There are a lot of binaries operating right now, that are accepted by many in the US as given. The most obvious ones, man/woman, red state/blue state, black(or POC)/white, rich/poor, good/evil, et al, are in reality not binaries, but continuums, with many overlapping attributes along the way.
It is convenient for the ruling half of the class, color and gender 'binaries' - rich/white/men - to force everyone else into an opposing camp to maintain their control. The fact that their control was threatened in this last election is why those binaries are going to be more fiercely enforced. And that brings me to the true binary in this situation - domination/cooperation.
This duality in human nature is normally assigned to the gender roles. It is expected that a man dominates and a woman cooperates. Or it has been expected in the past. Women are now allowed to dominate in many formerly male enclaves, as well as others not in that group. White men are starting to *gasp* - collaborate - with them. White male ‘domination’ in all arenas is starting to crumble. And ‘arenas’ is the appropriate word, since the natural home of domination is war.
A lot about the election results screams ‘gender war’ - men overwhelmingly voted for Trump. It seems incomprehensible that virtually half the country voted for him, and yet, that seems obvious that half the population that is largely male but also those of the out-groups who buy in to the power structure…
Wait, I just had to qualify that binary. Yes, members of out-groups also voted for him. So male/female and even black POC/ white binary paradigms didn’t apply perfectly. But you know what probably did?
Those that relish domination fall into every group, in every gender, every color, every nation. It’s not a group, but more of a mode of operation, a strategy, a philosophy - you have to dominate someone else to win. There is only winning and losing. And winning is the goal of the dominators.
Calling this behavior ‘bullying’ underestimates the widespread desire to make others fall before you. As if Conan’s definition of “what is best…” “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women” became a guiding philosophy. This generation of conservatives in particular seem to long for the lamentations of women.
And yes, this era is largely defined by comic books. The new ruling cabal seems more like a gang of super-villains than anything else, despite AI versions of Trump’s head on Superman’s body. Musk just needs a creepy cat on his lap in a secret lab under a volcano with a rocket ready to launch at DC. Otherwise, spot on.
Now, to the cooperators. Women must always cooperate with men, all men, that’s the rule. This enforces the dominator role that hardens so many men’s junk. Any man who cooperates is called a p*ssy or a f*g, both indications of exile from the ruling group to outgroups, and therefore ripe for domination. Poor Tim Walz.
And yes, cis/het men do dominate each other. But they have agreed largely with their participation because they can turn around and dominate an out-group.
And yes, women do dominate and ascribe to that philosophy, even though they will win less often than if they belonged to the ruling group. But being an ally is still often better than being the Other. And this is true of Black men as well - just look at Clarence Thomas.
So why are the roles of gender so often painted over the philosophies of domination/cooperation? First of all, we have all been socialized extensively to be sure that we know our role in society. Second, the institution of marriage enforces and enables those two approaches to life. Women manage the complex task of family, while men go out and do battle with each other. Women usually develop cooperative skills, even if they are dominators naturally. Men are rarely taught these skills, because competition is ingrained in business, historically a white male enclave. Women are trained to mitigate the effects on society of men’s competition. This is why there are so many unhappy incels out there - women are refusing that job now.
Progressive philosophies, those that include everyone in their purview, are necessarily cooperative. Conservative philosophies are usually dominative and patriarchal, bestowing the ruling group with power to control others.
When you look at the public 'arenas' where gender is now rigorously policed - sports, the military, schools, etc. - the point is actually to keep any cross-group cooperation from happening. If young men stay in exclusively male enclaves, they will never learn skills that are not domination-based. Us/Them is the most basic binary, the binary active in war and violence. Cultures that boast of the domination of women, in particular, are usually more primitive than more cooperative societies. Conan was a barbarian, after all.
To be a culture that revels in combat and control is to automatically limit the progress that culture can make. Most obviously, only half of the population will be allowed to weigh in on solutions to problems the culture faces. Half the potential brainpower. And not even half, really, since no other out-group will be consulted, male or female. So only a fraction of our potential to advance our society is being tapped. Not to mention the fact that this fraction prefers to spend it’s time harassing and policing out-groups instead of dealing with the running of society.
The point here is that domination is anti-social in all ways, destructive and wasteful. And there is no continuum in this binary, no overlap, which is why we who cooperate can’t find a way to reach those who would dominate us. They don’t want to join us. They will literally die on Capitol Hill, rather than cooperate with a progressive, diverse, forward-looking government. They only want to hear us cry.
