The solution to countering patriarchy is often sought through gender equality. But to be equal in a patriarchal system only means women and men are more equal participants in that system. Despite the effort and laws, patriarchy’s rewards, opportunities, and demands still favor men.
The rise of the extreme right throughout our nation (and the world) often feels like insanity. More than one psychotherapist says it is. Many psychotherapists avoid comment, explaining that professional ethics forbids analyzing anyone who isn’t a client.
Healthy masculinity eluded me for most of my life. I embraced feminism, except in extreme hate-men versions. I supported women’s rights in the struggle against repression by patriarchy. Equal pay for equal work seemed only fair. In these ways I considered myself to be conscious and unselfish in my manhood.
Collapse is Now! Processes of systems collapse are already underway. Collapse is not something that is coming in the future as an “end of the world” event. We are living now in the volatile processes in which different systems are collapsing. If we speak of collapse as in the future, we speak deceptively and inaccurately.
I have been really slow to recognize that the radical changes to climate that threaten survival of life are matched in importance by the severe loss of biodiversity. But when Lauren Van Ham (daughter), climate coordinator with United Religions Initiatives, told me she would be going in December Montreal for Cop15, the UN biodiversity international conference, I began to pay attention.