Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Peace and Pekoe

Home

Home
Catholic
The Rise of the Fratriarchy

The Rise of the Fratriarchy

Last updated on: January 19, 2018 at 3:35 pm by Kate Cousino

The Rise of the Fratriarchy 2018-01-19T15:35:56-04:00 Kate Cousino

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The New Republic, musing over the political Right’s embrace of Donald Trump and his libertine lifestyle, concluded Wednesday that,

It’s easy for liberals to decry the hypocrisy of Republicans, the putative party of family values, embracing Trump as its avatar. But there is no real hypocrisy here. The core value is patriarchy, which can take different forms. There is an older patriarchy which wears the mask of chivalry, and offers women protection in exchange for submissiveness. But the age of chivalry is no more. We now have raw patriarchy, which asserts its rights through naked displays of power.

Reading this, I had a moment of philological squeamishness. Where is the “patrios” in porn and consequence-free sexual license? Where is the rule of the father in an age of short-sighted boyish self-indulgence? Hugh Hefner had children, but does anyone seriously think of “fatherhood” or “male leadership” when they think of Hef and his stable of bunnies?

So it irked me to call the misogyny of sterile sexuality, of evaded responsibility, of raw power without discipline or doctrine “patriarchy.” Patriarchy at least had the somewhat redeeming elements of stability, fatherhood, and the assumption of responsibility and moral leadership. I needed another word; I needed to be able to name the malignancy I’ve been seeing.

Keep_your_environment_clean_from_feminism

And I think I figured it out. We aren’t facing down patriarchy anymore.

No, what we’re seeing now is something baser and less refined. This is fratriarchy, interested in sex and power but not in responsibility or stability. A world of PUAs and MRAs and porn, Gamergate and sex robots, where children are accidents or afterthoughts.

Fratriarchy is the rule of “bros.”

It is the undercurrent that unites libertarian and libertine. It is the rootlessness that propelled the ranks of medieval mercenaries as they raped and pillaged their way through conquests and revolutions. It is both the “problem of angry young men” who resent the lack of a clear path to paterfamilias status, and the realm of entitled and indulged misogynist “it” boy, Brock Turner. It is the “male feminist ally” who lies to his wife and seduces his employees and likes his empowered women sexually “liberated” and conventionally attractive for the male gaze.

So what does it do to our understanding of the sexual revolution if we see it, not as something instigated and negotiated because of changes in women’s roles, but as part of a conflict between factions of male power? What does it do to our understanding of the course of the feminist movement, which veered from anti-Playboy to “sex-positive” in under a decade, largely spread through the patronage and coverage of mainstream (male-owned) outlets?

And what ought we to be aiming for?

I don’t want matriarchy. Peter Pan is more than happy to have Wendy take responsibility so he can continue to be a boy forever, even if it takes a whole string of Wendys. Neither patriarchy nor matriarchy will give us men and women who can be partners. And I believe we need the strengths and insight of both men and women to see a way forward.

There has to be something more.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3:28

Antifeminist image by Ahmadi [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Previous Post

December 25, 2017

The Stable of Our Hearts

Next Post

January 26, 2018 Running Away to Ahch-To

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category ADHD Blog Business Body and Soul Books Faith Faith in Action Family Feminism Fertility Awareness Friendship Geekiness Guest Post History Hope Just For Fun Love Marriage Memory Mental Exercise Movies Parenting Personalism Poetry Prayer Quotes Scripture Seven Quick Takes Striving for Holiness Television The Stories We Tell The World Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 June 2016 March 2016 January 2016 November 2015 October 2015 August 2015 July 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 December 2014 November 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 August 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 November 2009 October 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Samuel's mother promise if God gave her a son?

Select your answer to see how you score.

To fast for 40 days To offer a burnt sacrifice To dedicate him to the Lord To move to Jerusalem

Support this
Column