The key is how entangled we are with sex and race . . .
In all the confusion here the statement on the complete entanglement of racism and sexism is fundamental to understanding the social transformation we are experiencing. And, it would appear, the cause of much of the discussion. Both gender and race are being redefined in post industrial society and this is tremendously confusing when layered on the elimination of geography as the primary determinant of human social structure. What does this mean?
The simplest way to put it, I think, is perspective but perspective in three dimensions. These dimensions are cultural, personal, and time. Up to now both gender and, what we still term as race, were determined by geographic location and cultural organization. People were born into a social group within a cultural group in a specific location and, for the most part, didn’t move. But even geographically locked groups move through time. Both changing conditions, relating to population growth mostly, and intrusion of new social or cultural groups cause a given set of groups to change their definition and social roles. But at any given point for individuals in a given situation gender and race roles are simple given although this is not simple either. How many genders are there? How many people in our groups as Venn diagrams? What people or groups are important or not important or are only a little important at certain times?
In patriarchal societies women, broadly defined by physical primary sexual characteristics are valued less. The two main issues are having children and being strong and aggressive. These were the primary and very practical considerations. But all of this is cultural as male or female humans can be strong and aggressive but males have the advantage. The trouble is that our cultural norms and our gender norms no longer work consistently in contemporary social systems because we are actively either eliminating the differences or recognizing that they are arbitrary. And strong and aggressive is no longer of value. Women no longer get pregnant because they have sex. Having children no longer requires a man. Our intellectual attainments make this possible. In terms of human evolution this is a strong kick to the gonads.
On the level of time (historical) we currently have, it appears, a slight majority in post industrial countries who recognize this and see the benefits on both a personal and planetary level. We have a slight minority who are opposed to this because they don’t understand it and/or are locked into subcultures that deny change (that’s a very real thing in our evolutionary nature), or are still caught in rural and traditional societies. The slight majority is growing because this is a change that makes sense in urban settings (note Amber Lisa’s parking lot cross fire incident) and her contention that women are the victims. And within another generation we will be (if we survive and that is by no means certain) 90% urban. So just as we did 14,000 years ago when we invented agriculture and towns that created our current classes and roles, we are evolving to diverse, urban populations.
The effort to use basic statistical death rates male versus female don’t help because the historical data is irrelevant. We don’t really fight wars anymore as large displays of male bravery. Between the US Civil War and WWI-WWII we actually scared the shit out of ourselves as a species with the sheer numbers of people (mostly men) involved and multi-generational damage that was done. We are getting more able to limit aggression as a large group activity but we are troubled by the conservative elements that want to deny change and, as a result, promote sexual and racial conflict to “prove” it. And these groups are seeing the handwriting on the wall hence the increased reaction and extremes as their sacred role models are threatened by ideas and groups that they can’t really understand. They just know they don’t like it.
Meanwhile as people move, almost instinctively now, to urban regions or metropoles, if they can escape the artificial warfare areas where POC and the poor are thrown into combat to prove racist and misogynistic traditions, they change. If we survive it is simply a matter of time (see millennials) before the more open and diverse rules of gender and race make those issues irrelevant. But it looks as if we will be struggling to survive climate disasters now escalating that may force us back into ancient world of warfare for resources.
