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It's hard to overstate the massive
cultural impact of the Barbie movie

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"Hi Barbie"

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"Hi Ken"

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The film Enchanted audiences wowed critics
sparked heated debates

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and made a truly obscene amount of money
at the box office

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Barbie continues breaking records
with over 1 billion dollars

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at the global box office

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It's an impressive cultural achievement,
especially considering that the film

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doubles as a feature-length commercial
for a line of plastic dolls

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There was however one group
who were decidedly unenthusiastic

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"Despite all the bubbly pink fun,
the movie's become a target"

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"of some right-wing personalities"

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"They are preaching empowerment
by making men look weak and dumb"

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"Feminist (diet tribe?) about the evils of
the modern patriarchy"

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"It's a trojan horse to to teach girls
daddy is really a dummy"

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"or domineering idiots"

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"It's feminist garbage and
it's really about hating men"

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And Ken is like stupid and unlikable"

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"This is an assault on not just Ken,
but all men"

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If you've seen the movie
you might be confused

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Because the Barbie script goes
out of it's way

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to show Ken in a sympathetic light

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If anything the movie might
be a little too sympathetic to Ken

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"I think I owe you an apology"
"Huh?"

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Now it's tempting to dismiss this
clearly performative outrage

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as just another attempt to fan the flame
of the culture war

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But there is something really poisonous

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under-pinning this backlash
that I do think is worth taking seriously

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One word in particular
seem to touch a nerve

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"Well, I haven't seen Barbie yet, um"

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"but I've seen people talking about
the number of times they use"

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"the word patriarchy in it"

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"Feminism and the patriarchy
and fighting it, and all that"

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"And actually to call it the patriarchy in
the film that phrase is used many times"

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"If you take a shot every time
Barbie says the word 'patriarchy',

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you will pass out before the movie ends"

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"As we learned that the use of word
'patriarchy' no less than ten times in this film"

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"The patriarchy is a big part of
this Barbie film"

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"The word is used endlessly in the movie
even though most people"

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"even me actually has no idea that
what 'patriarchy' really means"

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That is a truly staggering
level of defensiveness

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especially coming from people who

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don't really seem to understand 
what the word even means

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While there are many legitimate criticisms
of the Barbie movie's feminism or lack thereof

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this video essay is not going to
address those questions

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Instead, we're going to use the movie
as a sort of primary

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to help explain
what patriarchy actually is

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what it isn't and how it ends up
harming everyone including men

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"Watch your flank"

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To have any kind of
productive conversation

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we have to get over that defensiveness

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that so many mem feel whenever
they come across the word patriarchy

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"This is a real hornets nest in here"

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Contrary to popular belief
patriarchy is not a synonym for men

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nor is it a code word for masculinity

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and it certainly has nothing to do
with hating men

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"yeah I am confused about that"

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General confusion about what
patriarchy means

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is perhaps not surprising

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given that the word
very rarely appears in popular media

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When the term has been used
it's traditionally been as a joke

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to mock feminists or feminism

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"let's take off our brows and burn them
in defiance of the misogynistic patriarchy"

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"you know what I think
I have to meet Harvey, but um"

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"maybe we can burn
our underwear together later"

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"when the last time we had a conversation
over 3 minutes it was about"

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"the patriarchal bias of
the Mr. Roger's show"

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"Well with King Friday lording it
over all the Lesser puppets"

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"What did I miss?"

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"The oppressive patriarchal values
that dictate our education"

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"good"

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It's only after the rise of
the me too movement

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that we begin to see
a shift in this pattern

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"Stay out of it Courtney"

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"You stay out of it.
I'm dismantling the patriarchy this year"

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"and I'm not afraid to start with you"

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These days the word is most often
written for snarky teenage characters

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"So you were Guided by Lon chivalry"

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"a tool of the patriarchy to extract
my undying gratitude?"

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"mhm, you know
most people just say thank you"

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It's meant to identify them as brash,
rebellious or naively idealistic

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though not necessarily wrong
in their observations

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"I think marriage is just a patriarchal system
designed to make women less autonomous"

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"You become your husband's property,
you have to bear his children"

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"you even have to take his name"

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"Hey, didn't you say that prom was a..."
"A postcolonial patriarchal construct"

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"It is"

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"But we would go as a group
as a form of protest"

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"Hey hey, ho ho,
patriarchy has got to go"

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"Hey hey, ho ho,
patriarchy has got to go"

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Even in this new limited context
the word is still delivered as a punch

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"I'm jus... I mean is that it?"

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and its meaning is left
intentionally vague

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"it's called Little Women
and it's about four sisters"

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"who overcome poverty
and the patriarchy..."

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"Nope, dolls"

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The lack of specificity guarantees that

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only those who are already in the know
will get the joke

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"Down with the patriarchy"

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"Idiots ah"

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Everyone else is left
either bewildered or extremely threatened

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"Why didn't Barbie tell me
about patriarchy?"

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"Which to my understanding is where men
and horses run everything?"

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"I'll silver away!"

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Sorry, Ken, but there are no horses involved

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Although, it does kind of make sense
why he might think that

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"That's not fair is it? You know
is it the fault of the patriarchy?"

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"Also, what is a patriarchy?"

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In its modern usage
patriarchy refers to a type of society

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that's constructed to promote
male power and authority

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in sociological terms it's what's called
a social system

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rooted in four distinct principles

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a society is patriarchal to the degree
that it's male-dominated

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male centered, male identified and
organized around an obsession with control

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We're going to go over
what all of that means in detail

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but the important thing to remember
about social systems

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is that we are not those systems
and those systems are not us

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"Because Barbie land, is now Kenland"

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So in the Barbie movie The Kens have a (coup?)
and Implement patriarchy

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But the Kens as a group are
not patriarchy itself

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"Here I'm just a dude"

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The Kens make patriarchy happen
by doing it

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When they stop participating the
social system effectively ceases to exist

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In the same way that we can describe
a board game and its rules

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without saying anything about
the personality of the individual players

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so, too, can we talk about
the system of patriarchy and how it works

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without condemning every individual man

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Now keep in mind that the Barbie movie
focuses mostly on Straight White characters

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but patriarchy impacts people in
different ways based on their sexuality

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and race, class or geographical location

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"Is there a problem offices?"

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Moving forward in this video

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I'm going to be heavily borrowing from a
book called The Gender Knot

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by sociologist Alan G Johnson

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Since the devil is in the details,
let's use Kenland

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"Kendom"

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"Kendom"

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"Kendomland"

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"Land of the..."
"Land of the free of the men"

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"Right. Well, this place"

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Let's use Kendomland to help illustrate
how patriarchy works

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"I shall seek my fortune there"

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"Alright"

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The first characteristic of a patriarchal
society is that it's male dominated

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This is relatively straightforward

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All it means is that positions of authority
are generally reserved for men

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Basically when you look up in
the various hierarchies of society

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you'll tend to see more and more men

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The Barbie movie gives us a vivid illustration
of what male dominance looks like

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We are presented with a montage of images
featuring powerful and important men

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It's notable that up until recently

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women have largely been
excluded from these fields

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"I'll take a high level,
high paying job with influence, please"

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"Okay you'll need at least an NBA"

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Ken also learns an important lesson

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when he demands to be given
a powerful position

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he has unceremoniously rejected

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"No I won't let you do
just one appendectomy"

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"But I'm a man"

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"But not a doctor"

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"Please"

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"No"

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This is because male dominance does not
mean that every individual man is powerful

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"I'm a man with no power
does that make me a woman?"

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In fact most men living in patriarchy

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will never acquire
a formal position of power

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"This is bad. This is really bad"

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"What?"

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Instead they'll spend their entire lives
laboring under the boot of

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other more powerful men

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"Are any women in charge?"

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Despite what this
Mattel boardroom scene implies

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It's not impossible for a woman to
ascend to the top in patriarchy

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It just means it'll be much much harder
for women to gain and maintain power

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and she will be tokenized and regarded as
a special exception to the rule

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"I love you guys"

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Unlike in the fantasy world of Barbie land

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there has never been
a female president of the United States

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"How come you're so amazing?"

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"No comment. Ah ha ha ha"


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But even when a woman eventually
does win that position

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it will not mean that patriarchy is over

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Because patriarchy is a dynamic
and resilient system

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It has evolved and changed
over the decades

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and indeed centuries

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Thanks to countless women who have fought
hard for a few seats at the table

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but the table is still male-dominated

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"You guys are clearly
not doing patriarchy very well"

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"No. Ha ha. No, we're uh,
we're doing it well, yeah"

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"We're just uh, hide it better now"

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The second aspect of a patriarchal society
is that it's male centered

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This simply means
that the focus of attention

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is primarily on men and boys
and what they do

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One of the reasons Barbie land
is so visually startling

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is because it's a rare vision of
a female centered world

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It's something we almost never
see in Hollywood

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outside of cheesy Sci-Fi movies
from the 1950s

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"Landing on an unknown planet"

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"they are captured by long limb beauties"

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"When they say take me to your leader

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"and they take them to
a creature like this"

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"you know they're on planet Venus"

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"Hi Barbie"

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"Yeah, space"

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In Barbie Land the focus of
attention is naturally

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placed on the Barbies and what they do

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But after the coup, the Kens immediately
push the Barbies aside

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and put themselves and masculinity
at the center of absolutely everything

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"Everything basically everything"

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"Exists to expand and elevate
the presence of men"

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This is an exaggerated reflection of
our own male centered world

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All you have to do is turn on the news
or go to the movies

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and you'll be inundated
with endless stories centering men

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"A symbol to the nation"

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"a hero to the world"

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"The Beacon of Hope, shining up"

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Obviously, this doesn't mean that
women are never centered under patriarchy

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But when they are
it's often framed as a woman's story

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rather than a human story

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The Barbie movie for example

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is very specifically a story about the
gendered experience

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of being a woman in society

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"Anxiety, panic attacks 
and OCD sold separately"

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We can contrast that
with a movie like Oppenheimer

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which is a story about becoming death
the destroyer of worlds

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99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Yes this destroyer of worlds
happens to be a man

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But notice the story isn't focused on the
gendered experience

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of being a man in society

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In fact, all of Christopher Nolan's film
center very important men

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but none are about their gender

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They are built as stories representative
of the human experience writ large

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Greta Gerwig's movies on the other hand
all center women

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and are very explicitly about being a
woman trying to navigate a man's world

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"Very well"

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99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
[Inaudible]

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99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
That's not a criticism of
either director by the way

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It's just a stark illustration of what
male centered means

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In patriarchy men are viewed as
the default for human

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and therefore, male experiences are framed
as an exploration of the human condition

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While women's experiences are

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99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
first and foremost, framed as
being about womanhood

242
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Okay"

243
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Incidentally this deep-seated 
cultural expectation of male centrality

244
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
helps explain the waves of 
backlash against any entertainment

245
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that's made for a general audience 
but doesn't center men or masculinity

246
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Male identification 
is a little more complicated

247
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But it is a critical piece 
of the patriarchal puzzle

248
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It means that core cultural ideas 
about what is considered good,

249
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
desirable, preferable or normal
are culturally associated

250
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
with how we think about men,
manhood and masculinity

251
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
this is why professions that elevate 
qualities like toughness, competitiveness

252
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
strength, control, rationality 
and invulnerability are so highly valued

253
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and highly paid in our society

254
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Monsters"

255
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
While occupations that revolve
around qualities

256
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
thought of as feminine like
compassion, sharing or caregiving

257
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
tend to be systematically
devalued and underfunded

258
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"You know Greg's in medicine too, Larry"

259
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Oh really what field?"

260
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Uh, nursing"

261
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
[Laughter]

262
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In the Barbie movie, The Kens establish
an aggressively male identified society

263
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They do this by stripping 
Barbie land of its feminine identity

264
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and superimposing a version of hyper
masculinity that seems to have been

265
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
lifted from 1980s action movies

266
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They replace all the pink furniture with
black leather recliners

267
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
drape everything in obnoxious 
cowboy motifs

268
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and litter the landscape with gym
equipment and sporting gear

269
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Don't question it 
just roll with, tiny baby"

270
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"He call me baby?"

271
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But male identification goes
much deeper than aesthetics

272
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
When Ken decides to embrace patriarchy
his behavior shifts accordingly

273
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
as he tries to project
male identified values

274
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"You can stay if you want,
as my bride wife"

275
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"or my long-term low commitment
distanced girlfriend"

276
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
He buries self-doubt and hides 
his hurt feelings

277
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
behind a layer of false bravado

278
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Bruski beer me?"

279
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I will not Bruski beer you"

280
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Ha ha ha, that's fine"

281
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Under patriarchy the concept of leadership
and indeed power itself

282
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is closely identified with masculinity

283
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It follows then that all men are
socially elevated by default

284
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
while women and feminine things
are devalued and seen as inferior

285
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Oh you got fries with that shit?"

286
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"If I said you had a hot body
would you hold it?"

287
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This means that even men
who don't hold any institutional power

288
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
can still see themselves
as superior to women

289
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
That point is underscored

290
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when we see that the Kens
are generally inept at running Society

291
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Go face day drunk right now"
[Laughter]

292
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"(?)"

293
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
They spend their time day drinking,
playing games, and goofing off

294
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Every night is boy's night"

295
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And yet they still see themselves 
as superior

296
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
simply by virtue of being men 
living in a patriarchy

297
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"You're like I can't believe how great 
this place is"

298
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In Kendom land all the Barbies 
are reduced to servants

299
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Where are my hungry boys who want snacks"

300
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But in the real world a small number of 
women can gain power

301
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
even inside of male identified systems

302
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
However in order to do so they
must prove themselves worthy

303
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
by appearing to be just as aggressive
competitive and even less emotional

304
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
than any man in that same position

305
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In other words, even though they are women
they must adopt and perform

306
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
male identified patriarchal values

307
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The fourth and final feature of patriarchy
is an obsession with control

308
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
as a core value around which social and 
personal life are organized

309
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Men maintain their privilege by 
controlling both women and other men

310
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
who might threaten it

311
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The Barbie movie downplays it 
but men's violence against women

312
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and the everpresent threat thereof

313
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Give us a smile, blondie"

314
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is a critical element in maintaining 
patriarchal control

315
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I'm not getting any of that. I feel
that can only be described as admired"

316
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"but not (?) and there's no 
undertone of violence"

317
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Mine very much has an 
undertone of violence"

318
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Control can also be achieved in other ways

319
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and since the Kens don't really 
understand violence

320
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they use coercion and manipulation
to control daily life in Barbie land

321
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"What is wrong with them?"

322
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"We just explain to them the immaculate
impeccable seamless gaunlet of logic"

323
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"that is patriarchy and they crumbled"

324
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Not the Kens take over 
every institution

325
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they also take control of the Dream Houses

326
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"This shall henceforth be known as 
Ken's Mojo Dojo Kasa house"

327
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and they manipulate the Barbies into 
embracing their new status

328
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
as objectified servants

329
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Anyone need a Bruski beer?"

330
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"What are you doing? You're a doctor"

331
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I like being a helpful decoration

332
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The illusion of intellectual
and rational superiority

333
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is critical to enforcing the myth 
that men are in control of every situation

334
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Let me show you"
"Here, let me show you"

335
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Here, let us show you"

336
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and therefore deserve their 
privilege status

337
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Now you listen to me"

338
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This is emblematic of how men 
in the real world

339
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
will often compensate for feelings of 
personal inadequacy

340
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
by exercising extreme control
over those closest to them

341
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"You are going to be home at 6 o'clock 
every night"

342
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"and you are going to have dinner
ready on this table"

343
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Especially women and children

344
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"No"

345
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I don't want to push you around"

346
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Returning to The Gender Knot:
"Men are assumed and expected

347
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to be in control at all times
to be unemotional except for anger and rage

348
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to present themselves as invulnerable,
autonomous, independent

349
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
logical, dispassionate,
knowledgeable, always right

350
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and in command of every situation
especially those involving women"

351
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
[Laughter]

352
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Who are you texting?"

353
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Huh?"
"Who are you texting?"

354
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"No one"

355
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Hmm, let me just"

356
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
[giggle]

357
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Ken!"

358
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This obsession with control is
so strong in our culture

359
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that any man who is perceived
as not exerting enough control over women

360
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is likely to be ridiculed as 
pussy whipped, packed

361
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
or tethered to the old balling chain

362
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Notice that there are no equivalent 
derogatory terms for men

363
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Who do control women
only for men who don't

364
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The obsession with control manifests
in countless ways, big and small

365
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"We would love it, if you could just
get into that giant box"

366
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But, control over women, their bodies
and their sexuality

367
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is a core tenant under patriarchy

368
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Get in the box! You Jezebel"

369
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Recall that the Kens take control
of the government

370
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and use its power to actively exclude
the Barbies from civic life

371
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"That's right. In just 48 hours 
all the Kens will head to the polls"

372
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"and vote to change the Constitution to 
a government for the Kens of the Kens,"

373
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"and by the Kens!"

374
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Since these are children's toys
the Barbies can't reproduce

375
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Well, aside from Midge that one time

376
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But, the rest of the Barbies
can't have babies

377
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but if they could the Kens
would have no doubt

378
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
curtailed their reproductive rights
just like in the real world

379
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The social system I've just described
is very obviously oppressive to women

380
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But while patriarchy definitely
benefits men

381
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it's paradoxically a poison chalice
because it robs men of their full humanity

382
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Okay, here's the deal.
It's not just about how they see us"

383
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"it's about how they see themselves"

384
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
We only have time to scratch the surface
on this topic

385
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But embedded in Ken's story,
we can find a few hints

386
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
as to how patriarchy ends up harming men

387
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Even though Hollywood loves to play on
themes of a war between the genders

388
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that framing misses a critical point

389
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because patriarchy is not
a competition between men and women

390
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Rather, it's an endless competition
for dominance

391
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
wherein men are pitted against each other
for a place in what RW Connell calls:

392
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"the hierarchy of masculinities"

393
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The white heterosexual hyper
masculine ideal

394
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is at the top of the hierarchy

395
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
All other forms of manhood especially
those in any way associated with

396
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
homosexuality or femininity
are pushed further down on the hierarchy

397
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"When you're slapped, you'll
take it and like it"

398
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Recall that when the Kens go to war
it isn't against the Barbies

399
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it's against the other Kens

400
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"We go to war"

401
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Against the Barbies?"

402
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"No, against the Kens"

403
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"But we are the Kens"

404
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"The other Kens"

405
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Up until this point, I've been mining
the Barbies movie to help illustrate

406
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
how patriarchy works

407
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But the usefulness of the film's
narrative is limited

408
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
especially when it comes to
male competition

409
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Looks this beach is a little
too much beach for you, Ken"

410
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"If I wasn't severely injured,
I would beach you off right now, Ken"

411
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
" I'll beach you up with you any day, Ken"

412
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
You may remember for example

413
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that long before they ever discover
what patriarchy even is

414
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Ken and Ken are engaged
in a bitter competition

415
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
over control of Barbie's
time and attention

416
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Bet you can't do a flip like that, Ken"

417
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This is where the Barbies script
is perhaps

418
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a little too clever for its own good

419
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Because it's many overlapping
metaphors and allegories

420
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
leave us with some mixed messages
about the Kens

421
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the rivalry between the Kens
may work as a sort of gender flipped

422
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
commentary on how women are taught
to seek validation through male attention

423
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I only exist within 
the warmth of your gaze"

424
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It is less successful however, as part of 
the film's larger critique of patriarchy

425
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Because the Ken's competitive rivalry 
carries with it some uncomfortable

426
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
echoes of male entitle

427
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I bet you're scared and 
I bet she doesn't even wanted to go"

428
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And that behavior is not attributed to
patriarchy in the first half of the movie

429
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
which is confusing because it
definitely should be

430
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Hi, Barbie"

431
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
[grunt]

432
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Hi, Ken"

433
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Hi, Ken"

434
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The thing about being obsessed
with control

435
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is that it traps men in a cycle of fear

436
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Hi, Barbie"

437
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Hi, Ken"

438
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The more men value control,
the more they're afraid of losing it

439
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This leaves men riddled with anxiety
about not measuring up to other men

440
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
which means they can never truly feel
secure in their own masculinity

441
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I made a double bet with Ken and you can't
make me look uncool in front of Ken"

442
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Ken's not cool"

443
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"He is to me"

444
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In the movie the patriarchal battle
for dominance

445
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
culminates in an absurdest dream ballet

446
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but in reality the consequences
can be deadly serious

447
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Most violence in the real world
is perpetrated by men against other men

448
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This Grim reality is part of why the
Barbie's plan to overthrow patriarchy

449
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
by tricking the Kens into fighting
each other is so wildly misguided

450
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"You play on their egos and their
petty jealousies"

451
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"and you turn them against each other"

452
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
While the scene is undoubtedly funny
and the song choice, absolutely perfect

453
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
aggressive competitive male behavior is
a core feature of patriarchy

454
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Not a bug that can be exploited

455
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"And now they destroy themselves"

456
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And for the record, men's violence
is definitely not something

457
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that women manipulate men into doing

458
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Something else the movie doesn't show

459
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is how the enormous pressures patriarchy
places on men can lead to self harm

460
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
either directly or indirectly through
addiction and other risky behaviors

461
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The prohibition on expressing vulnerability
compounds the problem

462
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
by making it difficult, if not impossible,
for men to ask for help

463
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
or build emotional support networks

464
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Ken?"

465
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Oh hey, Barbie"

466
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Hi"

467
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"How much of that did you see?"

468
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Of course all people need love,
intimacy and nurture

469
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But since patriarchy devalues caregiving
and labels it as feminine

470
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
many men feel compelled to sacrifice
their emotional sides

471
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in order to preserve 
their identity as real men

472
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
As a result, many guys, especially
straight guys

473
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
falsely believe that women are
somehow responsible

474
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Oh, but I don't want you here"

475
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Is it Ken?"

476
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Ken's just a really good friend"

477
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Goodnight"

478
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
That being rejected is tantamount to
women holding emotional intimacy hostage

479
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
when in reality it's not women
but patriarchy

480
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that's blocking men's access to
emotional and physical intimacy

481
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So when Barbie refuses Ken's advances
he becomes resentful

482
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
he lashes out

483
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"No you failed me"

484
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And he ends up harming everyone,
including himself

485
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
[Cry]

486
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Don't look at me"

487
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In her excellent book: The Will to
Change

488
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Bell Hooks doesn't mince words when
describing what happens to men

489
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
inside of patriarchy

490
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Teaching boys to despise their
vulnerability is one way to socialize them"

491
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"to engage in self-inflicted soul murder"

492
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
It's no wonder then that Ken isn't really
happy living in patriarchy

493
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
In fact, in Kendom land he was even further
alienated from Barbie

494
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
From his own feelings and
from the other Kens

495
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Part of this interview with Julia Fox

496
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
where she's hooked up to
a polygraph machine

497
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
became a viral meme on Tik Tok

498
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I hate the patriarchy there's
a lot of really good men"

499
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Answer the question"

500
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Do I hate men? No"

501
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"That's a lie"

502
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The viral audio snippet stopped there

503
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But when we play the rest of it her answer
is Illuminating and nuanced

504
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"There's a lot of men that benefit from
the systemic oppression of women"

505
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"in our culture and society 
and religions and I do wish that"

506
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"more men could stand up for us"

507
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
She explains that she obviously does
not hate all individual men

508
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
What she hates is the fact that most men 
do absolutely nothing

509
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
to help end the oppression of women

510
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So what can men do to make a difference
in ending this system?

511
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"The Kens.
They found us"

512
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Let's use Allan as our proxy for this
part of the discussion

513
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
since he's the only guy who joins
the Barbies' revolution

514
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Well, aside from these two brief cameos

515
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Sugar daddy?"

516
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"No no no no, I'm not a sugar daddy.
This is sugar and I'm her daddy"

517
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"And I have an earring, a magic earring"

518
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Notice that all three of these
characters are queer coded

519
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and despite being men, 
they're marginalized

520
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
in the hierarchy of masculinities

521
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Allan in particular, embodies a bunch of
common mistakes

522
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that men make when trying to disentangle
themselves from the system of patriarchy

523
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The first thing Allan does is nothing

524
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
He is a bystander who is nonetheless
still afforded

525
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
a measure of privilege in Kendom Land

526
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
that the Barbies are not

527
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"And Alan likes to help me give
all the Kens foot massages"

528
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"No, I don't, I don't like that"

529
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"We love it"

530
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Like some men in the real world,
Alan might not be actively or consciously

531
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
participating in the oppression of women

532
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
but he doesn't speak out against it either

533
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The next thing Allan does is
try to escape

534
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
As soon as he spies a way out for himself,
he tries to take it

535
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"How are you?"

536
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I'm Allan.
Don't tell the Ken I'm trying to escape"

537
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I cannot sit on one more leather couch
it's going to break my spirit"

538
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The problem is man can't just
opt out of patriarchy

539
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
because it's been woven into the very
fabric of our whole society

540
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"What, what do we do?"

541
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Just get in the car and keep it singing"

542
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
The next thing Allan tries is to engage
in displays of chivalrous violence

543
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
After learning the extent of the
injustice women face

544
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
some men try to distance themselves
from the problem

545
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and from any personal culpability
by going after particularly, bad men

546
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
But patriarchy isn't a person

547
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and you can't punch a a social system
in the face

548
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
as much as you might want to

549
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Guess what happened?"

550
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I, I got into a fight I'm fine but I..."

551
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"I think we solved feminism"

552
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Yeah! once and for all"

553
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"It was just like a a total melee,
like on the news"

554
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And most of the time men lashing
out in violence isn't helpful

555
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
as it simply replicates
the core values of patriarchy

556
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Allan fumbles around for a while, but
eventually he joins the Barbies' revolution

557
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and figures out how to stand with
them in solidarity

558
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Notably though, Allan never tries to
confront the Kens

559
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
about what they're doing

560
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And that's unfortunate because
the most important thing men can do

561
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
is challenge other men
on their behavior

562
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and encourage them to rebel 
against patriarchal expectations

563
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Despite all the harm it does to women
and to men's well-being

564
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
the system of patriarchy remains
invisible to most people

565
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And the Barbie movie for all its flaws,
makes it visible

566
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
This is, I'd argue, at the root of why
so many right-wing pundits

567
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
were so extremely threatened
by this cartoony fantasy land

568
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Not only does the film acknowledge
the existence of patriarchy

569
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
it dares to suggest that it's not a
natural or inevitable institution

570
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And in doing so it lays bare the
fundamental truth about all social systems

571
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
they can be dismantled

572
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"No Barbie or Ken should be
living in the shadows"

573
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Or Allan"

574
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Choosing to confront such an
entrenched system

575
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
can be risky for men and
extremely dangerous for women

576
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Nonetheless, all over the world women
are challenging patriarchy

577
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
like never before in modern history

578
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
And the reality is that every day
more and more men

579
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
are choosing to stand with those women
to join the struggle for liberation

580
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
and to reclaim their full humanity

581
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
"Thank you"

582
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Thanks for watching

583
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Umm, If you like these kind of long form
video essays

584
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
please consider going over to Patreon
to help back our project there

585
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I've also left a link to Paypal in
the description below

586
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
if you prefer that

587
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
Uh, these videos are 100% funded by
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588
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
there are no ads and
no corporate sponsorships

589
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
so anything you can do to help out
is much appreciated

590
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
I have a whole bunch 
of other videos in the works

591
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
including one on the myth
of the alpha male

592
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
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male characters in Hollywood

593
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
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and colonialism

594
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
So, if you'd like to see any of those
uh, please make sure you subscribe

595
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
leave a like, all the jazz

596
99:59:59,999 --> 99:59:59,999
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