Response to: The Patriarchal System

The general consensus after reading the articles by Frye and Johnson rest upon the fact that male privilege ultimately leads to female oppression. I found many parallels between the argument Johnson proposes regarding working within the greater system, changing actions as individuals, that will ultimately lead to a change in the system, and Betty Friedan, who worked to draft changes in legislation in order to make strides in the Second Wave of the Feminist Movement. However, Johnson also has many parallels with Brownmiller, looking to go outside of the box, acting outside of the norm, in order to bring about a change that will impact the lives of both men and women. Both Johnson and Frye claim that the 'oppressors', namely the males in a patriarchal society, as well as the 'oppressed', the women, suffer from some form of oppression in their lives while working within the system that society has created. The system is involuntary. Frye is a bit radical in her claims that oppression "restricts or prevents the thing's motion or mobility." Granted, Frye's article was written in 1983, and as Johnson rightly suggests, we must take this claim in the context of the times. Since the early 1980s, women have made great strides in combatting this claim, raising to unprecedented levels of society. As Ariel Levy discusses in her book, Female Chauvinist Pigs, the Third Wave of Feminism, emerging in the 1990s and to present day brings a generation of women to the table who have bought into a mass media culture and have been accepted into the cultural norms of society as they have never been before. Women are most certainly not confined by any means, that is not to say they are still not discriminated against because of their sex to present day, but there are an increasing number of avenues to embark on to overcome these challenges.

Oppression is all a part of the system. Everything within is 'systematically related.' I admired Johnson's points about the system of patriarchy, and pointing out that all men, whether oppressive or not, are unfortunately a part of this system. As Dave points out above, radical change rarely brings about a solution. I agree with both Johnson and Dave in that small, meaningful strides must be taken within the system first in order to achieve any sort of progress to leveling the playing field of femininity and patriarchy. The underlying fact here is in power relations. How men and women relate to each other within the system specifically shapes how patriarchy functions as an inescapable element of society. A specific point that struck me in Johnson's piece was about how patriarchy is about doing 'what's expected' for a real man. We have dug a hole so deep in society today concerning the male image that must be turned around. Johnson uses the example of giving a speech. When he gives a speech, he not only feels good about it, but because he benefits from male privilege, the audience most likely took something from the speech also. However, if a women gave the speech, it would not be as credible. Johnson points out that he is a strong advocate for women's rights, to the point where he has gone to a state and pinpointed a problem, while proposing some type of legislation. However, he is also a privileged male. This is seemingly involuntary, but nonetheless, he is still placed in this group within the system.

I think when looking at women's rights and feminist issues, it is always important to place issues in the context in which they are presented. Personally, I agree with Dave in that Frye is a bit radical in her assessment of oppression. However, these opinions are something to take into account. Johnson has a more pragmatic approach to the situation, placing many of the patriarchical stereotypes within a context. A man's worth is determined by many specific factors that we have a society have shaped, as well as the stereotypical roles of the female. I think both Frye and Johnson bring up good points, looking to show power relations between men and women, as well as placing the issue of patriarchy and feminism within a context that a solution can start to be drafted within.