Before reading any of the material for this week I wanted to see what I thought patriarchy was and then see how the way I see patriarchy changed. For a while, I thought patriarchy was the way a person would influence others. I thought patriarchy involved men and the way they would act as well as how they would be on an ‘upper pedistool’ as compared to females. Yet that doesn’t seem to be the case here what so over. I wasn’t aware that the patriarchy doesn’t simply involve only one person but it is built up of multiple people. Something else that was new to me and that stood out to me was the fact that Allan Johnson mentioned how everyone plays a role in a patriarchal society. “We need to see and deal with the social roots that generate and nurture the social problems that are reflected in and manifested through the behavior of individuals. We cannot do this without realizing that we all participate in something larger than ourselves, something we did not create but that we now have the power to affect through the choices we make about how to participate.”(Pg 3) This piece of the text caught my attention because it really makes the reader see how although we see something as a matter of how an individual acts, the bugger pictures show how everyone’s individual actions come together in creating a whole picture. In other words, yes everyone makes their own individual choices and actions BUT everyone’s individuality would be put together which would paint out the bigger picture we would see. Something else that caught my attention was when Johnson began to talk about one’s participation. It leads me to question just how one exactly tends to participate if many have different viewpoints on a patriarchal system. Continuing on page 3 Johnson mentioned ” To participate is to have a part in what goes on, to do something (or
not) and to have that choice affect the consequences, regardless of whether it
is conscious or unconscious, coerced or not. Of course, the terms of women’s
participation differ dramatically from those that shape men’s, but it is participation, nonetheless”. This helps me into understanding that participation in patriarchy isn’t exactly what we are taught to believe. With patriarchy, we are taught that you are either for it and act upon it, or you are against it and do avoid doing anything, Yet Johnson brought up how participation isn’t simply taking part in what happenings and being aware of it, but rather participation can also be done subconsciously. I feel like this is important to know and keep in mind when trying to recognize patriarchy as a system because it allows you to see how one’s individuality isn’t the only thing that can make us feel some sort of oppression. Those who follow and believe in the patriarchy and those who don’t face oppression one way or another (ex: beliefs they are taught to follow). When it comes down to the patriarchy and different levels of oppression, things become rather interesting. Starting at the personal level, people are taught certain things at a young age. We are taught what makes us different from others and the ways we are raised can also play a role here. Whether we are conscious or not, our emotions tend to lead us into what actions we take next and how we respond to certain situations and issues. With interpersonal oppression, we are taught what we can and can not say ( I am right, you are wrong). Institutional oppression can be seen when in Texas abortions were being limited. All the new rules added to how you could get an abortion and what will stop one from getting an abortion impacts a woman rather than a man. Why was this law even passed and approved by males, to begin with? Cultural/structural oppression can be seen all around us from having the “yucky” discussion of periods to beauty standards that have been set by magazines. Oppression is everywhere and goes hand in hand with other issues and topics.
6 thoughts on “Sofia Arista-Juarez Discussion 5”
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Hello Sofia,
Firstly, I find it interesting that you tested your knowledge of what the patriarchy is, because I feel that many of us have a general idea but do not truly understand it. Speaking for myself, I can honestly say that these readings clarified a whole lot for me and also taught me information I was unaware of. I had an understanding that the patriarchy was systematic, but like you mentioned- there are still many people that believe the patriarchy involves a group of people. This misconception is detrimental to progress because it keeps us from breaking out of the cycle, when we continuously look to individuals for a problem that has been instilled into our society, unbeknownst to us. When we look at the patriarchy for the system that it is, we acknowledge that the patriarchy exists regardless of who participates in it or abides by it. As you mentioned, although we all individually make choices, in the grand scheme of things, our actions collectively create a more accurate picture as to our society and its problems.
You mention that oppression is everywhere and goes hand in hand with other issues and topics- do you think that we can end oppression in the near future?
Hi Sofia! :]
I think it’s really interesting that you decided to see how your opinion on the patriarchy would change after doing readings. I really like that you talked about what you thought it meant at first. It’s a very common way of thinking about it!
It was really enlightening to read about the patriarchy because there really is no way to avoid it. We’re constantly noticing conscious/subconscious behaviors not only from other people, but from within ourselves, as well. I agree with you – oppression is everywhere, and all types of oppression intersect in some way, shape, or form.
It stood out to me too when Johnson spoke about “female participation in the Patriarchy”
Why would a female actively choose to engage in a system that is hurting her? I’d like to believe that nobody would willingly act in their own oppression. But like he says, the Patriarchy has infiltrated every aspect of our lives from the start, both consciously and subconsciously influencing our behaviors. We may not even actively realize it. Self-reflection is a huge part in the start of breaking down systemic issues like sexism and racism.
I like that you included the example of menstruation. I think socio-culturally the expectation is placed on the mother to teach her child about menstruation. Men will often be embarrassed about, and even refuse picking up tampons for his partner/child. Around anything menstruation related, men often freeze up, call it “gross” and want nothing to do with it. This all comes from our immense lack of sex education in this country!
Hi Sofia,
I used to think patriarchy was only men. The system is made up of individuals, but the individuals aren’t made from the system. We need to change the way problems are approached, and the reasons why these problems are in place.
The system of patriarchy is weird. I can see how the author is trying to say women should not feel like this is normal in order to slowly leave it alone and make it vanish. Things would be harder for men and more fair for the women if the idea of patriarchy is left behind.
Hi Sofia,
I like how you think and see how the readings would change your mind.
Patriarchy is everywhere and as a woman, we have to recognize it so that we can fight for us.