Good news: The WOMEN DELIVER conference is now on in Vancouver. It is an amazing gathering of men and women from around the world who seek gender equality. I am moved to tears from all of the stories of women’s continued oppression AND I am reminded that until we deal with the DEEPEST ROOTS we will keep re-inventing the wheel.
So here is my ONE TAKE AWAY:
We live in a world society (called a patriarchy) created by a small group of white men, for the benefit of a small group of white men. It is embedded in our culture and our institutions. The 4 fundamental beliefs of a patriarchy are fed to all of us daily (it is the “cool-aid” we ALL drink) and they must be challenged. Here they are:
- Men are on top and in charge. (We even have a male god)
- Women, nature and all of earth is for the use and benefit of men.
- Everything in life is one big hierarchy and we all are competing to get to the top.
- Use of dominance and violence are the best ways to keep social order (eg. humans are stupid and selfish so need to be controlled).
These 4 IDEAS MUST BE UPROOTED. They are killing us all (even men). So rather than trimming the branches of the tree, let’s dig up the roots.
This blog is based on my book: Occupy Women – A Manifesto for Positive Change in a World Run by Men.