- MAP -
Men Against Patriarchy

This document is a manifesto for men to join together to find a way out of the bonds of patriarchy. The idea for forming MAP is based on the realization that patriarchy is just as damaging to the male spirit as it is to the female one. MAP is further based on the realization that the prevailing global systems of patriarchy together with capitalism and liberalization are causing deep harm to all living and non-living entities within this planet earth. Many women woke up to this realization years ago, as they were (and still are) the most directly affected by these oppressive forces. Many men on the other hand live in a state of denial, that somehow through their position within patriarchy their lives will be fully enriched. The truth is that the majority of men are in a terrible state under this system. This can be seen in the amount of violence men cause to other men, to women and to fellow beings. This can be seen in the bitterness and the disconnection of men to their emotions. This can be seen in the total lack of social support for men in their attempt to change themselves and their circumstances. This can be seen in the high suicide rates amongst men and in the violent ways in which they kill themselves. This is seen in the confusion men feel each waking morning of their self worth within a changing and ever increasing more unstable global society.

MAP is further built on the realization that without men there can be no real equality and peace on earth. Men are central to whether this world fails or transforms into a place where compassion and understanding reigns. Without men, women will fail in their attempts to reach a better world. In the worst case, as is happening now women are learning that the only way to obtain power is to behave like patriarchal men and oppress all those around her. She is learning that violence is the only way. She is learning the same confusion and bitterness that men feel. Men must now make a stand together with their non-patriarchal sisters in finding a new world beyond this one.

MAP is designed for men but it is not proposed as an exclusive club, it must be open to all people from all ages to attend and take part in meetings.

MAP is proposed as a forum where men can express and discuss their anxieties under patriarchy, however it is not designed as a ‘feel sorry for men’ club. It is proposed as a forum from which men can support each other in ways they can work at freeing themselves and others from the bonds of patriarchy.

MAP is proposed as a place where learning can take place from people and thinkers that have been involved in the fight to deconstruct patriarchy. It is a place that should be open for new thoughts and ideas from outside sources.

MAP is proposed as a place where after greater formulation of its common values and direction that it can be involved as a change agent within society. Whether it be writing articles or newsletters or being involved in public events and demonstrations.

I look forward to building this forum together with you so that we may start to combine our efforts in living in a world free from patriarchy.

If you are interested please contact:
Stuart Thomson
Stuart.Thomson@forumsyd.org

Genocide in Australia



The genocidal practices perpetrated against Australian Aborigines were the outcome of policies adopted and implemented by all Australian governments from British settlement in 1788 until the present. A people who had virtually no contact with the outside world, were suddenly confronted with a hostile and alien force. Aborigines were forced out of their traditional homes, hunted like wild animals, poisoned or shot, and confined to the harshest and most desolate climes. The effect of British settlement upon these people led to near extinction within 120 years.

Even though no official figures exist, estimates of the Aboriginal population in 1788 range between 250,000 and 750,000. By 1911 the number was 31,000. Aborigines have only been included in the National Census since 1971. In 1996 the National Census recorded that 352,970 or 1.97 of the population were of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.
Despite the substantial increase in the population of Aborigines since 1911, the conditions of life in which they find themselves remain impoverished and highly oppressive. Diseases, such as coronary disease, cancer, diabetes, and respiratory infections, are far more prevalent than 30 years earlier. Life expectancy is 50-55 years for males, approximately 55 years for females. The likelihood of an Aborigine being unemployed is far greater—22.7 percent as opposed to 8.1 percent. Fewer Aborigines own their homes. For Aborigines fortunate enough to have employment, their income is 25 percent less on average. Large proportions of Aborigines languish in prisons (14 percent of the prison population in 1997) and police watch-houses. This excludes those confined, through economic necessity, to black settlements, like Cherbourg or Yarrabah in Queensland.
The oppressed condition of Aborigines is marked in other ways—a prevalence of personal violence, lack of care for children, increased death from non-natural causes, as well as high levels of alcohol and drug abuse. It should come as no surprise that one manifestation of oppression—alcohol and drug abuse—is commonly offered as the explanation for all manifestations of oppression.

Mzunguras!

Mambo vipi?
Fists meet to join our hearts
No meat, no booze
All right

I’m searching for the holy one
Emperor Haile Selassie I
Jah Ras Tafari

Have you seen him?
Nah blaza, you got a light?
To show our way
From black to white

We are on the path
To chant down Babylon
To shake our dreads to da Reggae music
Deep into the night

Go with love and peace
Just beep me once ya done
I’m waitin for the holy one

Jah Bless

Rasta, or the Rastafari movement, is a religious movement that accepts Haile Selassie I, the former emperor of Ethiopia, as Jah (the Rasta name for God incarnate, from a shortened form of Jehovah found in Psalms 68:4 in the King James Version of the Bible), and part of the Holy Trinity as the messiah promised to return in the Bible. The name Rastafari comes from Ras (Duke or Chief) Tafari Makonnen, the pre-coronation name of Haile Selassie I. The movement emerged in Jamaica among working-class and peasant black people in the early 1930s, arising from an interpretation of Biblical prophecy partly based on Selassie's status as the only African monarch of a fully independent state, and his titles of King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Conquering Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5). Other factors leading to its rise include the sacred use of Cannabis, Afrocentric social and political aspirations, including teachings of Jamaican publicist and organiser Marcus Garvey (also often regarded as a prophet), whose political and cultural vision helped inspire a new world view. The movement is sometimes called "Rastafarianism" by non Rastas although some Rastas themselves regard that term as improper and offensive.
The Rastafari movement has spread throughout much of the world, largely through interest generated through reggae music—most notably, that of Jamaican-born singer/songwriter Bob Marley. By 2000, there were more than one million Rastafari faithful worldwide. About five to ten percent of Jamaicans identify themselves as Rastafari. Many Rastafarians follow an ital diet which essentailly means living by the dietary Laws of Leviticus and Deuteronomy in the Old Testament.

Deepest, darkest depths
if I speak to you
will you speak to me?

Reaching, scraping steeps
if I climb to you
will you welcome me?

What I promise is not pretty
in fact its mighty ugly
wrapped in all honesty

On these deep dark steeps
if I love you deeply
will you speak to me?