#926 Boys will be boys but we can change what that means (Patriarchy)

Direct Download

Today, instead of trying to convince you of the benefits of feminism, I’m just going to show you the horrors (for everyone) of patriarchy.

Show Notes

Ch. 1: Opening Theme: A Fond Farewell - From a Basement On the Hill

Ch. 2: Act 1: Colin Stokes: How movies teach manhood - @TEDTalks - Air Date: 01-18-13

Ch. 3: Song 1: We're Off to See the Wizard - Judy Garland & Ray Bolger


Ch. 4: Act 2: Boys will be boys in a patriarchal society - @citizenradio - Air Date: 5-22-15

Ch. 5: Song 2: Boys Will Be Boys - Alisha


Ch. 6: Act 3: Do Videogame Stereotypes Hurt Men? - PBS Game/Show - Air Date: 08-2-13

Ch. 7: Song 3: Main Theme - String Player Gamer


Ch. 8: Act 4: White men never get to tell their stories - CounterSpin (@FAIRmediawatch) - AIr Date: 1-9-15

Ch. 9: Song 4: Express Yourself - Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band


Ch. 10: Act 5: The Sad Puppy Takeover - @onthemedia - Air Date: 4-17-15

Ch. 11: Song 5: Patriarchy (Over & Out) - EP - Planningtorock & rRoxymore


Ch. 12: Act 6: What Fuels Sexism on the Internet? - @majorityfm - Air Date: 11-24-14

Ch. 13: Song 6: Empathy - Chasing Kings


Ch. 14: Act 7: What Is the Patriarchy? | Feminist Fridays - @marinashutup - Air Date: 11-02-14


Voicemails

Ch. 16: Thoughts on human nature - Ruben from San Jose

Ch. 17: What's the alternative to high stakes testing? - Chris from Colorado Springs

Voicemail Music: Loud Pipes - Classics


Ch. 18: Final comments on education reforms and it's panic time for the Climate Hike fundraiser

Closing Music: Here We Are - Everyone's in Everyone


Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

Thanks for listening!

Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

Check out the BotL iOS/Android App in the App Stores!

Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft

Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft

Contact me directly at [email protected]

Review the show on iTunes and Stitcher!


Showing 2 reactions

  • Jay Tomlinson
    commented 2015-06-05 13:49:50 -0400
    Thanks Scott, I doubt the hosts you’re referring to would disagree with anything you’re saying and I know I don’t disagree.
  • Scott Schafer
    commented 2015-06-03 20:55:10 -0400
    I know, it’s hard to find much sympathy for the challenges that are faced by rambunctious white cis boys. But I have one, and he means the world to me, and I get a little riled up hearing the implication that there’s something wrong with the way he is and that as his parent I am partly responsible for that. I will say that your hosts made an excellent point about the tolerance for boys like mine being an example of white privilege, and I would wish the same tolerance for all children.

    Both his mom and I both take our responsibility to teach him respect for other people very seriously. We talk to him about this a lot, telling him to give people room on the sidewalk, to stop touching people when they say no, and so on.

    But despite all of this, we can’t stop him from throwing things at us or head butting us or just being generally aggressive. He has aggressive energy which is just part of his nature, just like my cat likes to follow me around attacking my ankles sometimes. He was like that in the womb – we could hardly get a clear sonogram picture of him because he was trashing around so much. It’s our job to help him learn to control it and respect other people, but at the same time, we have to allow him to express it or he gets crazy.

    Now, I’m not trying to create a false equivalency here by claiming that male oppression is on par with female oppression or there’s cis oppression or whatever. What I do wonder is this. Little boys like the one we are raising (I’m not saying all boys, and I’m not saying that some girls aren’t very similar) make it very difficult to keep any kind of order in a house or a classroom. Who are the authority figures in the childhoods of most boys like this? Mothers and teachers, who are predominately female. So you have boys who thrive on chaos up against women who are trying to maintain order. This seems like a recipe for misogyny later in life.

    Some answers, maybe. Long paternity leave. Schools that allow for controlled mayhem, rather than pathologizing it, such as the following: http://www.ted.com/talks/takaharu_tezuka_the_best_kindergarten_you_ve_ever_seen?language=en

    Honest open talks about sexuality, like they have in other countries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_education_curriculum

    Teaching respect for others, and not shaming people for being who they are.
Sign up for activism updates