What's PATRIARCHY

anonymous_redditor91 · 2022-03-01T19:05:39+00:00

The word is left intentionally vague so that the definition can be altered when convenient, but the general definition feminists use is: "a system created by men and ruled by men, for the benefit of men."

a-man-from-earth · 2022-03-01T12:30:32+00:00

Start here: https://www.reddit.com/r/LeftWingMaleAdvocates/comments/f19yrr/examining_patriarchy_theory/

TheLWMA · 2022-03-01T16:29:04+00:00

Depends on who you ask and what goalposts that they need to move.

throwaceornotaceblob · 2022-03-02T10:09:54+00:00

When a few men (patriarchs) rule over the entirety of the population, skewing everything towards their own perceived benefit (oppressing everyone else, men and women alike).

Or when in a specific environment a few men make all the decisions, skewing everything towards their own perceived benefit (oppressing everyone else, men and women alike).

It can also mean that men have the potential to gain positions of power (become patriarchs) when women don't in specific environments. And the perception of hyperagency of men and hypoagency of women that comes with that.

Patriarchy no longer exists on a global societal level in the West, but can exist in rare localized environments (and so can matriarchy).

reverbiscrap · 2022-03-01T19:38:22+00:00

[permanently deleted]

Jonathanese · 2022-03-04T20:38:21+00:00

Yeah unfortunately "Patriarchy" is one of those words used so broadly its definition has become obliterated.

But to put it simply, Patriarchy simply means "rule by men". The definition shouldn't imply more than that. Feminists might use it to mean "men as a whole rule society" but that misses a TON of the nuance.

Just because a man or a few men on top might rule, that doesn't mean it benefits men as a whole. Russia and Putin are a PERFECT example of this. It is essentially the king that views all other men as competitors who need to be snuffed out, or as expendable bodies in war.

Another great example that makes the point that Patriarchy =/= male privilege actually comes from women. Women talk about unrealistic photoshopped bodies in ads. Magazines talking about how to fix your physique or what fashion to follow. Who are these ads and magazines written for? Women. Who are they written by? Also women. If you are targeting women based on their insecurities, who knows women's insecurities better than other women? So the fact that women are in charge is a decided detriment to women in these specific cases.

So the same goes for men. Some of the most dystopian societies in history grew from men with status, in a harsh and competitive social landscape, trying to "own and defend" women, while trying to crush other men. Ergo, rich men with a dozen wives sending young, single, starving men off to die. It isn't an advantage for men, it's a decided disadvantage.

So we need to be able to make a distinction between the idea that "men as a whole are a ruling class or have a stronger voice" which is undeniably false, and the idea that "the ruling elites are mostly men." You don't get to tell a dozen homeless men that they are privileged just because Microsoft is run by a man. In the same way you don't get to tell black men that "Racism is over" just because we had Obama for 8 years.

I'm not saying that "with women on top, there would be no wars" which is hilarious and Hillary Clinton alone disproves this. But powerful men in competition with other men tend to hurt men in uniquely targeted ways. And an interesting side effect, if there were more women in power, then it could easily put to rest the notion that "men are the cause of wars" or "it's men who are ruining everything". It's the ruling classes that ruin everything.

NimishApte · 2022-03-03T11:05:47+00:00

Patriarchy is a lot like God and religion. It's been constructed in a way that it's unfalsifiable. It's like justifications for suffering if God exists. They are unfalsifiable assertions or they broaden the definition so much that the definition becomes meaningless.

tittltattl · 2022-03-02T05:44:08+00:00

I think the best place to start is with Wikipedia since it gives a broad overview of various different understandings of patriarchy (not just from the standpoint of feminist theory, but also of biological and social theory), as well as various causes that are debated. If you want to delve deeper into parts that interest you, you can follow the sources.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriarchy

But essentially, boiling down to just the definition, patriarchy refers to a system in which men have the most power in public and private spheres. This is in opposition to a matriarchy, where women have the most power in public and private spheres.

Riganthor · 2022-03-02T10:50:07+00:00

it originated as fatre partias. This ment the father was the head of the family and from the men all rights and power would go be done. Today? today its more anything I dont like is patriarchy

Personal-Net5155 · 2022-03-08T12:40:02+00:00

It's a ++

Title	What's PATRIARCHY
Author	Impressive_Male
Upvotes	18
Comments	14
Date	March 1, 2022 10:14 AM UTC (4 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/LeftWingMaleAdvocates
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/LeftWingMaleAdvocates/comments/t44qbs/whats_patriarchy/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/LeftWingMaleAdvocates/whats-patriarchy.1210694 https://theredarchive.com/post/1210694

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