The well-known definition of patriarchy is that the father or eldest male would be the head of the family. That is the definition I always went by. During the reading “Patriarchy, the System: An It, not a He, a Them, or an Us” by Allan G. Jackson, discusses how the concept of patriarchy is a system rather than being an individual identity. According to Johnson, patriarchal culture is “how social life is and should be, about what is expected of individuals and how they feel, how they are required to appear and behave.” As humans we tend to blame things on other individuals. We don’t usually go farther than that, we should ask why society would allow this or so on. Why is it important to recognize patriarchy as a system and not an individual identity? Well, if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t see why it was important to recognize patriarchy as a system rather than it being an individual identity. Reading the passage, I was able to see why we should. Jackson says, “If we see patriarchy as nothing more than men’s and women’s individual personalities, motivations, and behavior, then it won’t occur to us to ask about larger contexts—such as institutions like the family, religion, and the economy—and how people’s lives are shaped in relation to them.”  What I believe he means by this is that if we always focus on an individual’s doing, we wouldn’t see the bigger picture. We must identify and address the societal foundations that produce and nourish the social problems that are reflected in and displayed through individual conduct. This is greater than us. 

As mentioned in “Thoughts on Discussion 4,” there are several levels of oppression. These levels include Personal, Interpersonal, Institutional, and Cultural/Structural. Why are we discussing the different types of levels of oppression? how patriarchy might work at each level and how those levels influence one another? Before reading these passages, I didn’t realize how closely related these topics were. Oppression is the abuse of authority or power that is unfair or harsh. Personal are the feelings, thoughts, beliefs about others and attitudes about differences. Interpersonal is language, action, and behaviors. Institutions are rules, policies, practices and procedures, both written and unwritten, that an organization has that function to intentionally or unintentionally, advantage some individuals and disadvantage others. Cultural/Structural is considered “true,” “right,” “normal,” and “beautiful.” We are surrounded by these; they are part of our daily life. Patriarchy, like most types of tyranny, attempts to persuade us that things are the way they are because they have to be, that they have always been that way, that there are no alternatives, and that they will never change. The issue is whether it will remain that way.