My thoughts on the reading “There are no Hierarchy oppressions”, Audre Lorde describes herself as a black, lesbian, feminist, and mother. I started to see what causes oppression when Audre identifies these groups and exemplifies that opperison comes in many forms. This idea of how power is the basis of social identities and all forms of oppression are linked together. She says, “I have learned that oppression and the intolerance of difference in all shapes and sexes and colors and sexualities and that among those of us who share the goals of liberation and a workable future for our children, there can be no hierarchies of oppression. I have learned that sexism and heterosexism both arise from the same source as racism”. As she said this I really didn’t think that way. I thought there were hierarchies in oppression. As I read on, she mentions how sexism and heterosexism are a source of racism because thousands of lesbians and gay men are black. seeing that the author is lesbian herself she goes on to say she is lesbian in a black community and that any attack that is being said to or brought to black people is either a lesbian or gay issue.

I enjoyed both of this weeks readings. In the first reading “Patriarchy, the System: An It, Not a He, a Them, or an Us”, Allan Johnson talks about the patriarchal system and how we need to understand it in order to create a new system of socialization. A part of the text that stood out to me was “there is poverty and class oppression because people in the upper classes are greedy, heartless, and cruel”. I completely agree with this statement because the social class has always been like this. People in the upper class think that just because they are at the top, the people at the bottom get to be treated like garbage. I honestly don’t think that a social class should have even been created because this is another way that people are separated into groups but they shouldn’t be treated differently based on the status or group that they’re in.

The second reading “There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions”, Audre Lorde describes herself as “a Black, lesbian, feminist, socialist, poet, mother of two including one boy and a member of an interracial couple”. Each group that Lorde identifies herself in is usually described as wrong or not right in other peoples eyes. Oppression can come in so many different ways and is portrayed in several different topics. Lorde states that there can be no hierarchies of oppression and I completely agree with her. We must fight oppression in all the groups, not just in one topic.

While in the last week we focused on racial privilege and oppression, this week’s readings discussed these two topics in terms of gender. More specifically, they both concern patriarchy, which Allan G. Johnson defines as “a kind of society organized around certain kinds of social relationships and ideas that shape paths of least resistance”(32). He claims it to be a social system rather than the result of individual actions and proceeds to explain that these two are strongly interconnected. A very good example that helped me understand the concept was how rape can be viewed from different perspectives. “We might ask why a particular man raped, harassed, or beat a particular woman. We would not ask, however, what kind of society would promote persistent patterns of such behavior in everyday life, from wife-beating jokes to the routine inclusion of sexual coercion and violence in mainstream movies”(28).
The same explanation can apply to patriarchy. Even though a particular man can promote objectifying and exploiting women, other people ofter participate in patriarchy unconsciously by the path of least resistance, or in other words, choose actions that cause them the least societal judgment. I was surprised to read about women being participants in the system of patriarchy as well. But then I realized that many of them do it because that is the only way of living they know, or because it feels safer and easier. I immediately thought of my mother as an example. Her husband comes from a very patriarchal culture and a lot of it is imposed on her only because she allows it (considering that she prefers to take a leading role everywhere). My mother, recognizing every pattern of his behavior, still lets him take an uncomfortably large amount of charge in the household only not to upset him and cause another fight. This “Let a man do his thing” can be a positive mindset, but eventually causes society to become numb towards violence and sexist behavior.

I also liked how Allan described privilege as something you cannot choose to have or not to have. It is something that society gives to us, and because often we don’t recognize it, the oppressive systems feel even more natural and normal. It somehow traces to the second reading by Audre Lorde, who analyzes the existence of oppression in every social group. She writes that “oppression and the intolerance of difference come in all shapes and sexes and colors and sexualities,” which I can connect to the existence of some type of a privilege in each of these groups, that Allan Johnson described in his article.

I really enjoyed both these readings. The Allan Johnson article was especially profound, just because it was so long with so much information. When he mentioned how we always say, “it’s the system, blame it on the system”, no one ever really asked or explains what that means. What is the systems and who created it and why. I don’t know, and hear people say that all the time, which is fine, it’s true, but it is so good to be reminded that we need to get more information.

I think my life is painted in a certain way that I don’t see the extremes of patriarchy as much as I am surely surrounded by the nuances. Meaning, I am not around a lot of people who think men should be masculine and tough, that they shouldn’t treat women well, or that women should not work and just be mothers. However, i do see people fighting to change from being this way, and sometimes over correcting, flip flopping and trying to make changes themselves. Which in this article makes very clear that is not the way. All that said, I know I still live in a very patriarchal society, even if some of the people are “dressed up” to look a different way. And that is where and why it is really useful and helpful that articles like this are out there so we at least know what to start trying to look for to learn about how to make change.

According to Allan Johnson, in a patriarchal society man who avoid vulnerability are more often than not seen as strong. Allan details, if men stay the same then men can continue to think of themselves as courageous and manly, without having to see their lack of courage for what it is. The problem with this limited way of expressing masculinity is what keeps patriarchy working. Men often default to what they know, which is to let females carry the burden of caring for the house, the kids, and the relationship. What happened to teamwork? The job is for men to begin to undo the imbalance, model alternative paths of masculinity. Be open in front of others, easier said than done. Take on the bulk of work typically designated as women work, or in experimenting with how to communicate with both women and men.

Allan G Johnson explores patriarchy as a system that individuals in society unwillingly participate in, and analyzes why, how, and what the system is about. I think this is incredibly important and figuring out how we can interact with patriarchy, as there is no way to escape or be outside of it. This does not mean you It is unquestionable that as a man, even if you do not align yourself with this system that you benefit from it. It is in no way a natural thing. Even if you are unwillingly participating, it does not mean you are benefiting from it as a woman the way that a man does. Allan explains how it is a system that forces participation even though it oppresses them. To change this system, we can only change how we participate in it. I really appreciated this reading as I feel like this mindset can be applied to many injustices in our societies, privileged or oppressed.

I thought that “There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions” by Audre Lorde was fascinating. I love the way she explored intersectionality, and how complex it can be for an individual to identify with many communities. I appreciate what Audre says about how attacks against the Black community and attacks against the Lesbian community are issues of both. I wish this were treated this way for everyone, as I feel like there would be so many more allies working together, but not everyone feels this way about intersectionality.

“Patriarchy, the system: An it, Not a He, a Them, or an Us” By Allan Johnson, the writer addresses how we as a society misunderstand the meaning of patriarchy/privilege and oppression assuming it is solely based on men’s desire for power and oppression of women.  However, everyone plays a role be that man or woman, because it is all a part of our system.  Personally what I think he is saying in the book is that there is a misconception of what patriarchy as a system looks like as a whole and how it being viewed only from an individual stand point is part of the problem we aide in it even if we are unaware. By picking and choosing where to recognize wrong and ignoring and conforming to the rest of it there is a hindrance in growth and progression of what society could look like moving forward. Although, no one specific person can be pinpointed in creating what a normal society looks and runs like the majority continues to follow suit with what has been taught as acceptable. Therefore, society and those in it are the ones who are shaping society out to be what it is today. Interpersonally, we need to begin to question many of the things that are viewed as okay such as why men cannot be vulnerable or have feelings who said it is not okay? Why is it not okay? Why are women not viewed as equal? Institutional wise there are still communities with people of color still under privileged and not afforded the same opportunities and we are in the year 2022 the resources needed. The system is like an escalator it is on a continuous loop and nobody or rather not enough people are questioning why we are not reshaping and thinking more progressively because our cultures, beliefs, lifestyles and perceptions are not allowing it to happen.

The readings  “Patriarchy, the System: An It, Not a He, a Them, or an Us” by Allan Johnson and “There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions” by Audre Lorde were not only touching as she goes into depth about her different identities it is also exceptional and informative on the concepts of privilege and oppression but they help us think more about what it is like for those who are oppressed and live under their oppressors. 

Johnson’s article goes into depth about patriarchy as he breaks down what is included in patriarchy and how the system impacts our society as a whole. I feel as though Johnson focuses specifically on the notion of patriarchy while also describing ideologies like social systems that make patriarchy what it is today. Johnson also dissects how patriarchy is a system and not just based on one group of individuals or one person in particular. Patriarchy is a kind of society organized around certain kinds of social relationships and ideas. As individuals, we participate in it. Paradoxically, our participation both shapes our lives and gives us the opportunity to be part of changing or perpetuating it. Throughout the reading, Johnson helped me understand the concept of the patriarchal system by going into depth about socialization and how it influences the system of patriarchy and how it continues to work the way that it does. What I took away from this article is that patriarchy isn’t about one specific person or one specific group like males or females but it is a system that continues to operate because we continue to allow it to happen since we are in the system even though we didn’t create it we are a part of it. Even if every person in the world agreed that patriarchy is present today and has always been present in history does not mean that the system will change in a more inclusive and positive direction. It will take a great deal of time for people to analyze what concepts are involved in our patriarchy system and how we can make steps to change it moving forward. To understand what patriarchy is, people need to dig deeper into the world’s social system and the social problems society faces time and time again because nothing is being done to break these patterns of repetition and fix social problems for once and for all in our social system. To dive even deeper Johnson states, “we cannot understand the world and our lives in it without looking at the dynamic relationship between individual people and social systems. Nor can we understand the countless details.” I feel as though Johnson wants us to grasp the idea that social systems and the repetitive issues those systems face are a part of patriarchy; are in a way what makes up the patriarchal system. Johnson needs us to not only acknowledge that idea but to figure out steps to change it and move forward instead of just acknowledging it and moving on. In the reading, Johnson also describes the concept of resistance and how patriarchal culture makes us less resistant to situations. For example, you’re walking down a dark sidewalk and you’re passing by an alley but when you pass by the alley you see a young woman is getting mugged by an older man. Instead of sticking up for the young girl you do the opposite and continue on your walk down the street. You’re probably thinking why wouldn’t I help the young girl? Well, it’s because resistance has become a part of patriarchy and the patriarchal society. The path of least resistance in this situation is to continue on your walk, mind your business, and not cause any more trouble. To not get in the way of a man doing what he wants to a woman, to not being accused of helping and siding with a woman against a man which if you were a man in this instance, make you feel like less of a man unless you are willing to deal with the even greater resistance that would follow. In this instance, you will continue to take the least resistant path because you are so used to going along with things in a patriarchal system instead of fighting against it or in this example fighting for the young girl. 

Audre Lorde’s article “There Is No Hierarchy of Oppressions” focuses on intersectionality and what is is like from a standpoint of a black woman who also identifies as a lesbian, feminist, socialist, poet, mother of two, and a member of an interracial couple. I appreciated Lorde’s article because I not only learned about intersectionality on a more personal and detailed level but I learned that it is harder to associate yourself with one specific group when one is so much more intricate than that. The complex connection between the various dimensions of identity is described as the term intersectionality. These various dimensions of identity can be things such as; sexual orientation, gender identity, and racial identity. Lorde always speaks her own identities being a black woman, lesbian, feminist, socialist, and more. Due to Lorde having more than one identity she refuses to only identify with one even if it may benefit her at that point in time; Lorde states, “I know that my people cannot possibly profit from the oppression of any other group which seeks the right to peaceful existence. Rather, we diminish ourselves by denying to others what we have shed blood to obtain for our children. And those children need to learn that they do not have to become like each other in order to work together for a future they will all share.” I think this is a powerful statement because it represents Lorde’s ideology that no one should conform to one identity they associate with even if it benefits them in any way because those benefits won’t last forever. Rather than diminishing your identity by denying it to others to be accepted for the time being, one should appreciate the different parts of their identity and never conform to what society deems acceptable. 

Reflection #4 

My reflection on the readings is as follows. Allan G. Johnson speaks about the stereotypes and the misconceptions of the word patriarchy. Also, some people confuse the difference of patriarchy and the system as an individual. The system of oppression cannot be fully separated. We are shaped by this system and shape society. That we do not even realize that we participate in this system unconsciously. Obviously, we did not create this system that we perpetuate. We need to understand that we have a choice to make a difference and influence the choice to change it, we can do it numbers together. 

Audre Lorde addresses intersectionality, the system of oppression overlaps and con not fully be separated. There are so many people that are oppressed, and we do not even know it. I am sure we have all experienced it one way or another. But that does not mean that we cannot come together and bring real change. Andre lets us know that no matter what group she belongs to taught her that oppression and intolerance come in all shapes, sexes, colors, and sexuality. These two readings have made me understand a little more about the meanings and what the writers are trying to get across. Being more educated and having a better understanding can help others.