© Liba Kaucky, independent feminist research, June 2010 All Rights Reserved. Sole author: Liba Kaucky. The moral rights of this author have been asserted. Please do not cite or quote in research without the author's written permission.
Researcher ID: P-2484-2016 URL: https://publons.com/researcher/2202509/liba-kaucky/ ;
ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1598-0833
Abstract
On the Patriarchal Deconstruction of Women's Identity Through the Use of Illusions, False Beliefs, Fear and Psychology
I shall examine whether social control of women in patriarchal societies is implemented by using what I shall term, the Breaking Point Principle. It is often assumed that women's bodies naturally and inevitably leave them 'vulnerable' to male domination and intimidation and hence, sexism. This is often based on the assumption that women are considered to be physically weaker than men and therefore, are more at risk of violent male assailants. From this it is sometimes deduced that women are biologically designed to be the sexually passive, submissive sex while men are invariably portrayed as the overly active and sexually dominant sex. Women's ability to be impregnated means they are often portrayed as passive receivers naturally designed to be domestic care-givers who are left with all the responsibilities. Refuting this stance, I shall argue against the numerous arguments that claim that all societies have been patriarchal and therefore, this must be the natural social order due to insurmountable biological differences between the sexes. In fact, since all foetuses begin as females and may or may not change into males at a later stage, this would lead one to believe that it is men who are the second sex, making them merely an optional variation on the female sex. Therefore, why must one measure women against male attributes when it is women who are the original human being? Hence, in order for men to impose themselves by acting on the world they must construct myths and illusions using psychological techniques that are designed to confuse women with false beliefs on top of subjecting women to the primary passion of fear in order to cause a mixture of exhaustion and depression. This can be achieved in a variety of ways. However, I shall focus on sexual harassment, actual and implied violence, pornography and stalking whether in person or by the use of technology. These are most extensively used against women, leaving all women around the world a direct or indirect victim of at least one of these at some point in her lifetime. Much as men can also be subjected to this, a male victim is rarely systematically targeted on so many fronts at the same time, including privately and publically, in a way that is specific to his biological sex. This leaves many women so busy defending themselves that they are forced to waste their time thinking about how to counteract men's strategies, survive life and cope with chronic stress rather than being active agents that act upon the world themselves. In constantly pushing women to their breaking point, men intentionally create a void of female activity which is where sexism and male domination can step in and thrive. This is the Breaking Point Principle.
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