In one sentence, what would the author(s) say is the main claim that they make in this piece? (What is the point?)
That the patriarchy is detrimental to anyone, and that we have to collectively acknowledge the damage it has done before we can change it
What are other key claims that are made? (Try to limit this, say, three.)
- That even when one tries very hard to resist, the patriarchy tends to end up getting you in the end (p. 22, 28), changing you into something you were not
- That men as well as women are at fault for keeping this system in place, even though men get more rewards for it, and that dismantling this system should be the work of both men and women
- That women as well as men are affected by this system, and that the hatred and blame purely of men leads only polarization between the sexes, making it harder to fight the system together
- That men are hurt as well by the patriarchy, and that we must make clear that an attack on the patriarchy is not an attack on masculinity, its an attack on patriarchical masculinity. Until we make this distinction clear, any critique on the patriarchy will be interpreted as a threat.
D – Description. What is the author’s project? What are their assumptions?
Their project is to bring everyone together, because they believe its necessary to be able to combat the patriarchy. The assumptions are that the patriarchy hurts both men and women, and unless we acknowledge this hurt we cannot improve the current system.
A – Analysis. What does the author say is occurring, and why? What assumptions about human nature can you see in this?
They say that the current system that is in place is hurting everyone under it. Though men may benefit from it more than women, the patriarchy leads to worse mental health, toxic masculinity, violence and abuse among men. I would say it maybe assumes that people are quite afraid of change, that even though more equality has only benefits, people are inclined to stick to their old beliefs and are resistent to change. It assumes that for many people, change is scary and is easily perceived as threat, making it less likely that people will work together to achieve it.
V – Vision/S - Strategy. What would they like to see? And how?
They would like to see everyone, men and women, united, acknowledging the damage the patriarchy has done to all of us, and work together to make a change.
