I have been arguing that, if you want to understand politics, you should start with family structures, particularly male-dominated families. Until fairly recently, almost all families have been dominated by husbands and fathers. In the Judeo-Christian-Muslim traditions, families were a reflection of God himself (sic!). Men decided, ruled, dominated, and they should do that with care, concern, and firmness.
Such families are autocratic. Our traditional political structures have been autocratic: clan and tribal leaders, kings, emperors, bishops and popes. Even the clergy have admitted women to the ranks of the holy and the wise only partially, and reluctantly.
The husbands are the deciders. They are the heads of their households, providing the livelihood, making the major decisions about where and how to live, protecting their property and their charges, and giving or selling their daughters to some other male. Such husbands decide what their wives and daughters should wear, and what they may or may not do with their bodies.
Our politics reflect this familial autocracy. Our right-wing politics embodies it.
There is a surge of enthusiasm for a society in which men decide for themselves (and thus for their women and children, too) what to do. Nobody, nobody!, can tell such men to buy health care. Nobody can tell them whether they can carry a gun. Nobody should tax their income. Nobody should make them pay into Social Security. Nobody should give their children advice about sex or contraception. Nobody should require they pay to support people out of work. Nobody should tell them where they can smoke cigarettes, if they want to.
Some things such family and political autocrats are willing to let a minimal form of government do: build roads, but not trains, maybe provide police and fire protection, provide a military to protect our borders, and probably set some land aside for a few parks. Probably build boat ramps, fences to keep immigrants out, and rafts to send troublemakers "back where they came from".
An autocratic family structure is entirely consistent with an autocratic political structure.
It will not be until young people first, then wives, and finally husbands come to value collaboration and consensus and human equality within their most intimate personal relationships, that we will really value a society in which we care for each other, and try to build fair, just, and humane social structures as part of what we do, together.
I cheer for those young people in Tunisia, and Egypt, and Bahrain. I can scarcely believe the courage of those women who, still covered almost head-to-toe, call for an end to autocracy. They surely must know that is not just a political demand. The autocrats understand!
Such families are autocratic. Our traditional political structures have been autocratic: clan and tribal leaders, kings, emperors, bishops and popes. Even the clergy have admitted women to the ranks of the holy and the wise only partially, and reluctantly.
The husbands are the deciders. They are the heads of their households, providing the livelihood, making the major decisions about where and how to live, protecting their property and their charges, and giving or selling their daughters to some other male. Such husbands decide what their wives and daughters should wear, and what they may or may not do with their bodies.
Our politics reflect this familial autocracy. Our right-wing politics embodies it.
There is a surge of enthusiasm for a society in which men decide for themselves (and thus for their women and children, too) what to do. Nobody, nobody!, can tell such men to buy health care. Nobody can tell them whether they can carry a gun. Nobody should tax their income. Nobody should make them pay into Social Security. Nobody should give their children advice about sex or contraception. Nobody should require they pay to support people out of work. Nobody should tell them where they can smoke cigarettes, if they want to.
Some things such family and political autocrats are willing to let a minimal form of government do: build roads, but not trains, maybe provide police and fire protection, provide a military to protect our borders, and probably set some land aside for a few parks. Probably build boat ramps, fences to keep immigrants out, and rafts to send troublemakers "back where they came from".
An autocratic family structure is entirely consistent with an autocratic political structure.
It will not be until young people first, then wives, and finally husbands come to value collaboration and consensus and human equality within their most intimate personal relationships, that we will really value a society in which we care for each other, and try to build fair, just, and humane social structures as part of what we do, together.
I cheer for those young people in Tunisia, and Egypt, and Bahrain. I can scarcely believe the courage of those women who, still covered almost head-to-toe, call for an end to autocracy. They surely must know that is not just a political demand. The autocrats understand!
Comments
Post a Comment