Psycho-babble props up patriarchy

The Boston Globe reported that prominent psychiatrists and psychologists are the 
secret force behind the toy industry's lucrative success.(1) Companies like 
Mattel hire these pseudo-scientists to develop children's toys. (Mattel makes 
toys like the eating-disorder ridden and porn star look-a-like Barbie doll.)

Making waves is a new, life-like baby doll. Supposedly, young girls will find 
the doll irresistible because its concept is drawn from their natural "maternal 
instincts". The toy and psychological-babble industries capitalize on Amerika's 
patriarchal culture. At the same time, they further cover-up patriarchal gender 
roles by claiming that such things are natural.

Psychological pseudo-scientists are profiting from the deal. Toy makers consider 
them the experts who will best know "natural" tendencies of children and 
"innate" features of humyn existence. Makers of the doll assume all girls have 
innate maternal instincts, distinct from boys. These "scientists" and toy 
manufacturers hope to raise a society of well-bred and responsible mothers via 
such toys.

MIM asks, what comes first, the gendered role or the patriarchal system?

It is a non-materialist presumption that toys will pull out innate 
characteristics in children. MIM recognizes that people's roles in society are 
formed by interaction within the material world, not by some genetic 
predisposition or some god-given trait. The toy industry and accompanying 
pseudo-scientists are disguising social-construction with what appear to be 
innocent "toys".

The industries own logic exposes their patriarchal support. If at birth a girl 
is given a doll and rewarded, either with more dolls or just with words of 
approval, she will learn that accepting a strictly domestic role will win her 
rewards in society. The toy industry and the psychologists then argue that this 
is her natural self-showing through.

Some members of the pseudo-science establishment are criticizing the shrinks who 
are working with toy manufactures. But rather then criticize the unscientific 
nature of psychology, they are moralizing about the use of "medical" knowledge 
for personal profit. If their criticisms were consistent, they would attack the 
capitalist medical establishment, which is run on the profit principle. For 
instance pharmaceutical pharmaceutical companies profit from serving mind-
chilling and reality-escaping drugs to Amerika, but then withhold medical 
treatment from the poor.

Critics still support the use of psycho-analyzing individuals and giving undue 
weight to genetics. Meanwhile, the critics refuse to analyze gendered roles in a 
materialist, social context that defines access to power in society.

The psycho-babble and toy industries prop up patriarchy in much the same way 
mainstream TV and high school history books support overall decadent Amerikan 
culture. In China while it was socialist, children were valued for their 
potential role in revolutionizing society. Games and toys reflected that. Songs 
children sang reflected modern peasant and worker struggles. Toys, though 
limited, instigated rational thought and skills necessary for building a self-
reliant Chinese society.(2)

Within imperialist nations, wimmin benefit from superprofits extracted from 
oppressed nations. Wimmin also benefit from their gendered position relative to 
oppressed nation men or wimmin. For instance, white wimmin can cry for more 
police to "feel safer" from the mythical Black man jumping out of the bush 
seeking to rape her. MIM organizes First World wimmin to drop their individual 
class, national and gender interests and instead pick up revolutionary and 
materialist science. Only through abolishing imperialism with genuinely 
proletarian and revolutionary feminist banner can the evils of patriarchy and 
its related culture be turned over. If wimmin are angry at the thought of 
Amerikan society training girls to be Mrs. Cleavers, we urge them to fight for 
revolution and a scientific culture which serves the masses.

Notes:

1. The Boston Globe.

2. Sidel, Ruth. ITAL Women and Child care in China. END