In “Patriarchy, the System”, Allan Johnson reviews the idea of patriarchy as a framework. His article offers a sociological perspective on social inequalities and attempts to reason why they exist. He argues that most people don’t grasp the origins of patriarchy but that to some degree our society as a whole participates and contributes to it. Patriarchy is something that both men and women are involved in because we occupy “social positions”. It is because of this that it isn’t something that’s limited to an individual experience or constrained to an individual themselves. I think it’s important to point out that he suggests that patriarchy can exist with men being portrayed as villains as people tend to avoid going against the grain by subscribing to what society deems as normal.

Patriarchy is engrained into our culture; culture enforces gender roles, assigns power, and influences our values. He wrote that “Patriarchal societies are male-identified in that the core cultural ideas about what is good, desirable, preferable or normal are associated with how we think about men and masculinity”. With this in mind, it doesn’t automatically make men the oppressors or women the victims. This is a long-standing system that doesn’t require conscious participation by the participants. “As we participate in systems. Our lives are shaped by socialization and the path of least resistance.”

I think my classmate, Erika Jimenez, did a really great job capturing the essence of Johnson’s article in her snapshot. It shows two people (we can assume they are white male hands) weaving a web that has snared both men and women, of different races, in its grasp. I think this could be a visual representation go the system Johnson references in his article; we are all already caught in the web. Another classmate, Nazir O, also posted another great snapshot with a quote from Toni Morrison. She states that men are not the enemy but rather the concept of patriarchy is the groundwork for the way the world is run. I think this is another great summarization of Johnson’s article.

In the Audrey Lorde reading, I really saw a lot of my own personal struggles with oppression. Being a black man who also happens to be a member of the LGBTQ community, I echo her sentiment that we really can’t afford to fight one form of oppression. I choose the poem by Kemi Alabi as the author is describing a new emerging trend of ‘woke’ black people who identify themselves as Hotep’s. While its definition can essentially be translated to mean “peace’, this group of people is notoriously known for fostering hate towards the LGBTQ community. 

I tried to reflect on what I could do as a member of multiple groups of oppressed people (black people, LGTBQ) while also benefitting from the active oppression of women as a man in a patriarchal society. I must say, I don’t have an answer and these readings have certainly given me plenty to talk about amongst my inner circle of friends.