Fom the Bullingdon to the Dorchester....
Of men and power.. from the Bullingdon to the Dorchester....
The President's club debacle reveals much about perceptions of masculinity and understanding oself, behaviour , "common sense" and prejudice..This week I have seen men claim that patriarchy is a myth, that feminism is a myth and that it "takes two to tango". I have seen everything said except an analysis of their own male perceptions. In most cases the men who argued in this way were mainly over 60 . They had never examined their assumptions; identity or psychology. They could not do it they did not know how, they did not see power or it's constructs like the white male bluekippers who see no racism or sexism or transphobia. In the next generation my own prejudices and assumptions will be examined and challenged and u hope that my grandchildren will understand that I was a product of my time.The real difference is whether we understand that we are all prejudices and that common sense us just a statistical average of the prejudices of the time.
The President's club debacle reveals much about perceptions of masculinity and understanding oself, behaviour , "common sense" and prejudice..This week I have seen men claim that patriarchy is a myth, that feminism is a myth and that it "takes two to tango". I have seen everything said except an analysis of their own male perceptions. In most cases the men who argued in this way were mainly over 60 . They had never examined their assumptions; identity or psychology. They could not do it they did not know how, they did not see power or it's constructs like the white male bluekippers who see no racism or sexism or transphobia. In the next generation my own prejudices and assumptions will be examined and challenged and u hope that my grandchildren will understand that I was a product of my time.The real difference is whether we understand that we are all prejudices and that common sense us just a statistical average of the prejudices of the time.
Many men cannot see that the behaviour of the rich and the powerful men of the Presidents gate club is about exploitation and commoditization of sexuality . These rich and powerful men do this in other ways in forcing down wages and promoting cheap labour. We are all victims of their power and it is not about choice. It's about no choice. The libertarians will claim it's about both sides knowing the score. But how could that be possible without an equality of power and influence. Their was no equivalence between the women and the male captains of industry.
I have no problem with the sexuality or
sexual behaviour of consenting adults on terms of equality. Power over
others leads to pornography and exploitatation.Power is the key to
making us all into objects of sexual use or of cheap labour. We are all
used by these men whoever we are.
Eroticism is a celebration of our sexualities. It is a relationship between equals and encourages us to celebrate desire, passion and pleasure. It has parallels to being creative, artistic and curious. The bitter old men who condemn the campaign against sexual harassment and name it a witch hunt are stunted, fear the feminine, sensuality and the other.. they don't even know what they are missing.. they are the prudes and the damaged ones. These are the men who would have suppressed the sexual abuse investigations and are severely homophobic and transphobic. These men are so adequately represented by males like Farage and Trump and others.. These are the vile men of straw. And I would like to know which politicians were present. I remember a previous story I was told about members of a previous administration of Swansea Council present at a stag party with strippers that reached sonar proportions. I was told of a former Swansea Assembly member who thankfully fled in horror at the events.
I find in hypocritical that George Osbourne editor of the London Evening Standard made the Presidents Gate club the headline story. One wonders why he did not join up the dots between the powerful and rich Bullingdon Club and the Presidents Gate Club. ..u hope it was selection rather than selective memory.
Eroticism is a celebration of our sexualities. It is a relationship between equals and encourages us to celebrate desire, passion and pleasure. It has parallels to being creative, artistic and curious. The bitter old men who condemn the campaign against sexual harassment and name it a witch hunt are stunted, fear the feminine, sensuality and the other.. they don't even know what they are missing.. they are the prudes and the damaged ones. These are the men who would have suppressed the sexual abuse investigations and are severely homophobic and transphobic. These men are so adequately represented by males like Farage and Trump and others.. These are the vile men of straw. And I would like to know which politicians were present. I remember a previous story I was told about members of a previous administration of Swansea Council present at a stag party with strippers that reached sonar proportions. I was told of a former Swansea Assembly member who thankfully fled in horror at the events.
I find in hypocritical that George Osbourne editor of the London Evening Standard made the Presidents Gate club the headline story. One wonders why he did not join up the dots between the powerful and rich Bullingdon Club and the Presidents Gate Club. ..u hope it was selection rather than selective memory.
At the intersection of domestic violence, misogyny and the far right....A long time ago William Reich wrote a book called ' The mass psychology of Fascism '. In it he identified Fascism and the far right as a response and fear of the feminine. Last week I saw the value of Reich's thoughts.. I saw Sovereign Cymru rave about the rants of a Neath narcissist against the #Metoo movement. The individual used words like cackling and virtue signalling at the Golden Globe awards. I saw Jac o the Neath rant about 'wimmin, lefties and greens ' I saw Plaid expell Neil McEvoy for a series of attacks on strong women who worked in anti domestic violence charities. The reality is that misogyny and transphobia is the new intersection of the far right and the remnants of UKIP. The word broflakes describes insecure men frightened of feminism and the fluidity of sexuality and identity. The broflakes have drawn up the wagons against the progressive forces surrounding them. After Brexit will come a new hard right cemented together in fear and loathing of diversity and difference.
Those of us who work with the victims of violence have senseed it's rise since June 2016. Domestic violence exists in all classes of society, across all occupations and all income levels. I have known and heard of it everywhere. Patriarchy existed before capitalism and was a consequence of the agricultural revolution if the Neolithic period.. it originated at the same time as the domestication of animals and the development of slavery. Violence is the gold standard that some men use to guarantee patriarchy. If a few men are violent then all are at risk.. The violent language of masculinity and the sneering and loathing at feminism is but a few degrees from actual physical violence. Those who use banter and violently argue to put women, gay people and trans people in their place in significant numbers often cross over into physical violence. It us the job of all of us who are progressive to encourage the victims of domestic violence to come forward and name their abusers.. This is no "witch hunt' ..even by the bitter old men using the term obscures the fact that 80% of its victims were female. Let's challenge those who defend patriarchy and unconsciously in most cases the violence that preserves it like the gold bullion that once preserved the financial system. Come forward and name the abusers who ever they are be they milk men, doctors. dentists or even elected representatives however powerful they seem. You will be believed....
