6/2 homework

• “Patriarchy is a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule over the weak and to maintain that dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence.”

The definition of patriarchy is probably the most basic thing about the word, but it’s lost on so many people, being misconstrued for misandry or men-hating. This should be understood in the same breath of the word “sociology” as in the study of society, it’s really that simple. Because of outliers within the community who can claim to be feminists, only to spout exclusionary sentiments, or largely followed men who promote misunderstandings of the word, there’s a wider disconnect between how people understand the word patriarchy. It bothers me because it’s such a simple thing to look up a definition, between multiple sources if you’re sceptical, yet so many people can’t even be bothered to do that; they’d rather write an ill-informed angry paragraph.

• “To indoctrinate boys into the rules of patriarchy, we force them to feel pain and to deny their feelings.”

Touching again on ignorance, mens' rights activists are usually in some form of opposition to feminists, not understanding that feminism is very much on their side in many ways. Feminism is for everyone within society, being made to behave a certain way because of a socially enforced status quo. The main killer of men under 45 is suicide, which is horrifyingly preventable. The patriarchy is an enemy to everyone, including men.

To summarise Bell Hooks’ view of patriarchy, she believes that it isn’t an innate belief or set of ideas, but that patriarchy is learned and taught to people from a young age. There’s a disconnect between the views of genders in society because men aren’t as aware of the issues as women may be, despite the struggles they face as a result of patriarchy. While women have pressures such as looking pretty and their value being placed on attractiveness rather than mental power or other skills they possess, men also struggle with mental issues as a result of not being able to express emotions, what some consider to be weakness. There are ways in which all genders are negatively effected by patriarchy, and ways they promote patriarchal ideas, either subconsciously or not.

As a lover of classical art, it’s not unnoticed that any nude I’ve seen has usually been female. Even those who prefer modern art or more abstract pieces have an image pop into their mind regarding women in classical art. The Birth of Venus, Truth Coming out of Her Well, The Venus De Milo, all naked. It’s natural to appreciate a beautiful form but there’s definitely a disconnect that promotes the idea that women are objects to be viewed rather than the autonomy that male pieces, like Michelangelo’s David hold, despite also being naked. John Berger’s quote comes to mind; “You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting “Vanity,” thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for you own pleasure.” This poster directly questions the nature of women in art, not only as subjects, but as creators, practically demanding an equal space for female artists. It’s also funny to me the image used, La Grande Odalisque, was attacked too for going against the agreed upon style for nudes at the time. Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres was criticised for the unrealistic proportions of the woman in the painting from the moment it was revealed to the public for apparently having no bones or life in her. I’m sure it wasn’t an accident that it was chosen for this provoking question.