Origins of the patriarchy

[Cato]

Jesus tits, what a stupid fucking question! The origin of patriarchy is undeniable. Males of our species on average are physically stonger. Beating the shit out of disobedient females was the rage until we as a species stopped roaming for food.

Once males discovered females were organizing in the new social structure, they created gods and a whole new promised torment to keep them in line. Of course, beating the shit out of women was still the enforcement policy, but now it's not the men's fault because god told them to because the book said so.

Fast forward a few centries and now you have to face the bullshit existence that our ancestors created. Instead of acknowledging the fact and supporting the new world order, you attempt to deny the sordid past with a look similar to a child that caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

[Tartarus Sauce]

There is a commonly accepted theory: ownership and property

When we we lived in hunter-gatherer bands, we were far more promiscuous as a species. The mothers would always know who their children were, but the fathers wouldn't. Each reproducing male would look after any child within the group as it if was their own since any one child COULD be their own. This was enormously advantageous since it increased the cooperation of the group and prevented conflicts between males trying to fight for the most control of the scant resources and rather shared it with the whole group.

All of this changed with the introduction of resource surpluses created by agricultural, sedentary lifestyles, which brought the concepts of ownership and property. It all of the sudden became important to know who your children were since they would be the ones inheriting your possessions, securing their future welfare. Since there were no paternity tests back then, the only way for a man to know that a child was theirs was to completely restrict a female's reproductive activities with other males.

[sven]

The most obvious thing that comes to mind when using the argument that there is a patriarchy, and then attempting to argue from that premise, is to decide first how it began. If there are so many theories flying about, then maybe feminists should get their story straight. You can't scream patriarky and just expect men to say oooh, yeah, so sorry about that. Feminism is based on the premise that there's a patriarchy yet never have I heard an intelligent theory as to its origins. It's just rubbish, an excuse to whine and get privileges.

'to decide first how it began'

I have to say, that is a very strange argument. I find it very odd. False, even.
But, if you want to talk about the problems of the feminist movement: I have been thinking a lot about that lately.
I think there are a lot of feminists who misuse the term 'patriarchy'. There can be little doubt that patriarchal structures exist everywhere is society, all the way from the family unit up to the highest echelons of goverment in practically every country in the world.
The problem, as I see it, is that many feminists are far too influenced by the polemics of the extreme left. Extremists often depend on semi-fictitious (or even completely fictitious) enemies or conspiracies in order to dehumanize the enemy to the level of sub-human scum. Fear, contempt and hatred of the enemy also helps to solidify the movement. It can easily be used to enforce orthodoxy. Members who express views that differ from the party line are labeled as unwitting pawns of the enemy.
So, a man who does not express feminist views becomes a representative of the patriarchy -- a chauvinist. He is not really a person any more.
Women who don't stick to the norm dictated by the dominant members of a certain clique of such feminists have been brain-washed by the patriarchy and must be taught proper values or be cast out. They are belittled and ignored, or worse.
Far from every feminist is like this, but I belive that the failure of the Swedish party FI (feminist initiative) can be attributed to the destructive influence of extreme leftist (i.e. socialist and communist) philosophies and polemics. This is just an example.
It is sad, since I believe that equality is a good thing.

[Darth]

I could tell you, but that's super secret mens business, clearly you need to work your way up the ranks before you get fully initiated into 'the patriarchal society' (not to be confused with 'a patriarchal society', it's a confusing name for our club we know). Look, we have meetings on the 2nd thursday of each month, i'll bring you along as my +1, just don't embarrass me. You shall be expected to grow a dastardly moustache (that's how we keep the women out, see), be adapt at twirling said moustache, learn how to steeple your fingers, and have a deep and booming evil laugh. Giggling and Teehee'ing are automatic grounds for revocation of your man card. Also, you must have a penis. The main item on next month's agenda is 'perpetuating the false consciousness amongst women', naturally the most noble society of the bourgeoisie will be giving a guest lecture given their vast experience in this area, we're big on intersectionality here, so do some research before coming along.

[sven]

Shall I bring pornography, beer and steak to sacrifice upon the altar of male chauvinism?

Feminists... Fools... The PATRIARCHY shall crush you under its iron heel.

[sven]

I've been reading a few books lately on feminism but none of them seem to give any clear history of the patriarchy. It all seems very vague and I wonder if anybody here can clarify its origins. Cheers.

This happens to be a subject that interests me.
I've seen several hypotethesies that attempt to explain this. Some claim patriarchal societies began to appear when domestication of animals and agriculture spread across the world. Apparently people weren't that certain that the father of a child had something to do with its conception before this. I find the evidence for this is a little bit sketchy, since I haven't heard of any written accounts -- it all seems to be interpretations of different archeological finds such as statues, pottery, and so on.
I have also read that it had to do with the rise of monotheistic religions that excluded women from the main worship, and the like.
The strongest evidence I've seen has to do with ancient greek society, where I feel that women were treated very poorly. They were more or less second class citizens. Roman men didn't exactly treat their women as equals either. Women were basically expected to stay at home, bear children, weave togas and shut up. They've even found inscriptions on roman grave stones where women are praised for being quiet and invisible.
I've seen a couple of theories about actual events that may have triggered the appearance of patriarchal societies in pre-historic times, but I feel that they are unreliable, because the evidence seems too open to interpretation. That is to say -- I don't think anyone can say with enough certainty exactly when it started, but there are reliable sources originating from the ancient world.

I have to correct myself. I can't remember how on earth the part I underlined and bolded came out so wrong. That is not what I meant to say at all.
What I meant was what Tartarus Sauce wrote: "When we we lived in hunter-gatherer bands, we were far more promiscuous as a species. The mothers would always know who their children were, but the fathers wouldn't."

[Esquilax]

I've been reading a few books lately on feminism but none of them seem to give any clear history of the patriarchy. It all seems very vague and I wonder if anybody here can clarify its origins. Cheers.

So, to be clear: because you can't find a book entitled "The Big Book of Patriarchy" that is a comprehensive history of patriarchal society- not just one but all of them- patriarchy doesn't exist?

Not to mince words here, but that's really, really fucking dumb. Not only are you attempting to draw lengthy, blanket generalizations from the lack of a one stop shop of information for yourself, you're doing so based on an utter misunderstanding not only of patriarchy, but of society as a concept.

History is long and varied, and societies tend to bounce off of one another as they meet and fight and stop fighting for a bit; you're talking about a concept that began before there was an adequate system of record keeping, that is both incredibly diffuse in terms of where patriarchal ideas began in various cultures, and interconnected via the ways each culture interacts with one another. It is simply too old, too ingrained and too common an idea to trace its ancestry back.

You know what this is like? It's like if I came here asking for a book on the origin of gods, literally of the concept of divinity itself: it's a subject that's way too ancient to know the very first god concept ever invented, right?

So you tell me that, and in turn I stamp my foot and conclude that therefore religions don't exist.

Ridiculous, right?

[JesusHChrist]

So, it's troll week again.

I like troll week, but it keeps me from leaving the house.

[nintendo048]

I've been reading a few books lately on feminism but none of them seem to give any clear history of the patriarchy. It all seems very vague and I wonder if anybody here can clarify its origins. Cheers.

patriarchy in the west originates in greece but for the vast majority of modern history it is rooted in the bible. Also if i might add the simple fact that you are using the word patriarch says that western civilization (nations from greece to argentina ) are in deep trouble. the origins of patriarchy can be evolutionary, biblical, political. It differs on what the person believes. its all just bullshit. I know i will be attacked for this but every nation in the west is being slowly crippled because of this type of thinking. But if this is for class the origins of patriarchy is the emergence of civilization, farming tecquinces after the agricultural revolution

[Foxaèr]

Full patriarchy, I believe, did not really take hold until Judaism. Before that, there was a short period of pantheism, but before that was the long reign of matriarchy where the woman was considered the figurehead while men were considered equal but not as powerful as the woman who brought life into the world.