong, as competent. There is no place for emotional well being. Look at the media, look at how heroes are always portrayed.
Women have suffered so much inequality, aggression, disrespect. Children are not shown any respect, given any choice in how they are raised. This ecoTrain question is huge and the more I thought about it, the more that came up and the more I wanted to write. There is a lot I have not covered, a lot more that could be said, so please tell me me your feelings on this. But the one thing I am sure of is
To end the rule of Patriarchy women and men must work together
I am part of the ecotrain, if you wish to read great content and be inspired please check it out. It is one train that is full of very diverse and creative passengers. And we all know that diversity is the spice of life.
There's so much to be sad on this topic. The entire society is controlled by fear. It is indoctrinated into one's mind from a young age. It takes so many forms that some are not even aware of the repercussions of their actions.
Luckily, in the age of Internet, more and more people are becoming aware of its negative impact and as they awaken, we grow stronger.
yeah, I feel like I could write many more posts, but there are others on the ecotrain that have answered the questioned and in a way we can have a broaden overall picture when we bring them all together, Thank you @lymepoet for dropping by and commenting. The culture of Fear is huge in the patriarch but luckily we are all awakening as you have said.
could not agree more. the saddest part is that it hurts all of us, but so often men and women rail against the word patriarchy as if it's some type of disease, when it hurts all of us... i do believe it is slowly balancing, but it still pervades so much of the culture. great article <3
thank you @mountainjewel it sure is a huge question to answer, there is so much to talk about, I chose to talk about the affect it mainly has in the presence, but honestly could have written alot more, but I just don't have the time with 3 kids. xx
i hear ya! i sat down to start writing my response this morning and was amazed at what a can of worms it felt like unpacking! it's such a big subject, it takes all of us together to really get at it... which is why i love #ecotrain. i suppose i'll have to think of it that way as my own response feels like i could say so much more.... <3
yeah I hear you it would be impossible to cover it all but collectively I think we will x
You could say that the word patriarchy had evolved in a way, because while it refered to the male hierarchal rule initially, there are now also women who fulfill this role. It didn't change under the reigns of Victoria or the Elizabeths. Even Maggie Thatcher governed possibly more forcefully than many men have. So perhaps the meaning has become more 'rule of force'.
As we become more equal, however, we need to keep an open mind to ensure that the balance doesn't tip too far the other way and a matriarchy becomes the new rule by force. The boisterousness of children can run the risk of being quashed merely because boys tend to be more boisterous than girls. We are both equally important, but we are also equally different.
Balance is certainly key here. Are there situations where children need to take a deep breath and toughen up? I believe that sometimes there are, for both sexes. So we shouldn't be afraid to teach what we need to teach for fear of stereotyping. I've had situations where I've had to tell my daughters to "toughen up, you'll get through this". They are gymnasts!
it definitely seems to have creeped up on us and embedded itself in our minds mostly with many people not even thinking about it, just accepting it as is. And yes a lot of women seem to have been happy to take on the role, on the surface anyhow. But we have so much awareness around us now that it is encouraging, and yes children should be treated like children, any interests they have such be encouraged with gender not being the influence or deciding factor.
Thank you @life-relearnt for getting involved, it is a huge topic.
Our world is a patriarchal world. Everything has been designed by men, from systems of government to religions to schools, hospitals, towns, roads, cars, computers, everything, probably even Steemit. How can we be equal when we are living in a world that has been thought up by men? Lets look at where women have had an influence in our society. What systems have women been allowed to solely create? It is apatriarchal world unless everything is abolished and we start again surely?
I do believe that it is a patriarchal world we live in but cracks are starting to appear. I wrote this in the present, where I believe that this system affects both women and men. It is a very very old system that is clearly not working and as a result more people female and male are moving away, finding their own paths outside of it. I really see this as a problem with the system, which is led by men but unfortunately some women are also happy to live within the patriarchal world. For me there needs to be a balance of masculine and feminine, and so many have started to rebuild their lives by leaving all the know and moving out to the countryside and living in harmony with mother earth for me that is part of the change that needs to happen. And it is happening.
The follow on question from this one will be dealing more with the matriarchal.
For me it always comes back to that too, to be in countryside, close to the feminine, snuggled up in mother earths arms! Feel a bit cheesy saying that but its true.
I'm right there with you on that x
Thanks, Trucklife-family for your contribution to shining some light on this subject. It was hard wasn't it to choose between all the things you wanted to say about it. It was for me too. But the nice thing is that each of us shines light on a different corner, so a lot gets said like that anyway even if we don't say it all ourselves. Most of all I love the end conclusion: 'To end the rule of Patriarchy women and men must work together.' Personnally I went a lot in to the cause and history of patriarchy, but whatever has happened before one thing is for sure and that is what you say at the end. <3
Ps I would really like to hear what comes up for you while reading my post about it.
thank you @clara-andriessen, it certainly is a huge question, I chose to discuss it as it is presently, but alot more could have definitely been said. I will check out your post for sure, glad we are all discussing it from different angles that way there is more of an overall view for everyone reading it on here.
This is so true! We (both men and women) have so much to give and we compliment each other! We shouldn't have to fall into gender steriotypes, we all have our own strengths and weaknesses and the only way we can create something whole is by working as one :) great post!
Thank you @beautifulbullies, we need balance in our lives and Patriarchy is very out of balance x
Im not really sure yet on a new generation without male influence would be, don't get me wrong, I consider myself a feminist but a society with no machoness in it,becomes an even more playable and docile society being easier to control and this is why this Transgender thing is being pushed everywhere,t o create a sterile,docile population. I haven't read more about it yet to say more really,maybe I shouldnt have even commented yet haha oh well! A pleasure to read as always :)
for me it is all about balance, if there was balance there would be no need for control, control is one of the symptoms of patriarchy. Everyone should have the right to live as they want, without fear, dominance or control. I'm not really understanding what you mean by this Transgender thing, to me what you are saying seems to feed into control and fear?
everyone should have the right to live as they want but the problem being that we dont, we live how they (the people behing the curtain) have planned it.
I know that, was just speaking from my opinion really, but there are also lots of people who have moved out to the edges of society to break away.
yeh and thats great! and more and more are doing it too ! :)
The transgender agenda.. part of agenda 2030, that all men will be sterile to not to reproduce, and the next generations will all be transgender as if its normal.. One World, One race all that shite lol
I don't really read into all that kind of stuff, I like to focus on what is happening now and around me as that is what matters and is the only thing I can have any influence over. Anything that tries to segregate us human's further, I just don't feed into it.
its been happening already since many years, 1990 actually :(
just because trangendered people are coming to the surface more and having more visibility doesn't mean they haven't always been around AND transgender people aren't telling you how you or anyone else should live. to me it doesn't appear as an agenda, but i can hear that you think masculinity is being threatened... but why? i don't see the correlation.
The worrying thing about the transgender thing is, that fair play if you become an age and realise that thats how you choose to live BUT the problem is the fact that the transgender thing is being pushed onto children.
tranvestite clowns at kid partys for example are becoming much more popular (in usa) and parents are dressing their sons as girls and getting them to sing and dance whilst dressed as a girl, and then plastering it on youtube. there are a few documentarys on it and why its happening. but anyway thats directing away from the post here :) ill have to find the video i watched a while ago explain why this transgender subject seems to have exploded.. its also to do with the lesbian gay bi trans, LGBT movement, i think the abbrivations are- someone (not sure who-) is pushing for it to be accepted that a P Should be added so it will read LGBTP
P for PEDOSEXUAL
This with the CPS added together spells out an unspeakable future. The thing was with the male dominance, macho stuff, is basically that if the nation has no more mascilinity, then there will never be any alpha males to ever start a revolution and go against the governments. all revolutions- ok the most, were the result of a male so they know if theres no males in the nations then we are more plyable.. can you imagine ghengis khan doing what he did if he had no macilinity?! people, there are huuuuuge changes in progress right under our noses, happening Now. In 3 years everything will be flipped upside down :(
P is for pansexual which is people who are sexually attracted to cis men and women, as well as trans men and women.
I know a lot of gay, lesbian, and trans people, including one of my children.
I could not have said this any better, thank you @solarsupermama xx
You bet, love. I will not let people talk that kind of shit unchecked. People who say things like that are responsible for mental and physical harm to people I love. They need to be called out every time.
Well it seems we have different views on the big picture :) time will tell ;)
I love this...it is absolutely the system of patriarchy that is holding us back, not men. You’re so right in saying both genders, and those without a defined gender, need to work together!
thank you @lilyraabe , I don't really believe that pointing the finger today is going to accomplish anything we need to be coming together not creating more walls.
Yes, mama. So important to talk about the effects of the patriarchy on birth and our children. And indeed men must join us to dismantle this system. Schools, I have often said, are miniature kingdoms. To be sure, the patriarchy is the source of so much suffering.
thank you supermama, really feel like there is a lot more I could talk about but had to draw the line somewhere. Next up Matriarchy xx
Yeah, I could go on and on, but I think I agitated enough people ;) Not sure what I'm gonna do with matriarchy. I have a lot of conflicting thoughts about it.