Someone I never thought I would quote said, “I will never attend an anti-war rally. If you have a peace rally, invite me.” I was thinking about that concept this week, deciding to write today about the matriarchy, and what I believe women can and will build in the future to replace the shitty patriarchy.
Mother Teresa, it was Mother Teresa who said that, an Albanian nun famous for her work among the poor of Kolkata.
On to the matriarchy! Parity. Parity. Parity. Corporation boards, governing bodies, faculties, staffs, legislative bodies – all of these must have equal representation, or – to make up for time and equity lost – more women than men for, oh, let’s say the next century! Hardly long enough or the same in any way, but it’d be a start. After all, women comprise more than 50% of our population; that fact must and shall be reflected in our government, our school boards, our local town board, co-op boards, corporation boards, library boards – you name it. Parity. And, while seeking representatives across the board, our beautiful diversity must and shall be reflected in those bodies. Student body 35% Latino? Then your staff and leadership must and shall reflect that.
Similarly, if the Supreme Court could be all women, and only women, for a century that’d be good and groovy, too. Tenured male professor at a university or college? You’re fired (an exception might be made for men of color, especially at HBCUs but those sinecures need review as well)! Women, here are your new positions in academia, which you will enjoy as tenured professors until they take you out of your posh offices in pine boxes. For the next one-hundred and fifty years, women, you will lead academia where it needs to go with men in support staff positions more suitable to their shorter tempers and attention spans as well as their unfortunate tendency to cogitate with their dicks, the dangerously volatile, testerical ninnies.
Let’s address policy and law in the U.S., because why not; it’s an election season after all. Child Tax credits made permanent raising millions of children out of poverty; free school lunches in all states; paid family leave for both men and women for the birth of a child and for elder or family care; universal healthcare including dental and eyecare; free, universal access to abortion care and birth control, including free vasectomies, dudes!; all menstruation products are free and are made available in every public and private building and institution in the country; universal basic income, no work requirements for those on food assistance although one hopes universal basic income would begin to eradicate the scourge of food insecurity. These would be a good start, I think.
More good policy and political changes in a matriarchy – or to help us get there? Tax all religions; make D.C. a state; abolish the electoral college, which was created by white men to give more power to rural slave states; make attendance at community college free; provide free child care every-fucking-where; set the federal minimum wage at $25 per hour; home health aides must be paid a minimum of $75K per annum; make immigrating to this country easy, streamlined – petitions for asylum take no more than 18 months – and welcoming; we have a dearth of entry level employees in this country. We need immigrants. We always have.
Medium and low-income housing is a priority and must be developed in every zip code by women-led construction companies, but especially in those rich ‘burbs and hoods – enclaves including gated communities – whose zoning or HOA rules have made it impossible for working people to live close to their jobs, which is nuts, cray-cray, insane, stupid.
Expand and broaden the powers of the EPA; destroy the world’s nuclear stockpiles; shut down the arms manufacturing companies of the world, melting their stock down to build housing, playgrounds, schools, and whatever else is needed. Universal education for all. We won’t even exclude boys from being educated because we’re not dicks.
Test all rape kits in every jurisdiction on this country; create a nationwide DNA database for all rape kits results; increase penalties for rape and sexual assault convictions to levels higher than those of robbery (FFS); in fact, treat rape like a crime instead of a misunderstanding between men and women. Red flag laws at the federal level made universal; the ‘violence against women act’ is changed to the ‘controlling and changing the violence of men act’.
Women and people with uteruses bring forth all humans, so I assume in a matriarchy we would have a ban against war, an absolute ban agreed upon between the female leaders of the world, a total ban on aggression between countries, no guns or extremely strict gun controls, schools would be required to instruct pupils in conflict resolution from pre-K to post-doc, along with how to have healthy relationships, meditation, family planning and human sexuality, anatomy, household finance and basic accounting for all, child-rearing for those inclined to rear them (required for all boys, girls optional), how to read and execute a fucking recipe, and what else? Oh the possibilities are endless.
Require boys and men to register their DNA to better check sexual offenders from the get-go, mandatory vasectomies for all men over 60? 50? 40. 40 is probably best. Mandate Spanish and Mandarin be learned in schools because why not, America?! Hindi would be good, too. Oh yes, endless, endless. Outlaw high heels unless men are wearing them. Ditto pantyhose. Men over age 12 and under age 80 have a 6p.m. curfew. Heeheehee…
To be continued…