Ok, I know those last couple chapters got away from me, so this time we're going to do just one chapter, and this time I'm going to be one of the first people to read the chapter rather than the last.

The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love is a book by bell hooks about men, patriarchy, the relationship between them, and most importantly love. There is no need to pick up a copy, comrade Sen has already uploaded the entire audiobook onto Youtube. Content warnings are generously provided by Sen at the start of each chapter, however, they may not be as extensive as one might provide on here. This time we are doing Chapter 4. Each chapter is only about 30 minutes long, so it's not a long commitment. Chapter 4 is titled "Stopping Male Violence" so it seems a CW for SA and assault in general is necessary for this chapter.

Discuss-

-What stood out to you about this chapter?
-Are there any ideas that bell hooks introduces in this chapter that you've never heard of or wish you had heard earlier in your life?
-Are there any stories in this chapter that resonate with you on a personal level?

Previous Chapter Discussions
Chapter 1 discussion
Chapters 2 and 3 discussion

  • D61 [any]
    ·
    11 months ago

    Not sure if I should care too much that hooks keeps describing the situation between mother and son as being something unique in replicating patriarchy? My brain is screaming about Freud every time its mentioned. Is the focus on mother/son because patriarchy seems to be centered around a cis gender hetero couple? Is it because she's informed by her own childhood experiences? Is there actually something different about a child being reared in a household with two Dads or two Moms that makes a difference in the replication of patriarchy within a household or a kid's childhood?

    The bit about kids wanting to be the Hulk and "smash mommy" was weird. I was left with a lot of questions about the kids and their households and when even this study or poll or whatever was done that didn't seem to be mentioned by hooks.