Patriarchy is so much more than men having all the power and women having little to none. When people discuss patriarchy they don’t mention the role society plays in it and how we are in fact involved in it. Growing up we are taught that boys are stronger than girls and how girls are soft and weak. These ideas that were put in our head were normalized by society and as we get older it plays a bigger part in our lives than we realize. From how men see females down to how they treat them because that’s what they were taught. In the text Patriacrhy, the System Allan talked about how “Some of what we learn through socialization turns out not to be true and then we may have to deal with that. I say “may” because powerful forces encourage us to keep ourselves in a state of denial, to rationalize what we have been taught. It is a way to keep it safe from scrutiny, if only to protect our sense of who we are and ensure our being accepted by other people, including family and friends.” ( Johnson). Going with an idea because it was what we were taught and not trying to build our own opinion by examining both sides is one of the many reasons why this patriarchy is not coming to an end. We don’t have enough people that’s willing to fight against the system for the change that’s needed. Women have always been the ones fighting for a change to be seen as an equal to men. While men are so comfortable being dominant that they rather support a system that favors them. 

Vanelly’s snapshot brings attention to how many ways women are torn down by patriarchy. Why is it that a woman getting raped allows her to lose her honour? Making a woman feel less for going through something so terrible and beyond her control shows just how much we are looked down on. If it was a man in this situation I guarantee they wouldn’t face these same problems which is sad to say. Growing up I was always told I can’t do the same things boys do because I am a girl and it took me a while to understand what that meant. As I get older I realize more and more that men will always be at an advantage for simply being men. As women we will always be seen as less and there will be limitations to what we can do because that’s how society portrays us. However we can’t dismantle the patriarchy without examining our own privilege and realizing the role we play in it. As stated “All men and all women are therefore involved in this oppressive system, and none of us can control whether we participate, only how.” (Johnson). “Privilege is not something I take and which I therefore have the option of not taking. It is something that society gives me.” (Johnson). Being privileged doesn’t have to be a bad thing, the important question to ask is what good do I use this privilege to do? How do I choose to participate in this oppressive system?. Making the change we want to see is part of how we make the system better.