Gender roles, binary thinking, and the public-private paradigm of Western democracy
Fast and the Furious’ is really a postmodern Western. — Justin Lin
Postmodernism is right but also (like so many conceptual binaries — why are humans so obsessed with either/or?) wrong.
Power imbalances do affect individuals. Thoughtless remarks can be hurtful, whether because they betray a cracked perspective that needs further exploration or because they invite angry misinterpretations that can shut down any interest in such exploration.
Modern life can invite those with power to wear it more scrupulously (though few listen), but it can also encourage those of us in search of more power to scrutinize any potential (dis)advantage that we can exploit. If we can find footing in a trendy form of victimhood, real or perceived, we may be tempted to do it. The system is f!cked up, so why not f!ck it?
The more that we abide by the idea of our current ‘system’ (however you may define ‘system’ in the relationship dynamics pertinent to this discussion in your head) — the more we abide by any system, the more we make it our default system. The more we make it real.
Because, ultimately, we are the system. We’re making this up as much as we are inheriting it, and all the…
