Male supremacy is the oldest, most basic form of domination. All other forms of exploitation and oppression (racism, capitalism, imperialism, etc.) are extensions of male supremacy: men dominate women, a few men dominate the rest. All power structures throughout history have been male-dominated and male-oriented. Men have controlled all political, economic and cultural institutions and backed up this control with physical force. They have used their power to keep women in an inferior position. (Robin Morgan, 1970)
A Troubling Cultural Shift?
A culture of extreme misogyny exists today and it's easily accessible to men and boys of all ages. In recent years, there have been more and more discussions about 'incels' and 'Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW)' but these terms only scratch the surface of a mentality built around male dominance and female subjugation.
This mentality is being embodied by such a wide variety of men today that many have failed to notice that it is no longer just an internet culture, but a lifestyle that men are proud to share with each other.
The recent Netflix limited series Adolescence, has caused more discussion about the culture of misogyny present today.
The central focus of the 'manosphere' is that women have become too independent, and therefore, are forcing men to become disposable and unnecessary. The response of these men usually falls into one of two categories: (1) how to become just as independent in order to intentionally humiliate women as much as they feel they have been humiliated. At the same time, these men are intensely resentful of men with female partners, because they see women as an endless source of domestic labour and sexual service; and (2) how to subjugate women in the modern world, to reinstate what is seen by them, as the "natural order," where men have effortless dominance over all women. But, these men do not want to exert any effort to gain more power or status, they only want to drag (who they see as) their potential partners and women in general, lower than them.
While gossip among women is universally ridiculed as low and trivial, gossip among men, especially if it is about women, is called theory, or idea, or fact... (Dworkin, 1978)
