Notes for an Ideal Polity

As Matt’s post reminds us, men have been allowed to control too much, and they have made a mess of things. After all, what men love most of all is to draw up systems, point to maps and craft strategies, the preeminent skills useful for pontificating and making war. Unfortunately, they have turned the boardroom into a war-room and, for lack of another opponent, have declared war on our culture, such as it is.

I propose a revolution. Our whole social order is flawed because we no longer understand the duty of the sexes. The duty of men is to talk about G-d by the city gates, make speeches and occasionally kill each other. The duty of women is to make sure everyone has enough to eat and to laugh at the men behind their backs.

This vision of society is not simply a nostalgic cry for returning to a matriarchal agricultural system. We could change the world today, if we liked. The necessary measures are clear: we must revoke all of the political privileges of women, and in turn forbid men from making or spending money of any sort. The 19th amendment must go. Credit card companies and banks will close accounts held by men, and stores will refuse to sell to them or hire them as employees. Only academic, theological, political, sporting and military careers will be open to men, and all shall be strictly unremunerated. If it is necessary for the purposes of democracy to pay public officials a salary, let it be paid to their wives, or to their nearest female kin if they are unmarried.

With a little cajoling, I think we could get the religious right to come along with this proposal. As far as I can tell, this is more or the less the division of labor proposed by Proverbs 31.

–David Schaengold