OK, so probably no oneās going to read this but I want to get this out of my head.
I am of two minds on this thing called āthe patriarchy ā. On one hand, it seems like a very convenient bogeyman to blame every failing on. Feminists never simply fail, they are somehow thwarted by the evil patriarchy, (because itās impossible for women to just not achieve something, right?)
And also, like every poor, old, white man Iām concerned that the title āthe patriarchy āwill turn into a witchhunt. Do you know how a witch hunt starts? First you get a group of people that you disagree with and call them witches. Invariably these witches are people with no political or economic power that have pointed out others possess that power.
So Iām the kind of man, and letās face it when they come for āthe patriarchy āthere wonāt be any women on the pyre for this witchhunt, Iām the kind of man, poor, old, white that will end up with his feet on the kindling. 
So obviously, I am wary of such conspiratorial bogeyman organizations as āthe patriarchyā.
However having said that, there is obviously something.
I have a story from when I was in the military in 1991. I was stationed with the area Rank and trade school on the Mattawa plane at CFB Penawawa. The area Rank and trade school is a temporary facility that runs every summer. The Canadian Armed Forces primary reserve are mostly students who need a summer job, and the ARTS gives them employment and training when they most needed.
I was staff in this organization, working in a section called non-public funds, specifically for a group that was named messes and institutes.
We ran the officers, NCOs, and Junior ranks mess. The military provides their own drinking establishments on base so drunk soldiers donāt get into fist fights with drunk civilians.
I was working in the officers mess. By this time in my military career I had been in for almost enough time to get my CD, (a medal).
There was an officer drinking in the mess that night, Major Peta Wolfgang Hess von Kreutner, but when I met him first, he was Pete Hess. I think he was only Captain Peta Hess von Kreutner then. He died as a Major, bombed at a UN observation post in Gaza, āaccidentallyā bombed by an Israeli airplane. 
Pete Hess was a first ballot Hall of Fame asshole, but he was perfect in his role as an infantry officer. He was smart enough to be tactically sound, and was very aggressive. Just the kind of man you want when leading a group of soldiers to whom violence is not only a solution but the best solution.
Pete was with a few female officers. There were about half a dozen other female officers in the tent, and about the same amount of make officers. Despite being, or perhaps because, Pete Hess was such an asshole women were invariably attracted to him. He wasnāt very tall, maybe 5ā 10ā ā5ā 11ā in height, but was extremely fit. 
I was the server that night and would catch snatches of the conversation. There was one female administration officer, a young Lieutenant, trying to have a discussion about women as officers in the infantry. Pete was having none of it. And Pete was never what you would call articulate.
He turned to her and said, ādo you know why women should not be infantry officers? ā
She replied, āno, I donātā
And with that Peta punched her right in the forehead above her nose and knocked her out. He then drank to the bottom of his glass, crushed out his cigar, stepped over the young woman and left the mess.
Now I guess my question is:
Is Pete Hess the patriarchy? Or is the half a dozen other women who sat there and watched one of their own, someone arguing how equal they were, get punched in the face, are they the patriarchy? Or is it that those half a dozen female officers not lying flat on their back, looking at the male officers they were with to stand up to Pete Hess⦠are they the patriarchy?
To quote Mike Tyson, āeveryone has a plan, until they get punched in the face.ā
Yes Captain Peta Hess -Von Kreutner (I donāt believe he had added Wolfgang to his name yet) was charged for striking a subordinate, it was certainly not the first or last time Pete Hess was charged. 
I wish I had looked at Routine Orders to catch the specifics. The last article in routine orders deals with who was charged with what and how much they paid. Itās always the best source of rumours on any post. I believe he was charged with āconduļæ¼ct unbecomingā, fined $100, and was forced to make a written apology to the officer. Pete was well known for picking a fight with someone, letting them have the first few swings, and then beating the living shit out of them.. in self defence, of course. He would always send some pansies, and a heartfelt apology for breaking your jaw.
I can understand their reticence to confront Hess that night, I have had my ass kicked by Pete before.
Like I said in the preface, Iām just an old, poor, white man. Sure, I have traveled and lived around the world, and I have a university degree and a Mensa IQ, but ask anyone, I donāt know anything.