This week’s readings “Patriarchy, the system” by Allan G. Johnson and “There is no Hierarchy of Oppression” by Audre Lorde were so educating and interesting to read. “Patriarchy, the system” explains the idea of patriarchy and Gender knot and how it has existed for years. The second reading “There is no Hierarchy of Oppression” discusses the oppression of blacks and the LGBTQ+ community. I found both readings to be so enlightening because they discuss the issues we see today in our society. Patriarchy has been of a significant effect on both men and women in many ways and this has been a great problem in our society. Patriarchy is a life-threatening social disease assaulting the male body and spirit of the nation. It talks about how men and women are being treated in society. Men are taught to be strong, be violent, be in charge, dominate those around them, and feel superior towards women because it will help them protect their homes and nation.
Patriarchy is a word that many people fail to understand or do not understand. We always believe that patriarchy is the idea that men oppress women and women need to rise and take their power back. However, patriarchy is very much complex than what we think because as Allan Johnson said, “Patriarchy is a kind of society organized around certain kinds of social relationship and idea” and “a set of symbols and ideas that make up culture.” Patriarchy is not just about men and women it is about a system we are all upholding and are part of. Someone from our class by the name Nazir O also explained this through their snapshot and it says, “The Enemy is not Men, the Enemy is the concept of patriarchy, The concept of Patriarchy as the way to run the world or do things.” I totally agree with their snapshot because Patriarchy is not just done by Men it is given to men and women by society and they have no choice but to go on with it and if we are unable to change those who made it, they will continue to give it. According to Allan Johnson, “we uphold the system by defining men and masculinity as the oppressor and women & femininity as the “other” group. Johnson also talked about the idea of least resistance which is the idea that with many paths to take in every situation, people tend to take the one that will get them the least resistance because of the way our society has shaped our perception of what is acceptable. A member from our class by the name of Hannah Nichols also talked about this in their snapshot. Their snapshot quotes, “the path of resistance leads to crooked rivers and crooked men” which to my understanding means they are a lot of dishonest and crime been done by men but sometimes men do get away with it unlike when it is done by women. Patriarchy made it possible for women to be treated like slaves and unimportant. Women are supposed to endure whatever treatment that is given to them and are not supposed to have equal rights as men.
The reading, “There is no Hierarchy of Oppression” by Audre Lorde explains the way Black and LGBTQ+ communities are being oppressed in society. Lorde begins by claiming of her identities “I was born black, and a woman.” She later expands on self-labeling and describes how these aspects of herself interact and how our society reacts to them. They are being defined as deviant, difficult, inferior, or just called plain “WRONG.” According to Lorde sexism, heterosexism, and racism are all rooted in the same struggle for power. The article also explains that no aspect of one’s identity can benefit from the injustice done to another aspect of it. Like Audre said, “Any attack against black people is a lesbian and gay issue, and any attack against lesbian and gays is a black issue because thousands of lesbians & gay means are black.” Also, according to Lorde, they must struggle to keep their identity to make sure their children come out well and make sure those children learn that they do not have to become each other to work together for the future.
