Shame is the lock that keeps patriarchy in place 22 February 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Patriarchy , Shame , 1 Comment 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 […]
Naughty or nice? The patriarchal programming behind Santa’s question 26 January 2019 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Patriarchy , No Comments 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 […]
Why do we always eat too much at Christmas? 21 December 2018 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Patriarchy , No Comments Amid all the jollity of Christmas—much of it genuine, some of it forced—it’s an awkward question to ask. It disturbs the glossy patina of pre-Christmas rituals. Putting up the tree and decorating it, […]
Sex in patriarchy – how the past shapes sex today 15 December 2018 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Cornerstones , Patriarchy , Sexuality , 2 Comments In A brief history of shame, I wrote how patriarchy arose some 6,000 years ago, giving rise to male dominant, anti-female, anti-sexual societies. Here I’m going to examine […]
Pointing the finger at God – why are Michelangelo’s willies so small? 30 November 2018 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Arts , History , Patriarchy , 7 Comments I’ve been a little obsessed by penis size lately. I think it’s something to do with having recently begun life modelling with the good folks at […]
Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell – a rock opera on patriarchy 29 September 2018 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Arts , Patriarchy , 4 Comments Some years ago I wrote how Pink Floyd’s 1979 epic double album The Wall was a complex 26-song cycle about patriarchy and its institutionalised sexual shame. I don’t know […]
Excess, patriarchy and the murder of Stanford White 22 April 2018 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: History , Patriarchy , No Comments The media dubbed it—perhaps for the first time—the ‘crime of the century’. On the night of 25 June 1906, Harry K. Thaw shot architect Stanford White at point-blank range in the rooftop […]
Hostiles – no peace with patriarchy 29 December 2017 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Arts , Patriarchy , No Comments The advertising hoardings of the London Underground are currently filled with posters for a new film, Hostiles. Scheduled for release in January 2018, Hostiles is described as “a landmark cinematic experience” that “might well […]
The opposite of a patriarchy is not a matriarchy 7 November 2017 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: News , Patriarchy , No Comments Recent revelations of sexual abuse in the highest corridors of Hollywood have caused a fundamental shift in gender relations. Suddenly, abuse claims are gaining traction. Hard on the heels of the […]
Why is the 3rd finger our wedding ring finger? 6 October 2017 Posted by: Michael H Hallett Category: Patriarchy , No Comments You know the deal. The bride and groom stand before the altar. The celebrant asks for the ring or, these days, rings. The best man fumbles them—accidentally or on purpose—before handing them over. […]