Patriarchy and Misogyny

Guest Opinion

Our Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal. A proper rewording of that phrase for the 21st century would be: “All people are created equal.”

But that would be “woke” and unacceptable. Putting women on an equal footing with men is forbidden by the current powers that be. Almost 250 years after Jefferson’s timeless document, we still refuse to treat women as equals.

While MAGA rules, men’s rights from state to state are unaffected. Not so with women, and there are rumblings now in MAGA-world that a woman’s right to vote should be rescinded. I’ve tried to imagine being a MAGA Christian male who thinks this is a good idea. I can’t do it—it’s that foreign to me. But one thing is clear. That type of man must believe that God is a male entity who created men as superior to women, empowering men to rule over women. He must believe that patriarchy is sanctioned by God.

I don’t pretend to understand the nature of God, but it makes sense to me that the creator of the universe would be neither male nor female. After all, gender is but one aspect of God’s creation. Therefore, an omnipotent creator would transcend gender. Human beings, mere aspects of God’s image, would be equal in God’s assessment, regardless of gender.

Of God’s earthly attitude towards women, we have Christ’s example to inform us. In his day, men were forbidden to interact with women in public. Yet, Jesus spoke to women all the time—the Samaritan woman at the well and the widow of Nain, for instance.

There was the frightened, suffering woman who had been ill and isolated for years, who dared to touch Christ’s cloak. According to religious norms of the day, this woman’s touch rendered Jesus unclean. But he called her “daughter” and praised her for her faith. He went so far as to heal women on the Sabbath—and was severely criticized for it by the Judaic hierarchy. He treated both the “sinful” woman who anointed him with oil and the woman accused of adultery with dignity and grace.

Christ held women in high regard, showing nothing but respect for them during his ministry. Women were central figures at his crucifixion, and later, at the empty tomb. Christ’s example modeled resistance to the patriarchal sexism of his days on earth.

Yet, to this day, patriarchy has dominated world affairs. With few exceptions, men have ruled for centuries, abusing our power to make a mess of the world. Think about it. Virtually every miscreant you can name throughout history was a man. War mongers, mass-murderers, serial killers—almost exclusively male clubs.

In our recent presidential election, 55 percent of men preferred a convicted felon, legally culpable financial fraudster, and adjudicated sex offender over a better qualified and more suitable candidate who happened to be a woman.

What a sad commentary on the state of manhood in America.

I’ve never belonged to anything approaching those aforementioned “male clubs,” but when it comes to women, I am no saint either. In my younger years, I was a confused, selfish prick who viewed women as creatures who existed for the most part to gratify my physical desires. I did not respect them as individuals, any more than I understood or respected myself.

Now, as a repentant, recovering sexist, I would not stand in opposition to women running the world. If they did, I guarantee you it would be a more cooperative and peaceful planet. But rather than trusting and encouraging women, men cling to the false, stupid claim that women are too emotional to bear the rigors of leadership. What nonsense!

What if men shifted their attention away from competition and the acquisition of wealth and power long enough to concentrate instead on cooperatively pursuing a lasting peace? What would that look like? And why would Christian men not want to serve as foot soldiers in that effort, alongside women who consistently and effectively take on roles of leadership?

The time has come for Christian men of all political stripes to don the mantle of Christ, as his disciples, in the evolution of our coexistence with women. Especially now, when greed, pride, and the other seven deadly sins seem to be heralded as virtues by an increasingly vile and disturbed ruling class.

Living through the current authoritarian takeover of our federal government should serve to remind us that misogyny is a linchpin of fascism.

A transformation is called for in our body politic. The policies of inclusion, diversity, and equality—each one a valued American ideal—ought to be championed by men, and especially Christian men. We must unite on the honorable side of history, resist misogyny and our current administration’s lust for totalitarian power, and start building a world that embraces cooperation and sustainable peace as spiritual goals in the treacherous—and righteous—pursuit of civilization.

Walt Wood is a retired mailman, current Lutheran, and essayist focused on political philosophy and the intersection of religion and democracy.

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