While most of mankind remains in awe at the promise of colonizing the Red Planet, a leading gender studies professor says that the race to Mars isn’t just “patriarchal,” but is simply “another example of male entitlement.”
Marcie Bianco, the managing editor of the Clayman Institute at Stanford University, columnist for the Women’s Research Center, and adjunct professor at Hunter College condemns Elon Musk’s wondrous efforts to promote space exploration as mere expressions of his “toxic masculinity.”
Writing for NBC, Bianco compares Musk’s advances in rocket propulsion technology to a “midlife crisis,” grouping him up with other capitalist entrepreneurs like Virgin’s Richard Branson, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos—individuals who are also endeavoring to stake out humanity’s claim on the stars.
“These men, particularly Musk, are not only heavily invested in who can get their rocket into space first, but in colonizing Mars,” writes Bianco. “The desire to colonize — to have unquestioned, unchallenged and automatic access to something, to any type of body, and to use it at will — is a patriarchal one.”
“Indeed, there is no ethical consideration among these billionaires about whether this should be done; rather, the conversation is when it will be done,” she continues. “Because, in the eyes of these intrepid explorers, this is the only way to save humanity.”
Given the rapidly declining state of the planet’s ecosystems and the looming threat of overpopulation in the Third World, visionaries like Musk and Stephen Hawking certainly have a point.
The gender studies professor doesn’t hesitate to compare Musk’s efforts to the act of sexual assault, which is clearly a thing that only males are capable of, in her estimation.
“It is the same instinctual and cultural force that teaches men that everything — and everyone — in their line of vision is theirs for the taking. You know, just like walking up to a woman and grabbing her by the pussy,” claims Bianco. “It’s there, so just grab it because you can.”
Clearly subscribing to the idea that women are little more than “bodies” to be exploited (either by the “Patriarchy” or by feminist ideologues) Bianco does not appear to see any difference between a sentient human being and an inanimate ball of dirt.
The rest of the article sees Bianco take issue with Musk’s “Columbusing attitude”—an insult given the left’s hostile stance toward Christopher Columbus and other explorers. She claims that Musk’s “impulse to colonize — to colonize lands, to colonize peoples, and, now that we may soon be technologically capable of doing so, colonizing space — has its origins in gendered power structures.”
If that’s the case, then bring on the Patriarchy. Humanity is better off with technology than without.
Source: dangerous
