Dear John, Let me just explain the Patriarchy to you

Because you still don’t seem to get it

Photo by Dmitry Ratushny on Unsplash

Last week I wrote an article about violence against women. This is also sometimes referred to as “gender-based violence,” meaning: people who feel entitled to enact violence on others purely because of their target’s gender. The point of the article was to illustrate that the skills and knowledge to defend ourselves as women is often withheld from us, thanks to Patriarchal structures.

Before I go any further, John, let’s remember that gender-based violence isn’t only based on the way someone looks. It’s used to reinforce gender stereotypes and roles.

You commented on this article, John, and said that men are subject to higher rates of stranger-based violence than women. You said that, if anything, men should be more afraid than women.

Firstly, let me just say, John: I don’t think there is anyone of any gender who does not carry a healthy fear of a gruesome death by the hands of a violent sociopath.

It seems pretty equal to me.

The point I was trying to make, John, is that boys and men are made aware of the violence of the world from a very young age (and…