Patriarchy

Juelle Jackson
9/19/2018

Define Patriarchy as per the bell hooks reading. Then through online or other research find an artist/art project who addresses and challenges the status quo, patriarchy, and its systemic power and dominance. Write a short description of the art project and bring it to class in addition to your quotes. You can share this project on twitter or on the blog if you wish.

         In Bell Hooks, "Understanding Patriarchy", Hooks defines patriarchy as a "political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule over the weak and to maintain that dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence."(18) Growing up, I wasn't too familiar with patriarchy, but as I got to my teen years, I learned what it was. Patriarchy has always been the way. All throughout history, patriarchy was practiced. The very thing I thought about when I heard patriarchy was "Men are strong, and women are weak." Also, it came to me that men are to be the voice and the women should submit to the man. In other words, what man says goes. One of my most familiar introductions into patriarchy is in a partnership or marriage, the women should stay home to cook, clean, and take care of the children. The man should be out working to take care of his family. In the text, Hooks describes her introduction into patriarchy as a young child. She says, "As their daughter, I was taught that it was my role to to serve, to be weak, to be free from the burden of thinking, to care take and nurture others. My brother was taught that it was his role to be served; to provide; to be strong; to think; strategize, and to plan; and to refuse to care take or nurture others." (18)
          Hooks childhood reminds me of how my household became once my mom got married and had another son. My stepfather was the breadwinner, and my mom became the stay at home mom. She was a dental assistant, but my stepfather made it clear that he wanted her to stay home with my baby brother. Patriarchy became very familiar in my house. When my brother had gotten a little older, his father would always enforce gender roles, Whenever my brother started to cry, his father would say, " why are you crying? Only girls cry? Or he'd say, " Stop acting like a chick" It was very interesting to me that he was already enforcing these gender roles to a little kid. It also made me upset that he believed that only girls cry. Only girls show feelings. It was as if he was saying that girls are weak. It is not weak to cry, yet this patriarchal way of thinking enforced this belief. I think that, although many of us don't know, we are supporting patriarchy. I do not think that it is always intentional, but when you are conditioned to a certain way of thinking, you continue to practice those ways.
            Aside from girls and women suffering from this patriarchal view, I do feel sorry for the young boys who are encouraged to not express their feelings. I believe as human beings everyone should be able to express themselves. Boys should not have to be constantly told by their fathers, uncles, brothers, and male cousins that it is weak for a boy to cry. They should not be forced to accept this way of thinking because they are told that it is just how life goes. In the text, Hook says, "To indoctrinate boys into the rules of patriarchy, we force them to feel pain and to deny their feelings." (22) I agree with Hook that forcing boys into this patriarchal view is only hurting them. However, it is hard to keep anyone from patriarchy. Patriarchy has held us captive for years and will only continue to do so.
          One celebrity who challenges patriarchy is Katy Perry. One of her songs that calls patriarchy out and goes against it is her song titled, Roar. The song talks about a women who never spoke up. She was just one of those women in the background who never used her voice. In the lyrics, you can see that patriarchy did a number on her. The lyrics say, " I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath, scared to rock the boat and make a mess, so I sat quietly, agreed politely. The song's chorus says, "I've got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire, cause' I am a champion and you're gonna hear me roar." If you think about what patriarchy enforces, Katy Perry is telling patriarchy that they will hear her roar. She is no longer being quiet and she refuses to not use her voice. In the video, Katy Perry presents herself as the Queen of the Jungle. Usually, in the eyes of patriarchy, the saying is "king of the jungle"but she challenges patriarchy by going against it.