a helpful definition

Sometimes all I can think to say about patriarchy is that it is the shit that fucks shit up. You know?

Here is a quote from Terrence Real that better explains one aspect of it:

Psychological patriarchy is the dynamic between those qualities deemed "masculine" and "feminine" in which half of our human traits are exalted while the half is devalued. Both men and women participate in this tortured value system. Psychological patriarchy is a "dance of contempt," a perverse form of connection that replaces true intimacy with complex, covert, layers of dominance and submission, collusion, and manipulation. It is the unacknowledged paradigm of relationship that has suffused Western civilization generation after generation, deforming both sexes and destroying the passionate bond between them.

That's from the introduction of How Can I Get Through to You. I think I will like this book. I'd also like to read something about how the patriarchy affects gay or transgendered people. Most of what I've read is fairly hetero oriented. I'd like to become a more well rounded ally.

Also! Five business days of blogging! In a row! I'm celebrating by going to work.