This image is from the children’s section at Barnes and Noble and shows a selection of books celebrating Presidents’ Day this month. All of the books pictured show men that have held the highest office in the U.S. Government, including Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, George Washington, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama.
All the men on the covers of these books have unique biographies, having come from unique regions of the country or having different national differences from each other. While each is American, John F. Kennedy has Irish heritage, Barack Obama has Kenyan heritage. Abraham came from rural Illinois. However, despite these unique traits that can at any time be a source of privilege or oppression, the single trait of being a man in the U.S. granted them access to the highest government office in the nation. 
Each of the men is held in high regard for their specific traits and accomplishments. As key as these individuals have been in shaping American history, there should be recognition that their gender and race have played a part in gaining access to power. One book pictured in the group is titled “So You Want to Be President?” Due to the patriarchal system, the majority of children reading that book will not have an opportunity to become president in today’s society because the majority of people in the U.S. are not privileged men. To reinforce this statement, Allan Johnson says in chapter 4 “Patriarchy, the System” of his book The Gender Knot that “it’s a mistake to equate patriarchy with men; but it’s also wrong to act as though systems like patriarchy or capitalism have nothing to do with gender and differences in power and interests that distinguish and separate men and women.”
Each of the men is held in high regard for their specific traits and accomplishments. As key as these individuals have been in shaping American history, there should be recognition that their gender and race have played a part in gaining access to power. One book pictured in the group is titled “So You Want to Be President?” Due to the patriarchal system, the majority of children reading that book will not have an opportunity to become president in today’s society because the majority of people in the U.S. are not privileged men. To reinforce this statement, Allan Johnson says in chapter 4 “Patriarchy, the System” of his book The Gender Knot that “it’s a mistake to equate patriarchy with men; but it’s also wrong to act as though systems like patriarchy or capitalism have nothing to do with gender and differences in power and interests that distinguish and separate men and women.” Patriarchy has greatly impacted my life, causing me to make substantial efforts to affect my position within the system, some of which include going to college and entering the military. I also was a supporter of the Occupy movement, which was working against the powerful institutions run by privileged men and that are ever present in financially oppressing and taking advantage of the general public.
No comments:
Post a Comment