10/11/2025
Fireside thoughts:
This patriarchy thing we have going is kinda weird.
I've traveled fairly extensively into the more remote regions of Australia and Canada and the indigenous groups and there is one very specific thing that stands out: lack of gender specific roles.
I've worked and lived across most of Canada and spent the last 20 years or so, living, working and socialising among various indigenous cultures. From Haida Gwai in the West to Blackfoot in the East and Cree/Ojibway across the middle and everything in between (Canada).
(If I mention the Australian tribes, I would mess up the names, so I'll stick with Wiradjuri)
What really stands out, is the equity of roles among males and females.
We've always been taught in school that men are hunters and women are gatherers. In my experience, this is far from the truth. At least among Indigenous groups in Australia and Canada.
While men seem to be inclined to roles that require impulsive decisions (hunting), they are certainly not excluded from the gathering. Likewise, women are just as involved in the hunting as men.
Women seem to be more inclined towards more methodical tasks such as gathering berries or butchering, skinning and tanning, but men are just as involved.
Men seem to be more inclined to the roles that require impulse decision making (hunting, building, generally doing dumb s**t etc).
However, I have never seen a role that is strictly male/female, within any of the indigenous cultures I've experienced.
Men raise the children as much as women, women tend the fire as much as the men, etc. Women are frequently in positions of service such as tribal chief and council and it isn't even questioned.
It's completely normal.
Then I look at European/Western culture. We have an obviously patriarchal society in western politics, religion, business and even social. Women have only recently been allowed to become Priests within the Christian church. Women are rarely in positions of power in the political arena. Women have been deemed homemakers, until more recent times. Corporations are predominantly run by male CEO's.
This is very much a Eurocentric ideology, that women are the 'weaker s*x' and need protecting, whereas in indigenous culture, everyone has to put in equally or everyone dies of starvation or cold.
I can't speak on Asian or Middle Eastern culture, because I simply don't have the lived experience.
I grew up in a world where my Mum stayed at home and raised a family and Dad went to work. Dad rarely did housework inside, but the outside was pristine, as was the inside (thanks Mum and Dad). It was the same for my Gran and Pop and my (great) Nanna and Pa.
It's not wrong, because that's what they wanted and that's what they did and they excelled at it, on all counts.
I married into an indigenous culture where this wasn't a thing. My wife's mum worked, her dad worked, we all hunted together and collected berries together. We built shelters together and we ALL got in and got it done (men still do the dumb s**t).
To say that something is a woman/man's job, is unheard of.
In all honesty, I think the overwhelming majority of men would like to see life lived this way. Men don't have the stress of being the provider, because we are all the providers. Women don't have the stress of being the homemaker, because it's the family that makes the home.
There's obviously s*xism and that's something that simply permeates every society. But, it's certainly not the norm among indigenous groups.
I just hope that, one day, these ridiculous culture wars (culture, gender, religion etc) come to a grinding halt and people simply see each other as just another human trying to get by. It doesn't mean we can't do the roles we want, but it means that we CAN do the roles we want, without worrying about whether or not we're capable because of our gender.
I know that we have come leaps and bounds in the past few decades with womens rights etc, but I hope that we can just normalise it, so that it isn't even a discussion piece.
My kids are all raised to be whatever they want to be. That means my daughters amd nieces help do yard work and hunt and my sons and nephews do dishes and clean the house. But, we all do it together until it is finished.
We are a family UNIT. A singular entity.
Now, we see a significant shift in social dynamics and the friction generated towards men, and vice versa. As long as we fight these ridiculous ideologies that men are to blame and women are weak, we will never go forward as a civilisation and beat these pricks in parliament that are holding us down. As long as we see the other gender as the problem, we will remain divided.
What a crazy thing to fight over: "you have do this because you are female/male".
How about just getting the damn job done, by the most qualified person, so that we can all go home and smoke a joint in peace.
United we stand. Divided we fall.
End note: I couldn't give a crap if you're gay or straight, Muslim or Christian, male or female, black or white (or red). If you are capable of doing the job, then do it. If you're a good person, then we can be friends. Your colour, your gender, your faith.....its all superficial compared your character. Don't be a prick and you'll be ok.
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