THE EVOLUTION OF MATRIARCHY

Adam, Eve & Raphael
William Blake

Greetings, Rasa. Hope this finds you in your full powers and in the sure embrace of love. I was rereading your comeback to that York guy who was disenchanted about the coming of matriarchy. Then not a day later, I glimpsed at an online article by Newsweek about "how women lead." Discounting the predictable fatuity and sensationalism of a major media organ, you still have to give them credit for great timing! I think it's too bad that York guy could not overcome his anxieties by rethinking the terms of his argument. He seemed to be saying that the new matriarchy will not be much different from the hierarchies of old. But if I read you correctly, your point is very much that matriarchy is evolving, and that in fact the very reason it is on its way back is because it has transformed itself under the impetus of new conditions (I hope you'll be patient with me if I've grossly misunderstood; I am here to learn). A modern woman-mastered society will be one of caring, not exploitation, but the nature and tenor of that caring might be surprisingly different from the ancient model. After all, women themselves have changed, evolved. They've added advanced education and technological prowess to their native adaptability and resourcefulness.

They move forward without making a big deal of it! So it's entirely possible that unlike patriarchy, matriarchy may not even be noticeable as such! It may be more of a stealth reconstitution of society; female norms may simply replace male norms as evolutionary steps forward (subsidized child care, health care, higher education, etc.). The only area in which I could see men recognizing the "threat" to their hegemony is in the religious/spiritual, as their war god (the current right-wing Jesus) is openly challenged by an alternative vision. My only real concern for this evolutionary process, Rasa, is about its permanence. Matriarchy was displaced once before. Do you think it could be rolled back once women have reasserted their supremacy? How will the matriarchs hold on to their dominance? Would simple control of the resources and seats of power make matriarchy a fait accompli, or will matriarchy require constant social conditioning the way patriarchy has, offering up myths and "facts" and giving a false but palpable solidity to commonplace ideas about the sexes to keep people in a state of compliance? (My own answer is that it won't; I think most of us will welcome the Mother's reign and never look back, but I'd like to know what you and others think.)

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