0:15:51.711,9:59:59.000
it's hard to overstate the massive

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
cultural impact of the Barbie movie

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Hi Barbie

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Hi Ken

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the film Enchanted audiences wowed critics

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
sparked heated debates

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and made a truly obscene amount of money

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
at the box office

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Barbie continues breaking records

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with over 1 billion dollars

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
at the global box office

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's an impressive cultural achievement

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
especially considering that the film

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
doubles as a feature-length commercial

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for a line of plastic dolls

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there was however one group

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who were decidedly unenthusiastic

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Despite all the bubbly pink fun

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the movie's become a target

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of some right-wing personalities

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they are preaching empowerment

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by making men look weak and dumb

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
feminist diet tribe about the evils of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the modern patriarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's a trojan horse to to teach girls

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
daddy is really a dummy or

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
domineering idiots

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's feminist garbage and

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's really about hating men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And Ken is like stupid and unlikable

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is an assault on not just Ken

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but all men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If you've seen the movie

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you might be confused

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Because the Barbie script goes out of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's way to show Ken

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in a sympathetic light

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If anything the movie might be

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a little too sympathetic to Ken

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"I think I owe you an apology"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Huh?"[br]Now it's tempting to dismiss this

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
clearly performative outrage

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as just another attempt to fan the flame

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the culture war

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But there is something really poisonous

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
under-pinning this backlash

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that I do think is worth taking seriously

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
One word in particular

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
seem to touch a nerve

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Well I haven't seen Barbie yet,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but I've seen people talking about

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the number of times they use

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the word patriarchy in it"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Feminism and the patriarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and fighting it, and all that"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"And actually to call it the patriarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the film that phrase is used many times"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"If you take a shot every time

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Barbie says the word 'patriarchy',

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you will pass out before the movie ends"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"As we learned that the use of word

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
'patriarchy' no less than ten times

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in this film"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"The patriarchy is a big part of this

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Barbie film"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"The word is used endlessly in the movie

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
even though most people

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
even me actually has no idea that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what 'patriarchy' really means"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
That is a truly staggering

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
level of defensiveness especially

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
coming from people who don't really

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
seem to understand what the word

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
even means

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
while there are many legitimate criticisms

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of the Barbie movie's feminism

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or lack thereof

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this video essay is not going to

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
address those questions

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
instead we're going to use the movie

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as a sort of primary to help explain

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what patriarchy actually is

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what it isn't and how it ends up

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
harming everyone including men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Watch your flank"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to have any kind of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
productive conversation

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we have to get over that defensiveness

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that so many men feel whenever

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they they come across

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the word patriarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"this is a real hornets nest in here"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
contrary to popular belief

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
patriarchy is not a synonym for men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
nor is it a code word for masculinity

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and it certainly has nothing to do with

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
hating men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"yeah I am confused about that"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
General confusion about

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what patriarchy means is perhaps

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
not surprising given that the word

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
very rarely appears in popular media

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when the term has been used

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's traditionally been as a joke

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to mock feminists or feminism

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"let's take off our brows and burn them

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in defiance of the misogynistic patriarchy"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"you know what I think

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I have to meet Harvey

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but um maybe we can burn

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
our underwear together later"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"when the last time we had a conversation

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
over 3 minutes it was about

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the patriarchal bias of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the Mr Rogers show

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
well with King Friday lording it

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
over all the Lesser puppets

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what did I miss

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the oppressive patriarchal values

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that dictate our education" "good"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's only after the rise of the me too

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
movement that we begin to see

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a shift in this pattern

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"stay out of it Courtney

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you stay out of it

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm dismantling the patriarchy this year

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and I'm not afraid to start with you"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
These days the word is most often

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
written for snarky teenage characters

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"So you were Guided by Lon chivalry

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a tool of the patriarchy to extract

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
my undying gratitude?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"mhm, you know

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
most people just say thank you"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's meant to identify them as brash

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
rebellious or naively idealistic

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
though not necessarily wrong

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in their observations

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"I think marriage is

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
just a patriarchal system designed to

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
make women less autonomous

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you become your husband's property

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you have to bear his children

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you even have to take his name"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
hey didn't you say that prom was a

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a postcolonial patriarchal construct

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it is

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but we would go as a group

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as a form of protest

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
hey hey ho ho

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
patriarchy has got to go

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
hey hey ho ho

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
patriarchy has got to go"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
even in this new limited context

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the word is still delivered as a punch

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"I'm jus... I mean is that it?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and its meaning is left

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
intentionally vague

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"it's called Little Women

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and it's about four sisters

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who overcome poverty and the patriarchy"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Nope, dolls"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the lack of specificity guarantees that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
only those who are already in the know

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
will get the joke

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Down with the patriarchy"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Idiots ah"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
everyone else is left

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
either bewildered or extremely threatened

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"why didn't Barbie tell

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
me about patriarchy?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Which to my understanding

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is where men and horses

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
run everything"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"I silver away"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Sorry Ken but there are no horses involved

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
although it does kind of make sense

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
why he might think that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"that's not fair is it?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"It's the fault of the patriarchy"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"also what is a patriarchy?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In its modern usage

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
patriarchy refers to a type of society

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that's constructed to promote

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
male power and authority

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in sociological terms it's what's called

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a social system rooted in

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
four distinct principles

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a society is patriarchal to the degree

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that it's male-dominated male centered

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
male identified and organized

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
around an obsession with control

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we're going to go over

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what all of that means in detail

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but the important thing to remember

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
about social systems is that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we are not those systems

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and those systems are not us

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Because Barbie land, is now Kenland"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So in the Barbie movie

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The Kens have a coup

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and Implement patriarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but the Kens as a group

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
are not patriarchy itself

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Here I'm just a dude"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The Kens make patriarchy happen

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by doing it

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When they stop participating

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the social system effectively

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
ceases to exist

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In the same way that we can describe

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a board game and its rules

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Without saying anything about the

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
personality of the individual players

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so too can we talk about

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the system of patriarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and how it works without condemning

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
every individual man

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Now keep in mind that the Barbie movie

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
focuses mostly on Straight White characters

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but patriarchy impacts people in

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
different ways based on their sexuality

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
race, class or geographical location

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Is there a problem offices?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Moving forward in this video

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm going to be heavily borrowing

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
from a book called the gender knot

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by sociologist Alan G Johnson

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Since the devil is in the details

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
let's use Kenland

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Kendom"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Kendom"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Kendomland"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Land of the"[br]"Land of the free of the men"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Right. Well, this place"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Let's use Kendomland to help illustrate

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
how patriarchy works

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"I shall seek my fortune there"[br]"Alright"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The first characteristic of a patriarchal

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
society is that it's male dominated

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this is relatively straightforward

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
all it means is that positions of authority

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
are generally reserved for men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Basically when you look up in

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the various hierarchies of society

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you'll tend to see more and more men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the Barbie movie gives us a vivid illustration

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of what male dominance looks like

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We are presented with a montage of images

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
featuring powerful and important men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's notable that up until recently

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
women have largely been

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
excluded from these fields

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"I'll take a highlight level"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"high paying job with influence, please"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Okay you'll need at least an NBA"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Ken also learns an important lesson

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when he demands to be

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
given a powerful position

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
he has unceremoniously rejected

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"No I won't let you do"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"just one appendectomy"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"But I'm a man"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"But not a doctor"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Please" "No"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is because male dominance

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
does not mean that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
every individual man is powerful

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"I'm a man with no power"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"does that make me a woman?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In fact most men living in patriarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
will never acquire

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a formal position of power

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"This is bad this is really bad"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"What?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Instead they'll spend their entire lives

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
laboring under the boot of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
other more powerful men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Are any women in charge?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Despite what this

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Mattel boardroom scene implies

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's not impossible for a woman to

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
ascend to the top in patriarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It just means it'll be much much harder

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
for women to gain and maintain power

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and she will be tokenized and regarded as

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a special exception to the rule

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"I love you guys"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Unlike in the fantasy world of Barbie land

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there has never been

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a female president of the United States

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"How come you're so amazing?"[br]"No comment"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Ah ha ha ha"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But even when a woman eventually

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
does win that position

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it will not mean that patriarchy is over

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because patriarchy is a dynamic

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and resilient system

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It has evolved and changed

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
over the decades and indeed centuries

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Thanks to countless women who

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
have fought hard for a few seats

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
at the table but the table

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is still male-dominated

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"You guys are clearly"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"not doing patriarchy very well"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Ha ha, no, we're uh"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"We're doing it well yeah"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"We're just uh hide it better now"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The second aspect of a patriarchal society

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is that it's male centered

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This simply means

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that the focus of attention

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is primarily on men and boys

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and what they do

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
one of the reasons Barbie land

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is so visually startling is because

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's a rare vision of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a female centered world

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's something we almost never see

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in Hollywood outside of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
cheesy Sci-Fi movies from the 1950s

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Landing on an unknown planet"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"they are captured by long limb beauties"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"When they say take me to your leader"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"and they take them to a creature like this"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"you know they're on planet Venus"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Hi Barbie" "Yay space"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In Barbie land the focus of attention

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is naturally placed on the Barbies

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and what they do

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But after the coup the Kens immediately

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
push the Barbies aside

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and put themselves and masculinity

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
at the center of absolutely everything

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Everything basically everything"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Exists to expand and elevate"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"the presence of men"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is an exaggerated reflection of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
our own male centered world

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
All you have to do is turn on the news or

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or go to the movies and you'll be inundated

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with endless stories centering men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"A symbol to the nation"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"a hero to the world"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"The Beacon of Hope shining up"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Obviously this doesn't mean that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
women are never centered under patriarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But when they are

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's often framed as a woman's story

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
rather than a human story

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The Barbie movie for example is

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
very specifically a story about the

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
gendered experience of being [br]a woman in society

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Anxiety, panic attacks [br]and OCD sold separately"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We can contrast that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with a movie like Oppenheimer

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which is a story about becoming death

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the destroyer of worlds

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yes this destroyer of worlds

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
happens to be a man

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But notice the story isn't focused on

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the gendered experience of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
being a man in society

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In fact all of Christopher Nolan's film

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
center very important men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but none are about their gender

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They are built as stories

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
representative of the

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
human experience (rit?) large

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Greta Gerwig's movies on the other hand

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
all Center women and are

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
very explicitly about being a woman

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
trying to navigate a man's world

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Very well" [Inaudible]

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
That's not a criticism of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
either director by the way

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's just a stark illustration of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what male centered means

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In patriarchy men are viewed as

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the default for human and

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Therefore experiences are framed as

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
an exploration of the human condition

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
While women's experiences are

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
first and foremost framed as[br]being about womanhood

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Okay"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Incidentally this deep-seated [br]cultural expectation of male centrality

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
helps explain the waves of [br]backlash against any entertainment

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that's made for a general audience [br]but doesn't center men or masculinity

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Male identification [br]is a little more complicated

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But it is a critical piece [br]of the patriarchal puzzle

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It means that core cultural ideas [br]about what is considered

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
good, desirable, preferable or normal[br]are culturally associated with how

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we think about men, manhood and masculinity

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this is why professions that elevate [br]qualities like toughness, competitiveness

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
strength, control, rationality [br]and invulnerability are so highly valued

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and highly paid in our society

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Monsters"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
While occupations that revolve around [br]qualities thought of as feminine

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
like compassion,[br]sharing or caregiving tend to be

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
systematically devalued and underfunded

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"You know Greg's in medicine too Larry"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Oh really what field?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Uh nursing"[br][Laughter]

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In the Barbie movie The Ken establish[br]an aggressively male identified society

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They do this by stripping [br]Barbie land of its feminine identity

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and superimposing a version of hyper[br]masculinity that seems to have been

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
lifted from 1980s action movies

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They replace all the pink furniture with[br]black leather recliners

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
drape everything in obnoxious [br]cowboy motifs and litter the landscape

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with gym equipment and sporting gear

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Don't question it [br]just roll with, tiny baby"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"He call me baby?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But male identification goes[br]much deeper than Aesthetics

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when Ken decides to embrace patriarchy[br]his behavior shifts accordingly

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as he tries to project[br]male identified values

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"You can stay if you want[br]as my bride wife or my long-term"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"low commitment distance girlfriend"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He buries self-doubt and hides [br]his hurt feelings behind

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a layer of false bravado

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Bruski beer me?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"I will not Bruski beer you"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Ha ha ha, that's fine"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Under patriarchy the concept of leadership[br]and indeed power itself

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is closely identified with masculinity

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It follows then that all men are[br]socially elevated by default

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
while women and feminine things[br]are devalued and seen as inferior

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Oh you got fries with that?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"If I said you had a hot body[br]would you hold it?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Against this means that even men[br]who don't hold any institutional power

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
can still see themselves[br]as superior to women

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
That point is underscored[br]when we seethat the Kens

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
are generally inept at running Society

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Go face day drunk right now"[br][Laughter]

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"(?)"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They spend their time day drinking,[br]playing games, and goofing off

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Every night is boy's night"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And yet they still see themselves [br]as superior

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
simply by virtue of being men [br]living in a patriarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"You're like I can't believe how great [br]this place is"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In Kendom land all the Barbies [br]are reduced to servants

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Where are my hungry boys who want snacks"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But in the real world a small number of [br]women can gain power

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
even inside of male identified systems

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
However in order to do so they[br]must prove themselves worthy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by appearing to be just as aggressive[br]competitive and even less emotional

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Than any man in that same position

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In other words even though they are women[br]they must adopt and perform

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
male identified patriarchal values

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The fourth and final feature of patriarchy[br]is an obsession with control

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as a core value around which social and [br]personal life are organized

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Men maintain their privilege by [br]controlling both women and other men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who might threaten it

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The Barbie movie downplays it [br]but men's violence against women

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and the everpresent threat thereof

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Give us a smile Blondie"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is a critical element in maintaining [br]patriarchal control

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"I'm not getting any of that I feel[br]that can only be described as admired"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"but not (?) and there's no [br]undertone of violence"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Mine very much has an [br]undertone of violence"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Control can also be achieved in other ways

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and since the Kens don't really [br]understand violence

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they use coercion and manipulation[br]to control daily life in Barbie land

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"What is wrong with them?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"We just explain to them the immaculate[br]impeccable seamless gaunlet of logic"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"that is patriarchy and they crumbled"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Not the Kens take over [br]for every institution

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they also take control of the dream houses

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"This shall henceforth be known as [br]Ken's Mojo Dojo Kasa house"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and they manipulate the Barbies into [br]embracing their new status

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as objectified servants

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Anyone need a Bruski beer?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"What are you doing? You're a doctor"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I like being a helpful decoration

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The illusion of intellectual[br]and rational superiority

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is critical to enforcing the myth [br]that men are in control of every situation

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Let me show you"[br]"Here let me show you"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Here let us show you"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and therefore deserve their [br]privilege status

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Now you listen to me"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is emblematic of how men [br]in the real world

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
will often compensate for feelings of [br]personal inadequacy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by exercising extreme control[br]over those closest to them

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"You are going to be home at 6:00 [br]every night"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"and you are going to have dinner[br]ready on this table"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Especially women and children

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"No"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"[Singing] I don't want to push you around"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Returning to the gender knot[br]men are assumed and expected

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to be in control at all times[br]to be unemotional except for anger and rage

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to present themselves as invulnerable,[br]autonomous, independent

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
logical, dispassionate,[br]knowledgeable, always right

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and in command of every situation[br]especially those involving women

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
[Laughter][br]"Who are you texting?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Huh?"[br]"Who are you texting?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"No one"[br]"hmm let me just"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Ken"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This obsession with control is[br]so strong in our culture that any man

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who is perceived as not exerting enough[br]control over women

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is likely to be ridiculed as [br]pussy whipped packed

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or tethered to the old balling chain

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Notice that there are no equivalent [br]derogatory terms for men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Who do control women[br]only for men who don't

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The obsession with control manifests[br]in countless ways, big and small.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"We would love it, if you could just[br]get into that giant box."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But, control over women, their bodies[br]and their sexuality

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is a core tenant under patriarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Get in the box! you Jezebel"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Recall that the Kens take control[br]of the government

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and use its power to actively exclude[br]the Barbies from civic life

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"That's right. In just 48 hours [br]all the Kens will head to the polls"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"and vote to change the Constitution to [br]a government for the Kens of the Kens,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"and by the Kens!"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Since these are children's toys[br]the Barbies can't reproduce

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Well, aside from Midge that one time

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But, the rest of the Barbies[br]can't have babies

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but if they could the Kens[br]would have no doubt

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
curtailed their reproductive rights[br]just like in the real world

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The social system I've just described[br]is very obviously oppressive to women

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But while patriarchy definitely benefits men [br]it's paradoxically a poison chalice

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because it robs men of their full humanity

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Okay here's the deal:[br]it's not just about how they see us"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"it's about how they see themselves"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We only have time to scratch the surface[br]on this topic

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But embedded in Ken's story,[br]we can find a few hints

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as to how patriarchy ends up harming men

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Even though Hollywood loves to play on[br]themes of a war between the genders

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that framing misses a critical point

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because patriarchy is not[br]a competition between men and women

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Rather, it's an endless competition[br]for dominance

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
wherein men are pitted against each other[br]for a place in what RW Connell calls:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the hierarchy of masculinities

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The white heterosexual hyper[br]masculine ideal

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is at the top of the hierarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
All other forms of manhood especially[br]those in any way associated with

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
homosexuality or femininity[br]are pushed further down on the hierarchy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"When you're slapped you'll[br]take it and like it"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Recall that when the Kens go to war[br]it isn't against the Barbies

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's against the other Kens

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"We go to war"[br]"Against the Barbies?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"No, against the Kens"[br]"But we are the Kens"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"The other Kens"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Up until this point, I've been mining[br]the Barbies movie to illustrate

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
how patriarchy works

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But the usefulness of the film's narrative[br]is limited

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
especially when it comes to[br]male competition

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Oh ha ha ha, looks this beach is a little[br]too much beach for you, Ken"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"If I wasn't severely injured,[br]I would beat you off right now, Ken"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
" I'll beat you up with you any day, Ken"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You may remember for example,[br]that long before they ever discover

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what patriarchy even is, Ken and Ken are[br]engaged in a bitter competition

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
over control of Barbie's[br]time and attention

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"You can't do a flip like that' Ken"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is where the Barbies script[br]is perhaps

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a little too clever for its own good

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Because it's many overlapping[br]metaphors and allegories

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
leave us with some mixed messages[br]about the Kens

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the rivalry between the Kens[br]may work as a sort of gender flipped

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
commentary on how women are taught[br]to seek validation through male attention

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"