I was born in 1956, which was close to the apex of the American civilization. Manners were important. Civics was taught in every school. There were only two genders. White people were unquestionably in charge. Of everything. More specifically, White males were in charge of everything. It was an indisputable Patriarchy.
The culture catered exclusively to White males. In film, and on television, White males were depicted heroically. Strong, virile, and unwilling to take any nonsense from their women. If a woman got out of hand, an alpha male- of which there were plenty in stock- simply slapped them on the ass or even turned them over their knee. If a woman had attempted to claim this was assault, she would have been laughed out of any business, any government agency, and any courtroom. Women were wolf whistled at regularly by men, and subjected to suggestive comments by co-workers, family members, or strangers.
But in spite of this, women also were exalted by the same patriarchy that could turn them into sex objects so cavalierly. Doors were held open for them. Boys always paid on dates. Premarital sex wasn’t as common, but if a man eventually broke down a woman’s resistance, and a pregnancy resulted, the man did the honorable thing and married the woman. Most husbands treated their wives with respect, and although they were “the man of the house,” and unquestionably in charge, they were usually benevolent dictators and took the advice of their “better half,” which was invariably considered wise and valuable.
Yes, alcoholism was rampant, especially among men. It certainly had a negative impact on my family. And I know that some men hit their wives, while society reacted with a shrug. But I really don’t think most husbands did that. I knew lots of drunk men as a kid, but never remember seeing women walking around with black eyes or noticeable bruises. Later, as an adult, I learned that certain extended family members had cheated on their spouses. As many men as women seem to have cheated. Some women were abused. Others were pampered. Men felt a responsibility to support their wives. Overall, I think women fared pretty well under the Patriarchy.
As a child in the 1960s, almost every mother I knew of was a “housewife.” They worked very hard, cooking, cleaning, and raising children. They just weren’t paid a salary, or given any benefits. In my high school, in the 1970s, girls were still taking “Home Ec,” which taught them the basics of becoming a “homemaker.” Boys, of course, took Shop. I think Shop is still around, but I can’t imagine “Home Ec” is. There was something uniquely comforting about getting off the school bus and being greeted at the door by your mother. I think we were the last generation to experience that, as the Latch Key kids were about to be born.
When women entered the workforce, that should have resulted in every married couple doubling their income. Instead, somehow, those married couples began falling behind economically. The Daycare industry was born, to deal with all the newly created Latch Key kids. Fast food and carry out became the “new norm,” instead of sitting around the dinner table together as a family. Housecleaning was no longer a daily thing. A few years back, a study determined that the main reason for the significant weight gain in the average woman over the past fifty years, was the diminishment of regular housework. A huge collective roar of “Excuse Me!” exploded across the land, and no more was ever hard of that particular study.
You can trace the end of the American Patriarchy, and the beginning of the American Matriarchy, to the introduction of women into the workforce. Affirmative Action further rammed home the point that men were no longer in charge. Especially White men. Like a World Series champion that plummeted to last place the next season, they went from First to Worst. White females, and “persons of color” were now considered preferable by all employers, and the media that had been dominated by male themes of cowboys, cops, and secret agents, began stressing the themes that have become familiar to us all; every female is strong, self-assured, and physically, morally and mentally superior to every male. Period.
So males began absorbing these nonstop messages, and either psychologically or through sinister means (something in the water?), began literally losing their testosterone. Whatever the cause, even establishment studies show that male testosterone levels have been dropping dramatically for decades. Through various forms of indoctrination, males were becoming more feminine, and females were becoming more masculine. In a way, this was preparing the world for the transgender madness that would follow, where boys would start claiming they were girls, and vice versa. Feminism and transgenderism were about to meld into a new monstrosity.
When the Matriarchy took over, it was powered largely by feminism. Which quickly evolved into toxic feminism. Feminists could joke, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle,” and few men objected. They weren’t “cancelled” over such objectionable comments. Former Playboy bunny Gloria Steinem, whose dubious career I covered in Hidden History, started MS magazine, with funding from the CIA. Films and television began becoming overtly anti-male, especially anti-White male. Females talked down to males, belittled them, and beat them up if necessary. Male nudity became more prevalent than female nudity. Cheating wives were portrayed sympathetically, only acting to “fulfill her needs,” while cheating husbands were incorrigible cads who couldn’t be forgiven.
The male apology became as common as the male bare bottom onscreen, and undoubtedly in real life. You can watch modern movies and TV shows in vain, searching for examples of female characters sincerely apologizing to male characters. It’s nearly as rare as finding a female portrayed as pleasant, shy, deferential, or nonconfrontational. Life imitates art, and there is no question that today there are more aggressive, loudly outspoken females, willing to quickly resort to violence, because of this nonstop conditioning. They’re just as common as the “soy boys,” who passively play video games and permit their girlfriends- which most of them don’t have- to order them around. Again, life imitates art.
Before transgenderism further detonated America’s crumbling ghettoized culture, feminism had become so Large and in Charge that males became criticized for “man spreading,” or sitting open-legged. Even more outrageously, weak, half-hearted responses from males were shouted down as “mansplaining.” It can’t get much more ridiculous than that, can it? But the male response to this Orwellian interpretation of any male response was to….timidly cower away. Maybe apologize for having the audacity to venture an opinion. Things had come full circle. From women being “seen and not heard,” to men smeared as “mansplaining” for attempting to be heard.
