“Patriarchy” is a floating signifier. It has no clear meaning. Indeed, it means whatever is convenient for it to mean in any given context. “Patriarchy” is furthermore a thought-terminating cliche. Instead of carefully thought out social analysis the Patriarchy is deployed as a non-explanation.

The Patriarchy is a useful non-concept for feminists to deploy to avoid ever holding any individual woman accountable. It’s not her fault she’s enforcing traditional male gender roles, it’s the Patriarchy. She couldn’t possibly be the abuser in the relationship, and even if she was it’s not really her fault it’s the Patriarchy. Don’t be angry at mothers who have their baby boys’ foreskins removed without anesthetic, it’s the Patriarchy.

The Patriarchy is a parody of class analysis. In this regard it is like, nay is, a conspiracy theory. Instead of naming an exhaustively analyzed and theorized capitalism, conspiracy theories decry a shadowy, conniving, amorphous Other. Conspiracy theory and Patriarchy theory inculcate paranoia and fear of this Other but offers no constructive response to combat the evil it describes. Patriarchy theory groups all men as the oppressor and all women as the oppressed. It thus resists intersectionality by smoothing over the many cases where a woman has power over a man or boy.

Patriarchy theory is false consciousness. It’s not even a particularly useful tool for analyzing women’s issues, let alone men’s issues.

  • luciole@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Seriously though, I hope this post gets taken down. This is a small community, downvotes don’t bury anything. It’s typical Petersonian propaganda that tries to argue against what is stated in the sidebar by flaunting abstract wordings, accusatory misogyny and straw men. If this stays up I’m so out.

    • spaduf@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      1 year ago

      Don’t forget to report. I don’t think the moderators watch super closely since this is still a super small community.

      • Ms. SourCreamAndGarlic@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        The only moderator of this community hasn’t been active in over a month. We’ve put up a Moderators Wanted post for that reason.

        • spaduf@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          1 year ago

          I thought that too originally but then I saw activity in the modlog. Any idea why those moderators aren’t listed in the sidebar?

          • Ms. SourCreamAndGarlic@lemmy.ca
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            1 year ago

            If a moderator isn’t listed it’s an Admin action. We removed a few posts that violated the community rules while we were waiting for the community owner/moderator to get back to us.

    • rikersbeard@kbin.socialOP
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      1 year ago

      I fail to see what I have in common with Jordan Peterson beyond a passing interest in Jung. I support trans rights, and indeed equal rights for all.

      abstract wordings

      Did you read my post? The entire point I’m making is that “Patriarchy” is “abstract wording”

      accusatory misogyny

      Care to point out what exactly I wrote was misogynistic?

      straw men

      You’re the one throwing out strawmen by calling me a misogynist, Petersonian.