I’m sure anyone paying attention to the shrill squawks of horn-rimmed glasses wearing feminazis with unnaturally-coloured Pixie Bob haircuts has heard about the patriarchy, but what is the patriarchy? Why are they so shrill about it? Traditionally a patriarchy is simply a family or society where the eldest male is revered as the head of that group, but as it is understood today, patriarchy (with a more specific ‘the’ attached to it now) is a societal system within which men are in possession of the mechanisms of power (wealth, political and economic clout, access to healthcare, etc.), and women are largely excluded from the process. The feminazis wish to destroy this gendered distribution of power.

What is it specifically that the feminazis want to send to their SJW equivalent of a gas chamber? Is it the maleness of this discrepancy? I’m sure in some instances that is the case, but those people are what is commonly referred to as, ‘stupid.’ A matriarchy (the matriarchy?) would be an equally unjust distribution of power. Fighting against an idea while clamouring for its mirrored counterpart is, as previously mentioned, stupid.

Ultimately, it isn’t the gender of the puppeteers of the system at all, but unchecked, hierarchical power that is exploitative. The current masculine domination is only tangentially related to inequality, since its very nature of being masculine isn’t based on any essentialist differences between genders but on tradition alone. It is only called “the patriarchy” because that is best description of the current state of affairs. The issue is power.

This is another reason that feminism isn’t actually about equality. Equality in oppressive power is not a worthy goal. It’s why radical feminist Jessa Crispin dismisses the term ‘white feminism’ in favour of ‘power feminism.’ The legitimate critiques that exist against “white feminism” are describing nothing more than a group trying to grasp hierarchical power in an oppressive system rather than fight against it, seeking equality in an unequal system. Their whiteness is no more the issue than the maleness of beneficiaries of the patriarchy. ‘Power feminism’ suggests that any feminist, regardless of race, can maintain these views.

Unfortunately, the etymologically feminine background of morally righteous feminism as the solution to the etymologically masculine patriarchy places an unnecessary conflict between men and women with men in the villainous role, but hopefully I’ve argued cogently that gender is the expression of the problem rather than the problem itself. There is a power imbalance, and gender is only the form that that imbalance takes. Universal access to financial stability, political voice, healthcare, etc. would mean that there could be no power differentials at all.

Oh my gosh, you might gasp, are you saying that feminism necessarily requires an anarchistic lens? Um, yes. Yes I am.