Male Dominance

So I know it's back to school time for a few folks out there, and I thought I'd do a little post reflecting some history/sociology regarding male dominance. When I was still in school, I took a sociology class, and one day we focused on this subject. I recall watching a film debating whether or not a patriarchal society is human nature. The main view that the video was trying to portray was that no, it is not human nature. It argued that male dominance is at the heart of the world's problems, and we must get rid of patriarchy and get rid of it fast. I mean, let's face it - for the most part, things like government are a very male institution. And even with progression, hierarchy and violence still rule the world.

Now comes the history. Ten thousand years ago, farming really had an impact on gender roles. In hunter gatherer societies, men were needed for hunting - but not much else. The women did all of the real work that kept the small societies functioning. The social fabric of the time would have collapsed without the input of the women. But, as the groups began moving into villages, the status of men dropped steeply. Their hunting roles weren't really needed anymore, and that caused resentment. The result? Raw material for a revolution. And that is exactly what happened. Women have always been neglected in history, and nearly all historical sources are written by men. In those days (and still in some places today), power was gained by terror. Laws destroyed women's freedom, and they were often secluded from men and forced to veil themselves. Essentially, women were private property.

Over the years, females in our Western culture have obviously gained much more status and recognition in society. A long time ago, mass communication obviously wasn't an option - there was no radio, newspaper, books, nothing. That led to a select group of people making all of the decisions. Nowadays, though, we do have those tools. The video argued that patriarchy no longer makes sense as an institution. Mass communication allows for democracy.

There are some who argue that male dominance is human nature, simply due to factors such as different hormones, or the fact that men are generally physically stronger. At the time that I took the class, I knew that DD and spanking were something that interested me, but I was still in that awkward phase where I felt guilty about it. I felt guilty because I felt that as a strong and independent woman, I didn't need a man to tell me what to do, or punish me when I didn't do it. I began to wonder if the video was right - is patriarchy all in our heads, and not in our genes? Was it simply the way society ended up due to various factors over time? I'm interested to know what everyone thinks. This is an unusual post, I know...but I thought it might be interesting to shake things up a little and see where people stand on this. Comment and let me know!

P.S. Blogger is being funny and is not allowing me to comment on anyone's blogs, not even my own! Not sure what's up with that. It says that my account does not have access to the page. Has anyone else ever had this problem???

More Mishaps!

I got a punishment spanking. A real punishment spanking. Not for being late for my bedtime curfew (which Leo has started cracking down on again), or for being a little mouthy. Nope. Instead, I got it for denting the left fender of the car. I know I posted about having a similar incident earlier, but I did it again! I can't believe it. I am a good driver (really I am!) but I've just had a couple of careless moments, and this time, it didn't end well for me or my butt.

Leo went away last weekend, so I was home alone. I went to the mall with a friend on Saturday, and it was packed with back-to-school shoppers. So, there was only one parking spot near a pole, and even though it was a little tight I took it. When we returned, I had  a car very close to me on the other side, and not a lot of distance to back out. I looked the wrong way for one second, and bam - hit the pole. I came home and frantically searched online to see where I could get the dent fixed, and for how much. Most autobody shops and dealerships would want thousands of dollars for the repair, but then I found this thing called paintless dent removal that costs way less and takes less time, and a place in our city that did it. I figured I would head over the next day and have the dent repaired, and Leo would never know. And then I saw that it wasn't open on Sundays...and the next day was Labour Day, so it wouldn't be open then either! Leo was coming home late Monday afternoon, and I knew I was screwed. I tried to come up with all sorts of excuses, such as that another car hit me or that a shingle from the roofing project next door fell on it (I was desperate, okay?!), but in the end I decided that honesty was the best policy. I planned to take the car for an estimate after work today, because I couldn't yesterday. I didn't tell him though. I waited for him to see it, and somehow, he didn't see it until this morning.

"Isla," he said, opening the front door. "Did you hit something with the car?"

Those words filled me with dread. I came in and spilled the story, and he was not happy. Like me, he anticipated that the repair would be thousands of dollars, and the dent decreases the car's value. Not to mention that this is my second mishap with the car recently. He didn't say anything this morning, but when I returned from work today, he was waiting. I got a very stern lecture on being more careful and responsible with the car (I felt like a 16 year old who had just learned to drive!), and he was not thrilled at the prospect of spending money on repairs just because I hadn't been more cautious. All of these made me feel incredibly guilty and frustrated at my carelessness, but all of what he said was very deserved. Then I was flipped over his knee, pants and panties down, and given a very fast and hard hand spanking. This had me crying pretty quickly. After that, he had me try something new - diaper position - and he got out that stupid wooden spoon and applied it right to my sit spots. It was horrible trying to hold my legs, and I got a bunch of extras for getting out of position. He also mentioned that he thinks it would be a good idea to get a paddle. Who is this man?! I mean, he's always been willing to have a DD marriage, but he never got so serious before! When the spanking was over, I was crying and apologetic, and then he told me I had better go get the estimate for the repair. Sitting on my sore bottom in the car all the way to the repair shop was not fun, nor was shifting back and forth uncomfortably as the technician took my information. It's going to end up costing us $395, which obviously isn't anything to be excited about, but it is less than we would pay at an autobody shop. Sigh. If only I could stop getting myself into trouble...

Everything else is going fine with us. Last week was pretty hot and humid, and these past couple of days have been the exact opposite - rainy, cloudy, and cold. It's definitely starting to feel like fall, and I noticed this morning when I woke up freezing and wore my coat around the house for a couple of hours! Not to worry, I guess - apparently Leo knows how to keep my bottom warm at least!