Male dominance in society always means that out of public sight, in the private, ahistorical world of men with women, men are sexually dominating women.
Andrea DworkinRead
Sexism is the foundation on which all tyranny is built. Every social form of hierarchy and abuse is modeled on male-over-female domination.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Sexism underpins all forms of oppression, establishing a model for various hierarchies and abuses.
Andrea Dworkin's quote emphasizes the fundamental role of sexism in creating and sustaining systems of tyranny. It suggests that the domination of males over females serves as a template for other forms of hierarchical oppression and abuse, illustrating how deeply embedded gender inequality is in societal structures.
Themes
SexismTyrannyHierarchyDominationOppression
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about social justice, one could use this quote to discuss the roots of various forms of discrimination.
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I have been asked, politely and not so politely, why I am myself. This is an accounting any woman will be called on to give if she asserts her will.
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We are born into a world in which sexual possibilities are narrowly circumscribed. . . . We are programmed by the culture as surely as rats are programmed to make the arduous way through the scientist's maze, and that programming operates on every level of choice and action.
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Institutionalised in sports, the military, acculturated sexuality, the history and mythology of heroism, violence is taught to boys until they becomes its advocates.
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In her heart she is a mourner for those who have not survived. In her soul she is a warrior for those who are now as she was then. In her life she is both celebrant and proof of women's capacity and will to survive, to become, to act, to change self and society. And each year she is stronger and there are more of her.
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