It does, but I'm not convinced...yes, the word sounds fancy, but intersecting oppressions are part of almost all women's experiences, and a lot of women, particularly trans women and women of color, reject feminism because feminism fails to address the kind of oppression they face. If you're facing issues because you're a person of color, have a disability, are queer, and happen to be female, typical "feminist" issues are probably way down there on your list of concerns. Gender does play an important part in the challenges you face, but traditional feminism is going to miss a hell of a lot about what's going on in your life.
I also think getting away from the term "patriarchy," or at least using it with care, is important because "patriarchy" implies that women can't be powerful or be oppressors. I think "patriarchy" only works as an accurate representation of our culture's power structure for those of us for whom gender is one of the only oppressions we face. And "blaming the patriarchy" can be an easy out for privileged feminists, allowing us to leave our own privilege unexamined.
Feminism as I have witnessed it recently (the last 2-3 years) seems to forget that gender isn't the only axis of injustice going on in the world, or posits gender to be the most important axis. When we do that, we make feminism less relevant to a lot of people (including myself...lately, there have been numerous moments where I've really felt "outside" feminism, as if I'm not a feminist as defined by other feminists). So, far from being obscure or advanced, I think that acknowledging and focusing on intersection is crucial if feminism is going to be viable for people beyond the movement's white, middle-class bastion. I like the term "kyriarchy" because it describes far more accurately the system of power and privilege that I witness in my work in the real world. This (http://myecdysis.blogspot.com/2008/04/accepting-kyriarchy-not-apologies.html) is the blog post that turned me on to the word--I think Lisa explains it better than I did.
And I know it may seem like I'm arguing semantics here, but I believe language is important and shapes our thought. I also think the distinction of kyriarchy v. patriarchy has been the underlying theme in all my comments in this discussion: that it's not that simple and that oppression doesn't always follow gendered lines.
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I also think getting away from the term "patriarchy," or at least using it with care, is important because "patriarchy" implies that women can't be powerful or be oppressors. I think "patriarchy" only works as an accurate representation of our culture's power structure for those of us for whom gender is one of the only oppressions we face. And "blaming the patriarchy" can be an easy out for privileged feminists, allowing us to leave our own privilege unexamined.
Feminism as I have witnessed it recently (the last 2-3 years) seems to forget that gender isn't the only axis of injustice going on in the world, or posits gender to be the most important axis. When we do that, we make feminism less relevant to a lot of people (including myself...lately, there have been numerous moments where I've really felt "outside" feminism, as if I'm not a feminist as defined by other feminists). So, far from being obscure or advanced, I think that acknowledging and focusing on intersection is crucial if feminism is going to be viable for people beyond the movement's white, middle-class bastion. I like the term "kyriarchy" because it describes far more accurately the system of power and privilege that I witness in my work in the real world. This (http://myecdysis.blogspot.com/2008/04/accepting-kyriarchy-not-apologies.html) is the blog post that turned me on to the word--I think Lisa explains it better than I did.
And I know it may seem like I'm arguing semantics here, but I believe language is important and shapes our thought. I also think the distinction of kyriarchy v. patriarchy has been the underlying theme in all my comments in this discussion: that it's not that simple and that oppression doesn't always follow gendered lines.