The patriarchy
- It names a real historical pattern — for most of history, formal power sat with men — and it gives a simple map of who to organize against. After Marx, politics often became about what group you *are*, not which idea you hold. The patriarchy fits that map: men vs women, power vs the powerless.
- It treats ‘men’ as a coherent ruling class. That creates enemies where there were bad ideas, and it distracts from the actual historical reasons competence was limited by sex — fighting, heavy labor, childbirth risk — which we’ve largely outgrown. Celebrating women leaders is good. Treating half the population as the enemy isn’t.
- Even if many powerful people are men, ‘the blonds have all the power’ wouldn’t explain anything either. Group identity isn’t a causal theory. The patriarchy is a political rallying cry, not a mechanism.
- Argue with specific bad ideas and bad incentives. Speed up meritocracy by celebrating competent women without inventing a shadowy male conspiracy. Leave the patriarchy behind.
Longer notes and sources live in The Patriarchy is a Bad Idea.