Hello comrades, it's time for our third discussion thread for The Will to Change, covering Chapters 6 (Work: What's Love Got To Do With It?) and 7 (Feminist Manhood). Thanks to everyone who participated the last few weeks, I’m looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts again. And if you’re just joining the book club this week, welcome!
Chapter 6 discusses the role of work under patriarchy and how capitalism forces men and women alike to not only work long hours to survive, but to prioritize supporting themselves and their families financially over any sort of healing and growing. Chapter 7 delves into how men can apply feminist thought practically to support the well-being of themselves and the people around them.
If you haven't read the book yet but would like to, its available free on the Internet Archive in text form, as well as an audiobook on Youtube with content warnings at the start of each chapter, courtesy of the Anarchist Audio Library, and as an audiobook on our very own TankieTube! (note: the YT version is missing the Preface but the Tankietube version has it)
As always let me know if you'd like to be added to the ping list!
Our next discussion will be on Chapters 8 (Popular Culture: Media Masculinity) and 9 (Healing Male Spirit), beginning on 12/25. That thread will likely stay up a little longer than usual as I'm sure many people will be busy around the end of the year and I want to give everyone the opportunity to share their thoughts.
Had fallen behind since I'm just really going through it right now. And I just finished reading chapter 6 and uff... does it strike a cord, especially since its exactly what I'm dealing with right now.
I've been working for close to 15 years of my life and it feels like the more time passes the more I fall into what Hooks is describing. Whenever I've tried building a relationship I just hit a wall because I've never really taken time to work on myself emotionally. Like its bad enough that in the past my managers have forced me to take time off because of how evident it was that I was burning out. But I'm glad to see Hooks putting what many of us who live in this patriarchal capitalist society go through. It was especially interesting see her point out how even those in a better position than most working class men are unable to fully escape the patriarchal aspects of society. It just makes me think of all of these people who speak about "work-life balance" in a superficial way that is more tailored by capitalists to produce more productive laborers rather than the emotional well being of their laborers.
Gonna add some more thoughts once I read chapter 7.