Patriarchy & Gendered Violence

The notion of patriarchy is about more than just men, which is commonly the response regarding criticism of the sytem. Patriarchy is a system of general domination; where certain characteristics are valued and others are subordinate. Patriarchy is a system that is ingrained in our society so deeply, it seems we cannot break it down. My understanding of American patriarchy (because it is a specific kind) is that we value whiteness, heterosexuality, wealth and masculinity.

The article that struck me most this week was the one that discussed the Columbine shootings. I was very interested in that when it happened (morbid, I know), but this article brought so many ideas to light that I had not previously thought about. Following the massacre, violent video games were blamed and bullies were blamed. No discussion of the shooters' race or sexuality or gender came up. It wasn't labeled as a "white" thing. However, thinking of the situation in a different light is interesting. Say the shooters had been black? Our news shows constantly feature images of black men as violent, and shooting up a school would be attributed to a more violent race, when skin color is clearly not the issue. What if they had been gay and the "fag" comments they received had hit a different nerve? However, because these shooters fit the general characteristics that are valued in our society, they were somehow dismissed for their crimes.

This situation goes hand in hand with the idea of privilege. People who have power in our patriarchal system are undeservingly privileged. Privilege is given to people who fit the "norm." One article described it as having an invisible napsack-a set of tools that help those who are privileged so that they can gain in life. Privilege is also often based on what others think of you, not who you necessarily are.

One reading called this issue of male violence a "drug of superiority." In other words, it is a product of our society that tells men to act a certain way - to be strong, dominant, unemotional, etc. This push for men to be more masculine has unfortunate consequences in some cases, when some men take it to the extreme. This mentality creates serial killers (who are most often white, nonpoor men) who feel a need to prove their masculinity, and it creates abusers who take out their anger on women in order to feel powerful. The saddest thing about this situation is that women are often supposed to keep their problems to themselves - apparently no one wants to be involved in a domestic dispute.

Basically, I feel like patriarchy hurts everyone. Any system where certain people are valued over others is a bad system. It all goes back to feminism, and if equality were achieved, maybe the gendered violence would diminish and privilege would not be based on things outside of a person's control like race or gender. Patriarchy (not men, the system) has to go.