...patriarchy is a symptom of the sociopathy that thrives under capitalism.
I didn't say patriarchy came from capitalism, rather that a general sociopathy thrives when private entities control capital. I say that patriarchy is a product of general sociopathy, that organized dehumanizing of a group of people comes from a lack of empathy and compassion, which of course pre-dates capitalism.
I hitch-hiked thousands of kilometers in my younger years, Barrie was the only place the cops picked me up and drove me out of town limits. It was the only time I've ever been in the back of a police cruiser, too.
I think the patriarchy is a symptom of the sociopathy that thrives under capitalism. One of the easiest us vs. them divisions to make is between men and women. Frame rights as a commodity and watch men freak out when women want more of them, like it's a pie to be shared
I used to live a few blocks away from Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver, on East Hastings, while the occupation was happening. I saw people openly injecting at 1am while I walked home from work. Worst that happened was being asked for money. Mostly? They just said "Hi," and "Good morning."
Yeah, it looks bad when folks are drunk and on drugs in the open, but those people have nowhere else to go. Cops kept raiding and shutting down the independent harm reduction sites set up to keep the worst of it off the streets. No kidding people attack the police, I don't blame them.
I used to get a lot more freelance writing and design gigs before AI. It was great under the table money because, at times, I recieve partial support for my disability, and they deduct from my monthly funds if I make money. It's not enough to live on to begin with, so I relied on side gigs for any savings at all.
Now? I get none. Former clients have outright told me it's just cheaper to use AI or Canva or whatever. I have friends with similar stories, so I wonder just how much of the unseen labor market was affected by this.
I don't blame AI. It's a neat technology and there's nothing inherently wrong with. I blame capitalism for stealing from artists, building unsustainably, and for creating a world where people have to worry about lost funds from designing bullshit web graphics and business cards instead of having the time, money and bandwidth to follow our passions.
My favorite protrayals of women are "warts and all" characters who aren't really good or strong, but shed light on the diversity of women in the world.
Silicon Valley. Hear me out. There's way more male cast, yes, because it's a satire of that whole scene. However, Laurie Bream is fucking awesome. A successful, probably autistic woman who's quietly ruthless and emotionally clueless. She's not bad or evil. She's never shown in a relationship, though she supposedly has a family who don't appear on screen. She's the type of female character that doesn't get written very often.
Next up? Diane and Princess Carolyn from Bojack Horseman. Complex women who stay true to their core throughout the series while experiencing extensive inner change, for good and for bad.
I really like Siobhan in Succession, too. She's a fucking mess and absolutely relatable. They do a great job of showing she has to work ten times as hard for the same level of respect, and despite kinda still sucking as a person, is clearly more competent than her brothers. Or she would be, except no one respects her position and she endures disproportionate criticism for her mistakes.
The courts were understaffed at the beginning of covid. Not enough money and not enough people. On top of that, a stressed population at the start of a pandemic.
The prisons couldn't properly space people out and the cops, eager to justify their budget, they just kept arresting and ticketing people for minor offenses. They were asked to slow down and focus on major and violent crimes because the crown's office saw this coming since way before covid.
So, prosecutors had to go through thousands of charges in order to decide what to keep and what to drop. More tax money and labour and hours they didn't have to spare. Of course they'd miss things.
And this article points to a staff shortage and a filing system. It was too many emotionally challenged cops, a lack of social supports, and people who feel safer with more police, but not more lawyers to actually lay charges and prosecute offenders.
I didn't say patriarchy came from capitalism, rather that a general sociopathy thrives when private entities control capital. I say that patriarchy is a product of general sociopathy, that organized dehumanizing of a group of people comes from a lack of empathy and compassion, which of course pre-dates capitalism.