GuidoWorld

Wealth and Power

January 5, 2008 on 3:14 pm | In General |

In the previous two posts I’ve discussed the ways in which society is female oriented while being male dominated. By contrasting the male phallus imagery with the female vagina/womb symbolism we attained the “unconscious” goals of the genders. Phallic symbols are all about penetration, probing, and emitting. Female vaginal symbols are dominated by images of containers, accumulation, housing and safety.

This led us to conclude that capitalistic society is very feminine in its desires and goals of consuming and accumulating wealth. Likewise, it is male dominated, where the phallic strategies of penetration and probing lead to aggression, control and a desire for power.

This bring us to the current topic of wealth and power and how it fits in with the gender tendencies we’ve been following. When considering this topic let’s not forget the pervasive male sex drive and the female emphasis placed on beauty.

The goal of the leaders of men was power and control. This power and control was not typically shared but formed a hierarchical structure where power was horded at the top. In most societies the percentage of men who had power or even autonomy were very small with the bulk of men functioning as pawns, serfs and slaves.

The drop off of power was severe and dramatic and in the majority of societies only a handful of people truly enjoyed the fruits and privileges of power. Even in democratic societies the number of men who were actually free or who had a say in the functioning of the government seldom reached more than 1% of the male populace.

The goal of the ambitious or Alpha male was power and control. Yet, even though few used this technique or enjoyed its benefits this became the view of the male personality. Though 99% of men were slaves and serfs modern thought has come to the conclusion that all men are power hungry and seek control. Modern psychology holds that the male gender is inherently violent, aggressive and its preferred means of settling conflicts is through brute force.

This view of the typical male does not seem to be born out by reality. Though I would agree that the typical male is more overtly aggressive than the average female, I would not go so far as to say that the majority of men resolve all conflicts or even a majority of conflicts with brute force.

Personally, other than frequent wrestling matches with my older brother while we were growing up, I can recall only one physical fight in my life time. And since I’ve turned twenty (over thirty years ago) I can only recall four occasions in which a single shove was involved between me and another person.

In order for this scant number of physical skirmishes to satisfy the modern definition of man, I must have had only 5-9 conflicts in my life. Though I must admit I’ve led a relatively smooth and happy existence I would say the number of conflicts I’ve had is well into the thousands and far more than could be counted on with my hands and feet.

I can tell you that though I grew up in a factory town with a hefty amount of poverty and gangs, I still witnessed or knew of very few physical fights. I have been fairly athletic and have played competitive sports such as basketball, tennis, football and baseball throughout my life, and once again while witnessing a lot of verbal battles have seen only a handful of actual physical confrontations.

Once again I want to emphasize that I’m not trying to deny that some men are frequently violent and aggressive and that their preferred method of dealing with conflict is brute force, what I’m trying to state is that the majority of men do not routinely use brute force as a strategy. Examples exist which support and give rise to any bias, prejudice or stereotype. Yet, a gender characterization should only continue when it is present in the vast majority of situations.

Also, I am not attempting to deny or minimize the fact that physical intimidation and violence aren’t significant issues to be dealt with, nor am I trying to defend or minimize the occurrences of domestic violence or violent crime.  One shouldn’t have to foster one misconception in order to prevent another one from forming.

In my discussions regarding the male sex drive I emphasized the need to neither deny nor glorify its pervasive role in male life. In fact, denying or repressing the biological imperative was seen as an important factor in the creation of sexual perversion and violence.  While investigating the current attitudes and methods of dealing with the male sex drive we outlined some of the long term negative impacts on the male self-esteem and ability to be emotionally available.

Likewise it is probably unhealthy and self-sabotaging for a society to tell all of its males that they are inherently violent creatures incapable of resolving conflicts in a civilized manner. This violent view of men has been transferred to society as a whole whereby the majority of people state that world peace or living in harmony is impossible and contrary to human nature. Though I will address more fully in a post later this month, I would just say here that once again this view is contradicted by reality. Just as I personally have witnessed general harmony with a few isolated physical fights, I have seen general peace with a few (yet significant) battles and wars.

Now let’s take this discussion back to the original issue of power and wealth. What we’ve posed so far is that the average man is not dominated by needs for power and control. In fact, the average man is himself dominated and controlled by a small percentage of Alpha males.

Historically, the goal of the ambitious man is power and control. They seek ownership as a means of establishing their power. Money, wealth and possessions have not been the goal, but rather a sign of their power and control. Money, wealth and fame have been their means of attracting and acquiring sexual favors from females. The courting process as well as the ability to maintain a sexual affair, or regularly use prostitutes depended on the ability to buy gifts and provide funds.

The male sex drive coupled with the phallic symbols of penetration lead one towards ambition, accomplishment and progress. So in a society where success is measured in the accumulation of capital and the possession of goods, men will strive to accomplish this. Yet, the goals are about sex and power (success)  not consuming and accumulation of objects.

If women were attracted to men who owned little and frugality was an aphrodisiac I doubt if men would be so enamored with buying and surrounding themselves with objects. It is the females who desire to build nests and surround themselves with beauty, comfort and luxury. It is not the typical man who yearns to pamper themselves or longs to spend the day at the spa, or who feels sad if his room is colorless and devoid of flowers and beautiful objects. It is not the typical man who gets a lift of high from a shopping spree or heart soars upon receiving an expensive gift or beautiful jewel.

In the first part of this post I talked of the differences between the Alpha male and the  rest of the male populace. In the next post I’ll expand on the significance of these differences.

Jim Guido