The Alien inside us – the lower masculine victimizer 15 May 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Arts , Patriarchy , 2 Comments As a child, I can remember hiding behind the sofa as the nefarious Daleks sought universal domination in what seem now rather quaint episodes of Dr Who. As an adult, Ridley […]
“Pleased to meet you, don’t you know my name?” It’s the right to victimize 14 May 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Arts , History , Patriarchy , 2 Comments The opening song of the Rolling Stones’ 1968 album Beggars Banquet kicks off with a screech and an insistent, hypnotic beat. “Please allow me […]
Patriarchy destroys our capacity to trust 29 April 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Patriarchy , No Comments In Saharasia, geographer James DeMeo demonstrates that patriarchy arose between 6000 and 2000 BC when desertification of the Sahara, Arabia and Central Asia created competition for food sources between previously peaceful hunter-gatherer and early agricultural communities. […]
Unconscious shame is rooted in our survival fears 27 April 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Anxiety , Shame , 1 Comment I have written extensively on this site about unconscious shame in general and sexual shame in particular. In my Are YOU ashamed? toolkit I’ve listed some of the common effects of shame—such […]
Patriarchy at the root of environmental destruction 22 April 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Patriarchy , 1 Comment I recently attended a grass roots environmental meeting at which an older lady, a staunch activist, spelled out various things we should be doing to protect the environment. A young man, owner of an eco-something […]
Porn – the myth of ‘real isn’t enough’ 21 March 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Pornography , 1 Comment I was at a networking event recently and when I told a young lady that I was tackling porn addiction, she literally exploded: “I could refer a few ex-boyfriends to you. That whole ‘real […]
Shame is the lock that keeps patriarchy in place 22 February 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Patriarchy , Shame , 4 Comments I have written a lot about shame, and I have written a lot about patriarchy. But never before have I articulated the connection between them so clearly. Shame is the lock […]
Why do men collect porn they only watch once? 20 February 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Pornography , 2 Comments The porn stash… that ubiquitous—or near-ubiquitous—pile of material where men’s darker desires are catalogued. It used to be magazines and VHS tapes. Later, the bulky, clunky VHS videos went out and slimmer DVDs […]
Newsreader shamed for penis-shaped jacket neckline 31 January 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: News , Shame , No Comments Australian Channel Nine newsreader Samantha Heathwood has acquired celebrity status after images of her wearing a jacket with a penis-shaped neckline went viral in early January 2019. The jacket makes Heathwood appear as if […]
Naughty or nice? The patriarchal programming behind Santa’s question 26 January 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Patriarchy , 1 Comment Over the Christmas period I was offered a chocolate with the rider that “you can only have one if you’ve been good.” The admonition was no doubt intended as a joke, but it […]