Patriarchy hurts men too.

Patriarchy doesn't just suck for the women. Let's not kid ourselves, it's pretty shit for men too.

No decent role-models
Who exactly are men meant to aspire to be like? Sporting heroes? Please! Politicians? I don't think so. God? Jesus? Yeah, right! Seriously, sit down and try and think of a decent, real, honest role model. It is really hard to do. Since even the most enlightened men usually have some major issue going on. (Often with women, but what's new there?)The ultimate role model God is a babykilling, hating psychopath when you get down to it. (Read your bible, it's all there). So no wonder men are lost in our starvation culture.

Violent culture idealised
Men must be STRONG. For what exactly? Fighting wars? Or working in an office? The dog eat dog heirachy of the average office, where profit is God is based on the idea that to survive one must kill or be killed. Performance related pay where to get your bonus you must go above and beyond what your actual job is, well, what happens next year when you have to suppass that goal? Work to live, or live to work? What are you doing? Our whole society is geared towards a way of surviving, rather than living. When war and profit are the most important factors of how and why we "live", no wonder we are all losing the plot.

Emotionally crippling
What emotions are men allowed to show openly? Joy? Only up to a point, too much and they are a bit soft. Fear? Only if it manifests in anger. Sadness? Only if it manifests in anger or if your footie team loses. Love? Only if by love you mean sex. Now, of course there are blokes out there that are open with how they feel, but society tends to look at them in a slightly bemused attitude. Like it doesn't know how to deal with them.

Infantilising
Two examples that really really piss me off. They reduce men into either petulant difficult spoilt children, or immoral sociapaths. The first is the response to women on how to treat their men when they have a baby. It basically tells women that they must find time to reassure their men that they still love them, and that they aren't being replaced by the baby. "Make sure you give your man that special time"...WHAT THE FUCK!?! Yeah, if you are talking to a 2 year old then fine. But this is a GROWN UP MAN! You have the intellectual capacity to understand that a baby is a helpless tiny individual that needs 24 hour care. YOU DON'T! Deal with it. It's your baby too. It isn't a case of you "help", a baby is as much your responsibility as the mums. Thankfully, most of the men I know, do realise that they are the adult in this situation, and therefore devote their time and love to their new member of their family. Without being jealous about it. THAT'S WHAT A REAL MAN DOES.
The second one. That men have no sexual control. If there is a woman and she looks like she is "up for it", then you can't help yourselves. What an absolutely patronising crock of shite. Being drunk isn't an excuse (since it isn't for us women either). WE ALL have responsibility for our actions. If a women is guilty for being pissed up and dressed in a provocative manner, then the man is as guilty for behaving like an immoral sociopath. It is that simple. You are the ones in control of your dicks, not the other way round. So it shouldn't matter what the situation is, you can stop. To try to imply anything else is to admit that men are somehow inferior to all other mammalian life. And this woman knows that you are not.

Restricting
Where can you go under patriarchy? We are all made to fit into the role it sets out for us, whether it is right for us or not. Expections from society as a whole expects us to behave in a set way. And it isn't just women that are trapped. You are trapped by lack of real opportunity, real adventure, real meaningful power. We have completely forgotten what it like to be truly free. And if you are gay, well, that's just wrong as far as patriarchy goes. Not on at all, young man!

Dangerous
Ultimately patriarchy kills men. But it's alright, since us women are just here to replace you as quickly as possible. The status quo that says you are working towards this, that and the other, but really you are just another cog in the corporate wheel that is killing you off, and replacing you with the next cog. Patriarchy does not give a shit about you. You are the flesh that makes its money.


AND YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE GETTING A GOOD DEAL FROM IT. Wake up and smell the coffee.