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Annalee Newitz 🍜May 29, 2023

History shows that patriarchy is not natural, nor does it begin with fathers in families. According to Angela Saini, author of the new book THE PATRIARCHS, patriarchy begins with state power, and slowly works its way into families. In addition, men did not gain power over women by being "stronger." They did it by setting up networks of political support -- and by systematically dismantling support for women. This recent LSE lecture from Saini is a fascinating listen. https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/patriarchy-where-did-it-all-begin/id279428154?i=1000614580804

‎LSE: Public lectures and events: Patriarchy: where did it all begin? on Apple Podcasts

‎Show LSE: Public lectures and events, Ep Patriarchy: where did it all begin? - 23 May 2023

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The last thing I want to do is defend the patriarchy. To be clear I recognize that there is a lot of research proving that the more diverse the group leadership, the more successful it can be in a vast array of (nearly all?) circumstances.

That said, if there's no natural tendency toward patriarchy, why do we not see a far more even mix of matriarchal and (equitable?) social organizations historically around the world?

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Annalee Newitz 🍜May 31, 2023

@FirefighterGeek Why not listen to the lecture I posted and find out?

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FirefighterGeek

May 31, 2023

@annaleen time, mostly - but if you're saying this point is addressed, I'm curious.

My question is akin to one I ask the neo feudalists (libertarians). Specifically, if the fundamental tenet of what passes for their system is that the best system will beat out all the others, why isn't there a single example of their system currently extant, let alone successful.

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Annalee Newitz 🍜May 31, 2023

@FirefighterGeek yes. this is literally the entire point of the lecture. it's only 30 minutes.

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FirefighterGeek

@annaleen Okay, I listened (admittedly on background) and you touched on a lot of the things I generally believed already. I think there's a scale factor I didn't hear though, where once governance becomes distinct from daily life, and until women have more control over reproductive choices, there's a disadvantage to competing for those roles. Once established, any power structure seeks to keep power, and gender becomes an easy "us/them". I can't prove any of this, of course.