In the last few posts we’ve been trying to assess the ways in which our society is dominated and oriented along gender tendencies. We’ve previously stated the likelihood that society is male dominated while being female oriented.
In the previous post I mentioned the possibility of looking at primate society as a means of seeing its similarities or vestiges in our modern society. In the higher primates we often find the social group is dominated by a male, the larger the group, the more males are present in the community. Yet, it is rare that the dominant male shares his power with any of the other males. In fact, the dominant male usually spends the bulk of his time and energy intimidating, threatening and bullying the other males of the band.
Once the original fighting to establish the dominate male is complete, and he now sees himself as having mating rights with all of the females, the number of physical fights decreases or vanishes completely. Despite the lack of challenges or challengers the dominant male continues to routinely threaten and intimidate the other males, and is ever vigilant in his desire to show everyone who is boss.
The other males in the band generally avoid and ignore the dominant male and just go about their lives. Studies have shown that the recessive males are healthier and live longer than the dominant male, and autopsies have shown that the dominant males apes and chimps have stress related symptoms such as heart disease, high cholesterol, etc. at a much higher rate and degree than the other males of the troop.
This supports what I proposed last post that the bulk of power in human societies is horded to a small percentage of dominant males, and that it is misleading to say that men have all the power in our society. Like primate societies, most human societies are dominated by a few males. And like primate societies the dominant males spend the bulk of their time and energy intimidating, bullying and threatening the other males to such a degree that even when their are no rivals or challengers present they continue to thump their chests and terrorize and humiliate the rest of male members of their tribe. To a lessor degree, but still applicable, many dominant males view the entire female population as a mate pool and spend much of their energy courting and trying to force sexual intercourse with a significant number of the band.
Yet, at this point we’re only viewing power in the narrowest sense of brute force and physical aggression. As we stated before while brute force may be the preferred method of the dominant male, it is not the standard method of power for the remainder of men. Many men find power in their ability to know and understand and in their ability to create and invent. They may have a prowess which gives them power. These prowesses can be artistic, mental, athletic or professional.
When comparing the physical strength of males and females we find that their are areas in which women are stronger. In general, men are stronger when it comes to upper body and leg strength, yet woman have stronger bones in the areas of the hips and waist. Women aren’t as vulnerable as men in the pubic area, and generally are more flexible than men. If we judged strength through longevity woman are definitely stronger than men.
So what does an expanded vision of power look like, and how do men and women compare in this manner. Our standard definition of power focuses on brute force and active aggression. Yet, modern psychology has identified the fact that most of human interactions involve less direct means of power called passive aggressive acts.
Passive aggressive acts use power in indirect and usually less physical ways. This is the realm of psychological warfare, of guilt, shame and humiliation. This is the realm where one defeats the other through getting one excluded from the group, defaming them, making them look stupid, or turning the group against them. Passive aggressive methods are hidden and indirect, its methods include not only humiliation, but stealth, rumor, manipulation and deception.
While brute force is seen as the male form of power, passive aggressiveness is generally viewed as a female form of power. I would be the first to admit that many men are as passive aggressive as many women, but it’s indirect and hidden nature better reflects the vaginal/womb imagery rather than the phallic. Male sex images and symbols like their gonads themselves are plainly visible and out there. Their means of power even when not violent or physical are more overt. There is nothing hidden in the means of exhibiting male power in the phallic world of probing, penetrating and emitting. The alternative forms of male power in the arts, sciences, athletics and philosophy is not hidden.
Yet the womb and vagina along with the bulk of their related symbols are hidden. This is why it is easy to see how the indirect use of power is more feminine in nature, even before we take into consideration the need to be indirect due to the comparative physical strength of males.
In the next post we will compare the uses and functions of male brute force and female passive aggression in modern society.
Jim Guido