The readings this week were based around intersectionality and oppression, specifically the oppression of women. In Patriarchy, the System by Allan G. Johnson, the author proposes a new outlook on the patriarchy. The patriarchy is often described as a system with faults but is vague beyond that description. Johnson says the patriarchy is used as a scapegoat which can be blamed for many problems but cannot actually have any of these problems be resolved. The ambiguity of what we are referring to when we say the patriarchy allows for this to continue. In this text he implores us to break down the different aspects of the system.

  He also explains that as people who compose a society, we also participate in the patriarchy, including women. Johnson clarifies that by “participation” he means take part in. This is because participation is the path of least resistance. It is simply the easiest choice to go along with the social systems put in place. Unless someone is prepared to deal with the consequences of resistance and going against the current, they will succumb to the path of least resistance. This is a matter of comfort and convenience. 

  Johnson goes on to say that a system is composed of individuals and if one individual in the system goes against the status quo they can alter the system by influencing others. However, he clarifies that because we participate in the patriarchy this does not mean we are the patriarchy. Every system is composed of tiny moving parts.

  Our participation in the system has come from socialization which has trained us to participate in the system. Johnson goes on to say that until we fully understand the patriarchy, we will not be able to find a way out of it. It is a web of factors intertwined to divide. He says “the web of relationships that structure social life, and the unequal distribution of power, rewards, and resources that underlies privilege and oppression.”

  Towards the end of the text, Johnson writes about patriarchy in terms of power and control. Patterns in how we interact with one another are exchanges of power dynamics.

  In the excerpt from Audre Lorde’s There is No Hierarchy of Oppression, she talks about the different aspects of her life that come together and intersect. Some enabling her and some disabling her from attaining what she seeks. She says we must care about every social issue because one group cannot thrive unless the other does as well. If one group is oppressed for example, the other will suffer with it because there will be overlaps. 

  Emely D’s snapshot was interesting to me because it depicts a feminine presenting person of color racing against who I assume to be a cis white man. There are way less obstacles for the man in the race even though the distance of the race is the same. Women of color, for example, have to fight ten times harder than a white man to get where they aim to because of the patriarchy and the implications that come with it. 

Patriarchy is a system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and descent is traced through the male line. According to the readings patriarchy is more than the male privilege. Often people believe that when it comes to patriarchy they believe men dominate women and they are oppressive people. Men have the power and women don’t, that is what is known when the word patriarchy is mentioned. It is more than that, gender doesn’t only play a role. Race, ethnicity and poverty play a big role in patriarchy as well. Someone who is in an upper class are not a big fan of people who live in poverty especially if they’re not white. Like said in the article Patriarchy, the System An It, Not a He, a Them, or an Us “The oppression of women happens because men want and like to dominate women and act out hostility toward them. There is poverty and class oppression because people in the upper classes are greedy, heartless, and cruel.” An individual can feel powerless if people make them feel like they quite just do not fit in a group of people. Like how Audre Lorde said in There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions. She didn’t feel like she is not part of any group, like she’s wrong. She is a black woman that is gay and when she is with amongst black people she is the lesbian and when she is amongst the gay community she is the black woman.

One day I was talking with my brother in law and a question came up. How does it feel like working back in the office? Due to Covid 19 he was working at home and he is now back in the office so I asked him how it was going. He mentioned that it was not the best thing, he is the only guy in the office. He is the only man there and he feels a little weird by that, he doesn’t understand why they put him in an office full of women. He asked his supervisor and implied that he is not a straight man therefore they know that there will be no harm in it. He felt offended by it, that is when he told me that he just doesn’t feel like he fits anywhere. In the office he’s the only man, when he is with his husband’s friend he isn’t “gay” enough and when he is with out with his friend’s he is the hispanic one. There is always a label for him. In society without knowing what people do they put labels and those can affect someone.

I found both readings very interesting, they both really helped to clarify the points of oppression I questioned. Patriarchy the System by Allan Johnson went deep into detail about where oppression really came from. Oppression is not an individual matter but a social one. It really has to do with the way institutes continue to perpetuate ideas into the minds of growing generations. The article states “The oppression of women happened because men want and like to dominate women and act hostility towards them. There is poverty and class oppression because people in upper classes are greedy, heartless and cruel.” I was thrilled to know that this problem is something people are starting to see from the source. If schools, movies, households, religion so many other institutes, did not teach impressionable minds about gender roles and this is for boys and that is for girls; in fact, the whole gender thing because gender is used to label and control, none of the oppression that exist today would. If gender roles were not a thing along with the importance of skin color, oppression would not exist in my opinion. Why is gender and race so important to this society? Why do I have to specify my gender and race in the beginning of each form or survey I fill out? the article spoke about a scenario of a college guy taking advantage of a drunk girl at a party. It states he knows what he is doing is wrong, but he does it anyways. This made me think of the sickening phrase “boys will be boys.” This phrase again is said by schools and by parents and relatives when a boy does something wrong but, society brushes if off likes its no big deal. When I use to work in a day care, there was this little boy who use to crawl under the tables and look under the dresses of all the dolls in the play area. I would always tell him not to do it because it is wrong and when I asked where he learned it, he said his brother. The head teacher laughed and “said boys will be boys” I was so disappointed to see a grown women see nothing wrong with his action. Yes, he was a toddler and was only following his brother, but it was still a wrong action. Let’s not talk about the toys for boys and girls, all boy toys have to do with weapons and cars, and girl toys are baby dolls and fashion. If social institutes stop normalizing these issues oppression would not be as big on any issue. Then there is the rich people gatekeeping all the secrets to wealth as if, if they share them, money will run out. Then there is the argument that if everyone is rich money will lose its value. Money again is the cause of class oppression, why do we need a piece of paper to tell us the value of something or to buy something. Money and capitalism are huge problems in the world, but the same idea that goes for gender oppression goes for class oppression. If we stop as a whole teaching gender roles and identify everything as genderfluid and teach that no matter your gender you can be and do what you want. Oppression of gender would not exist. And if we all stop working and protested capitalism, money and the social hierarchies will die because they need us working to exist. The post be Erika Jimenez, is my point exactly. Erika’s post shows a group of people caught in a web being held be a white man wearing a suit. This image truly highlights how capitalism treats us, as we are the food caught on the web, we are the source that fuels them. If we were not caught in the web capitalism would die from starvation. Both articles were words for thought.

I have enjoyed both of the readings and especially “Patriarchy, The System An It, Not a He Them, or an Us” by Allan Johnson. In the reading, The author Allan talking about Patriarchy and how it affects both sexes in our society. What is Patriarchy? Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. Some patriarchal societies are also patrilineal, meaning that property and title are inherited by the male lineage patriarch is a social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of the property. Some patriarchal societies are also patrilineal, meaning that property and title are inherited by the male lineage. I can relate to this more than anyone because I am from South Asia where men control pretty much everything in society. It is changing slowly but needs to be faster. In the reading, Allan encourages people to fight for gender equality and I absolutely love it because gender should not hold anything against us. Gender equality is very important and has been conclusively shown to stimulate economic growth, which is important, especially in countries with higher unemployment rates and less economic opportunity. Even when women do work, the gender pay gap means they aren’t earning as much as men. I am very happy to see so many worms are leading in so many different ways in today’s world and have been very successful in doing. We all are human beings and are equally able to do good for society. From “There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions” Audre Lorde.  Audre Lorde talks about her multiple oppressions. She’s born black and a woman. According to the reading as a Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, poet, mother of two including one boy and a member of an interracial couple, She usually finds herself part of some group in which the majority defines her as deviant, difficult, inferior or just plain “wrong. In our society women are seen as housewives which are so wrong. She wants to inspire others that one oppression is no different than the rest because wrongful power is still being reinforced and we need to stay connected through it all together in order to overcome it. I am speechless to reading this   I can’t find words to describe how angry I am because I just don’t understand why people can’t educate themselves and let people just be themselves. Our society has seen us differently as individuals and it affects us in many different ways. 

My classmate Erika Jimenez’s snapshot images are the perfect example of how women are not seen as equally as men. Images showed that Men’s have more rights than women in our society and I absolutely agree with it. We need to do more in our society for women because they deserve as much as anyone.  One of the images shows how men control women’s which is very true in many different ways. We need more work to do in order to change it and we need to educate people on how equally matters for both men and women. My classmate Isabella Celentano’s post was very powerful. The post says you are a strong, independent woman. Any brother afraid of that is not worthy of your time. I strongly agree because I believe women are very strong and are independent and they are capable of doing anything on their own. Women do not need anyone to support them to be strong therefore they should have equal rights snd that’s when our society will be better.

It’s quite dissatisfying to realize that your race determines exactly how you should be treated in a society. It has become a canker that being black itself isn’t worth it in our own societies, being a gay or lesbian also isn’t recognized as befitting to the norms that govern our societies let alone think of being a gay or lesbian who happens to be black; that’s to total condemnation. At this juncture, it’s very much an eye sore when individuals are forced to live their lives in hiding and neglect the very fundamental principles and rights that provide them with freedoms and privileges to survive and be considered as part of a community. It would actually be worth it should we lay down certain protocols that would accommodate such instances and allow us all enjoy our freedoms and privileges aside skin color discrimination and gender biases, if not for today, at least for the generations to come. These social constructs that stop us from accepting diversity but rather encouraged division and isolation on the basis of racism and radicalism in association with gender biases should be carefully dealt with and eliminated permanently to avoid any form of uprising and retaliation in the near future. It would only be fair that we learn how to tolerate ourselves and give each other room to operate, go about their activities without having to look over their shoulders on the daily because they are seen to either not be normal or are suffering from a deformity that needs to be cured because been gay or a lesbian and having a black skin color actually shouldn’t be a crime.

Society have also been arranged in a patriarchal nature where gender roles have been divided vigorously amongst the two factions known as the men and women with men having the upper hand because they are believed to be more knowledgeable than women. Privileges that are endowed on men are more important and deemed more satisfactory than that of women, systems have been laid down for men to be superior to women and as such women have been forced one way or the other to accept these system of living, they are to succumb to men over centuries and have found it very difficult to stand out and be on their own even when the opportunity brings itself. Despite culture being dynamic and it takes relatively a long time for such drastic changes to occur and as such making it difficult to psyche and change people’s mindset of the social constructs that exist in our societies which literally gives more room for men to have the upper hand when it comes to role performance gender based and importance wise as sexes. This then forms a frame work where men are not just dominant but rather autocratic one way or the other leaving little or no room for women to operate. Interestingly men have maneuvered and found a way to keep women at bay by harnessing into their minds the ideology of they been second in all aspects and are to stay there, they sometimes support this with science on basis of IQ development among others establishing a framework that negatively supports men been gender bias taking control of everything and putting women in a position to succumb and accept their place as second to men.

In reading “There is No Hierarchy of Oppressions” by Audre Lorde and “Patriarchy the System” by Johnson Allan these two authors shared their own interpretation of intersectionality between different social identities such as race, gender and sexuality in relation to unjust social structures. Individuals who are oppressed and privileged don’t choose to be a part of that system; however resistance can be used as a way to challenge and fight against the systems of oppression. The problem in this case seems to be that people in society would rather stick to what may be considered as the “norm” since they fail to understand that we are all involved and contribute to these social issues that continue to shape our lives. 

Audre Lorde describes herself as “black, lesbian, feminist, and a member of an interracial couple” to express that her multiple social identities make up for the same oppression since those within the categories are seen as a targeted are being negatively affected by it. I feel like through her writing she strongly valued the concerns that led up to people’s differences coming from such a diverse community and how society tries to reflect a negative side of them. She wants to inspire others that one oppression is no different than the rest because wrongful power is still being reinforced and we need to stay connected through it altogether in order to overcome what is known as the status quo. Nobody wants to live during a time where discrimination and prejudice behavior revolves around them because of their identity or social position. There is hope that minority groups and members of the LGBTQ community can be united together to gain that equality as their challenges and disadvantages are being left unnoticed with little room for change. 

 Just like Lorde mentioned her multiple identities, so did Allan as stated “We can think of a society as a network of interconnected systems within systems, each made up of social positions and their relations to one another. To say, then, that I am white, male, college educated, nondisabled, and a nonfiction author, novelist, sociologist, U.S. citizen, heterosexual, husband, father, grandfather, brother, and son identifies me in relation to positions which are themselves related to positions in various systems, from the entire world to the family of my birth” (Allan 41). This means that among these different identities, people have different outlooks on themselves and each other such as the beliefs and values one may share together or not. Even through the patriarchal system between men and women, society feels like there should be a continuation of the authority held among both genders where one is superior than the other. It does not mean that everyone who participates in this system should feel that way about each other.  

Heatherlee’s snapshot perfectly depicted how women are working towards taking down male domination as it relates to gender inequality. It should not be assumed that women are  inferior or weak because they work just as hard to get the credit they deserve since their ability to do so is different from men. It all dates back to history where women have strived strongly to have the same privileges as men since that’s the way cultures and gender roles were built upon this patriarchal perspective. We need to look past the ideas that prevent oppression and the inequality of all social identities that restricts and limits us from coexisting as ourselves regardless of our position in society. I would also like to note that I feel like all women, especially black women today should feel honored and empowered that we have Kamala Harris as our Vice President because it inspires other girls and women that men are not only ones that can hold power. 

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.

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. 

I found this week’s readings to be captivating and powerful. As a person who belongs to multiple groups, I found myself nodding my head in agreement throughout the reading of “There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions” by Audre Lorde. In the reading “Patriarchy, the System” by Allan Johnson he uses more of an educational approach instead of past readings where authors gave off “this is the problem and these people are to blame for this problem” type of message. While both approaches get the message across to readers, I agree with Johnson’s approach. 

In the first reading “Patriarchy, the System” by Allan Johnson, the author discusses how the word “Patriarchy” is seen as an insult towards men because women seem to support this statement that men hold the power. I happen to agree that part of the reason change is slow, is because we like to blame others. When we shouldn’t be fighting each other we should be fighting the real issue which is what johnson explains. Johnson explains to achieve change we need to clear up and understand the confusion of patriarchy as a society and those who participate in it. Throughout the reading, he explains where society’s thinking affects us all. There is much to consider, our thought process, society, questioning society/patriarchy, etc.  I found “Patriarchy, the System” to be quite educational where it makes the reader stop and think about their own lives. Making us wonder what we have done to change this patriarchal system. Or if we are just living by in this system that we are accustomed to. As Johnson says, “the path of least resistance.” In Fawzina Jack’s snapshot she shows a picture where there’s a picture of a woman and a man and a dice with an equal or unequal sign. The picture is showing the person(the people) with power is rolling the dice. There can be gender equality but it takes work. Essentially Allan Johnson is educating us and showing us what we need to do to achieve gender equality. And the answer is to fight the patriarchy. 

In the second reading “There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions” Audre Lorde, started off by identifying the groups/communities she is in and explaining she hopes to have a livable future with the groups she identifies with. I completely applaud her bluntness, there have been too many targeted attacks on groups (Black community/POC, LGBTQ community) and nobody addresses the fear we have to live in. Most of the time it is anger or frustration. Lorde continues by explaining how each group she identifies with works together in her life. She points out that each group she identifies with struggles. She can’t win within each group she is in. She says, “Within the lesbian community I am Black, and within the Black community I am a lesbian.” By the end, Lorde’s message is that each group/community is linked and a person can not live a life where they are not oppressed as one group but are oppressed by the other. I found her reading extremely powerful and emotional. I identify as Hispanic, so when I am outside, let’s say driving I don’t feel the fear/oppression of possibly dying if I were to get pulled over. However, I also identify as an interracial couple (like Lorde) and I do feel the fear/oppression of my significant other’s life always on the line, and that takes a toll on me. I completely see the message Lorde is trying to get across and I agree.