Patriarchy Is a Toxic Chameleon

There’s only one sure way to spot patriarchy in all its guises throughout history and across the world.

Patriarchal, dominance-based masculine culture is ruthlessly flexible and adaptive to context, weaponizing any local cultural, racial, religious bias it can use to accrue power over men, women, LGBTQI people, POC.

This is why dominance-based masculine culture dovetails so seamlessly with white supremacy in the West, while just as easily aligning with religious nationalism in some Eastern countries that leverage those forms of dominance. It’s about power for power’s sake and will ever adapt.

Patriarchy is intersectionally fluent in highly adaptive ways, enforcing rigid gender binaries in contextual localized ways to reinforce power over women, girls and non-binary people. In this way, patriarchy is a chameleon, valuing white race here, a different race somewhere else.

To unmask dominance-based patriarchal masculine culture in all its permutations, simply track the compulsive need to create and then relentlessly exercise power over others.

The alternative? Millions of men are breaking out anxiety inducing, deeply isolating dominance, -based cultures of masculinity, and instead are choosing healthy, masculine cultures of expression and connection; cultures which value creating power with instead of power over others.

If we fail to end dominance-based masculine culture globally, our collective human survivability is very much in question. Links to our healthy masculinity books, podcasts and other resources are here: http://linktr.ee/RemakingManhood

Previously Published on Medium

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