Article Critic

The main thesis of the essay concerns the fact that patriarchy as a system can only be subverted by confronting our individual and collective paralysis around gender issues . The pervasiveness of certain myths is central to our support of patriarchal practices . For example the myth of historical pervasiveness of patriarchy and deterministic approach to future contributes to oppression of women . Another related myth is the one of individual powerlessness and inability to make a difference in a system that is too massive and complex

The article demystifies common assumptions about the nature

and operation of social systems by offering appropriate evidence . For instance , the fact that reality is in a constant motion (and thus patriarchy will not last forever ) is illustrated by the fact that even ecosystems are changing , although before they were seen as always coming back in balance . Gandhi 's paradox (i .e . the saying that nothing we do as individuals matter , but it 's vitally important that we do it anyway ) is used in support of the claim that every decision we arrive at can make a difference

Another analogy is used to empower readers to take responsibility for their lives and society 's progress : one leaf does not matter for a tree yet altogether leaves ensure the existence of the tree . Therefore , if more people choose to stay away from the path of least resistance that perpetuates patriarchy , a change will eventually occur , although it is hard to expect it to happen in one generation - changes in attitudes to gender issues usually transpire between generations . When a critical mass of people who do not follow the path of least resistance is accumulated , a paradigm change is likely to take place . Same process happens in science when amount of evidence that does not fit into dominant paradigm becomes excessive : for centuries , Europeans thought that stars , planets , and sun revolved around Earth , yet mounting evidence was pointing to the erroneous nature of this thesis , therefore Earth-centered paradigm was developed by Copernicus and Galileo .The theory the author is using can be characterized as a mixture of individualist feminism and womanism . The first theory is relevant since the author emphasizes the necessity of small individual actions (such as acknowledging the existence of patriarchy and questioning its assumptions , reading feminist theory and passing the word around volunteering at rape crisis centers and battered women 's shelter etc rather then radical refurbishing of society structures , like liberal or political feminism would suggest . Womanism , or Black feminism , also must have had an impact on the author 's stance , since domination and control in a society also refer to racial inequality and even homophobia and heterosexism : only by solving all this problems , patriarchy can be deconstructed

The counterargument , however , might be based on evidence of major changes occurring not due to individual persistence but rather wide-scale governmental reform or scientific discovery . Women 's liberation has been , in fact , brought about by suffrage , birth control pills , maternity leave , and sexual harassment laws . Therefore individual...