Abstract for Discussion Leading Assignment

Rachel Collins
WST3015
Jeannina Perez
1/26/10

Johnson, Allan G. “Patriarchy, the System: An It, Not a He, a Them,
or an Us.” Women’s Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. Ed. Gwyn Kirk, Margo Ozakawa- Rey. McGraw-Hill, 1997. 68-76.

Johnson’s article attempts to fully quantify and define patriarchy, and describe the ways in which we both create and are influenced by it as a system. He begins by addressing the common male objection to the idea of a patriarchal system, which he identifies as stemming from the perception that when people speak of patriarchy, they are accusing each individual male in society of actively and directly upholding and participating in discriminatory behavior, and also from the fact that confronting the reality of patriarchy would force men to address the prospect of abdicating the privilege that this type of society affords them. Johnson then explains the importance of regarding patriarchy as being simultaneously the product of both individual action and the workings of a system that is larger and more powerful than simply the sum of the actions of all involved individuals.
Johnson identifies patriarchy as being partially the result of individuals being socialized throughout their development to participate in it, and also partially the result of our social systems being continually shaped by what he refers to as “paths of least resistance” (70), which refers to choices we both consciously and unconsciously make during every moment of every day. We may not consciously choose certain actions, but by doing what is most comfortable to us within the confines of our society, we unconsciously uphold existing social systems. It is when people step off the path of least resistance, Johnson states, that they have the opportunity to shape others’ actions and alter the way the system itself functions. The system shapes individual behavior through paths of least resistance, but individuals also shape the system by choosing to act independently of these paths. When, for instance, a man steps off the path of least resistance by verbally objecting to a sexist joke, he helps to reshape others’ perceptions of what is socially acceptable and expected. That is, he reconfigures the paths of least resistance themselves, so that it may become more difficult for others to follow the old paths due to the increased perceived risk of social resistance.
Johnson compares a social system such as patriarchy to a game like monopoly. The players themselves may not be greedy, may not think as capitalists, and may not receive enjoyment from the economic ruination of others, but in the game they act in these ways because the accepted restraints of the game show them that these behaviors lead to victory. He goes on to add that social systems are much more complex, ambiguous, and subject to change than the rules of a board game, but the basic principles are illustrated.
Johnson defines the elements of patriarchy as being “male-dominated, male-identified, male-centered, and control –obsessed” (73). Anything associated with womanhood and femininity is relegated to the marginal position of “other.” Patriarchy promotes feminine beauty and masculine toughness, feminine vulnerability and male protectiveness. According the Johnson, patriarchy is about the perceived naturalness of male competition, dominance, and aggression, of female caring, cooperation and subordination, of the valuing of maleness and the devaluing of femaleness. Most importantly, Johnson states, patriarchy is “about the core value of control and domination in almost every area of human existence” (73). Johnson concludes the article by stating that patriarchy, like all social systems, “exists only through people’s lives” (76). To a certain extent, we experience it as being external to us. However, this does not mean that is totally separate from us. We cannot choose to be outside of the system; we can only choose whether to challenge or strengthen it.