Ep. 9 | Behind Feminism's Curtain: JP Morgan, Rockefeller, The Federal Reserve, and the Industrial Revolution's Role
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Ep. 9 | Behind Feminism's Curtain: JP Morgan, Rockefeller, The Federal Reserve, and the Industrial Revolution's Role
[00:00:00]
Hey legends. Welcome to another episode of controversial as fuck today. We are diving into. Some very intriguing history. That's going to actually connect some dots that you might not expect. And this is between the first wave of feminism. Some major financial players like JP Morgan and the Rockefeller family as well. And big economic shifts.
Like the federal reserve you might be like, what do they crap? How where's all this coming from? How does this all link up? Stick with me. This is going to be a really interesting. Very intriguing. [00:01:00] Episode today. Now often you actually hear women say that. You know, they're feminists because they believe that women should have a voice, you know, they should be heard. They should have choice and be free to do whatever they want in their lives. Which absolutely sounds fantastic. But the moment a woman begins to question the feminist movement.
The response can honestly be fierce. And I have been on the end of that. Very very fierce. They're told shut up and just be grateful for feminism. Oh, pick me. Daddy is another one that I hear a lot. Pick me, daddy, pick me. Have you been picked yet? I get told a lot. You also get told, whoa, you're upholding the patriarchy or something else I've heard is feminist gave you the ability to even spew your nonsense. So this fierce backlash has really drawn on my pride and my stubbornness.
I'm not going to lie. It's actually pushed me to dig even deeper. It's like being told you [00:02:00] can't do something and it just fuels you to pursue it even more. And look, it's not all coming from a place of pride and stubbornness. It is also coming from a place of just. Having so much intrigue just really wanting to understand and uncover. Everything there is to do with feminism and not just taking everything on face value, like we're often told. There is a point that I also want to make in regards to questioning the feminist movement. There seems to be the general consensus that even if you don't agree with what feminism has become, most people would say that they can at least understand the first wave of feminism.
Right. They would say that, you know, we would all at least agree with that first wave of feminism with the initial beginnings of the movement. And would likely also say that women were seen as oppressed right prior to feminism, but women were seen as property women couldn't vote women couldn't hold property.
Women couldn't have bank accounts, et cetera. So the first wave, this is what most would say. [00:03:00] The first wave of feminism was awesome in helping women to be seen as equal to men in regards to that. Right. I've even said something similar to that. I even said it in my original feminism episode, which is episode six. That if there was a wave. Of feminism that I could agree with, even in some part it would be the first wave. Then I actually started to dig deeper. I started raising more questions because I'm just a bit of a nerd like that, to be honest, I started to go down a rabbit hole and started to ask things like, is history accurate on how women work prior to the feminist movement?
That is a question I had. I was like, Is that accurate? I want to dig deeper into that. And then another question I had was who supported and funded the movement at the time and why. Where women against the right to vote in that time. And also why. Also. Was the, uh, cause it's called the suffrage movement.
So, you [00:04:00] know, the rights for women to vote, that was the suffrage movement. Was the suffrage movement. Bigger. Or was the anti suffrage movement bigger. So did more women actually support the right to vote or did more women in that time actually support? Not wanting to vote. That was a question that I had and why, which group was actually bigger at the time. Also the industrial movement was already in full swing and women were already working. So why the financial backing from key figures, witnesses, everything we're going to explore in this episode. How does this also potentially link up with the industrial revolution?
How does this also potentially link up with the federal reserve and what does this all mean for us now? These are my questions. Right? And I'm sure if you're a deep thinker, these are questions that you've probably pondered yourself. And if not, you're definitely going to, as we go through this episode, so to set the scene as always because there's going to be a deep one. This is what we're going to be [00:05:00] covering first up.
We're going to talk about what is the first wave of feminism? What was that all about? We're going to go back to its roots. We're going to explore like what it aimed to achieve, who was involved and also the broader social and political climate at the time, because that's important. This wasn't just about getting the vote.
It was about challenging, deep seated norms. Then there's the side of the story that doesn't get told as much, which is the anti suffrage movement. Yes. There were actually quite a few people, including women who are posed giving women the right to vote. So
We're going to look into why they thought it was a bad idea. And how these views have been mostly pushed to the sidelines in history that we commonly hear. That's important to really look into. We're also going to dive into something called standpoint theory. This is actually a perspective that revises history. By emphasizing the views of those less heard, [00:06:00] particularly marginalized groups.
Now, before you snooze off on me, This is fascinating. So this is we'll get into it in. In a minute, but this theory has stood debates about the integrity of historical narratives, because. It actually suggests that parts of history, like the anti suffrage movement. So the movement of, you know, women and men, but especially women that were against the right for women to vote.
Right. It suggests that those parts of history have been selectively, edited, or even removed, which we will go into from educational materials to fit a specific feminist agenda. So it actually raises a really provocative question of how much of what we're taught about feminism's history is actually shaped by those who fund and support these narratives. Right.
That's important to look into. This is why I'm so fascinated with this bloody topic. Also, speaking of big [00:07:00] names, we're going to talk about JP Morgan and John D Rockefeller. Right? So we're going to look at Morgan and Rockefeller. These guys. We're about more than just money. Right? They had their hands in social movements to, am I going to dig into their support for the women's suffrage movement and tie it into the bigger picture of economic reforms that they were a part of, like. The founding of the federal reserve.
This is all going to make sense. It's going to be a lot to light bulb moments in this episode. Also what about the broader economic and social implications of all of this? Right. So advocating for women's rights back then lined up pretty neatly with broader economic changes, like the booming industrial revolution and the setup of the federal reserve. How did pushing for women to join the workforce and changing family structures, fitting into the larger economic plans of the time. Everything just makes sense.
When you take a step back and you start to look at things with a critical [00:08:00] point of view, rather than just taking everything on face value. This episode is going to highlight that big time. Then we're going to wrap up, right. Or we're going to reflect on everything. What were the real motives behind supporting the feminist movement?
What was it all about? Was it all about rights or was there something more strategic at play? And I will finish, obviously with my usual conclusion where I give my thoughts on everything. We're going to, you know, challenge what we think we know. About the first wave of feminism, we're going to explore the hidden connections that have seriously shaped our society and turned it into what it is today. And we're going to, you know, conclude on possibly rethinking some of what we thought when you were about feminism and the forces that have shaped our world.
So. Let's start by taking a step back into understanding where it all began. What exactly was the first wave of feminism? What was it all about? How did it kick off and what were its main goals? So we'll do this briefly. What was the [00:09:00] first wave of feminism all about? So the first wave of feminism in the us, by the way, feminism didn't, isn't just a us movement.
It's obviously worldwide, but. It started. Let's talk about that first wave of feminism in the us. Was mainly aimed to get women the right to vote. Right. That's what it's predominantly was about That women would have the right to vote. Just the same that men did. This movement started in the mid 18 hundreds.
A lot of people didn't realize that this wasn't just in, you know, this century, it started in the mid 18 hundreds. And had a big win in 1920 when women finally got the right to vote through the 19th amendment. Right? So this was in 1920. That women legally were then allowed to vote in America. You've got the Seneca falls convention, which was in 1848.
This is prior to women being allowed to vote. Right. This was the first major meeting for women's rights in America. It was held in [00:10:00] a chapel in New York, about 300 people is what I could find, came to this, which was mostly women. They talked about women needing more rights in society, which kicked off the whole movement.
So that was Seneca falls convention. So 1848. That was when you know, things started to kick off. Then you had the national women suffrage association, which was in 1869. So we went from Seneca falls, convention, 1848 in 1869. There were leaders like someone called Elizabeth Cady Stanton. That's a name that you commonly hear involved in like early days of feminism.
Also, Susan B, Anthony was another one. They actually started this group. So the national woman's suffrage association to fight for women's right to vote. And may organize lots of events. They spoke out to try to change the laws rights were still in the 18 hundreds. Then obviously we had in 1920, as I said, big change in the law.
Finally in America in particular, women had [00:11:00] the right to vote. I actually think it went through, I can't remember the exact year, but I think it went through a couple years earlier, actually in Australia. So, you know, different. Dates for different countries. That have, you know, made it legal for women to vote. did feminism start in America? Not really. Well, the us had a big role in pushing for women's voting rights.
The idea that women should have equal rights was already popping up in places like for instance, the UK decades earlier. For example, another name that you'll hear is Mary Walston craft. And she had a book in In 1792. And she was a big deal in England in, you know, to do with women's rights. In Australia.
Oh, here we go. Women got the right to vote in 1902. So before America, so way before American women. So 1902, it was 1920 in America. Yeah. Still talking about this first wave of feminism. Some people think that before 1920, all women were just stuck at home, they weren't educated. They weren't [00:12:00] working.
Right. This is what you commonly hear. If you talk to the average woman about. You know, wild feminism started why we needed feminism. Why we have so much to be grateful for feminism. Most people say women weren't educated. They were stuck at home. They had to be Housewives. They didn't get choice. You know, they, they weren't allowed to work.
They just, it was just a horrible time for women. Right. But it's just simply not true. Women were doing a lot more than society actually often remembers. And this is where I'm going to come to the point of things have been redacted and taken out of history because it didn't support. Feminism. As a movement. Back in the 18 hundreds. Women started to go to their own colleges in the us, for instance, right. And by the end of that century, more women were going to university than ever before.
So it's, it's simply not true to say that women just weren't educated. That's not actually factual. Yes. Obviously it depends on where in the world we're talking about, but. Across the [00:13:00] board. What we've been taught about how women lived back there and it's not all factually true.
Even during the industrial revolution.
Right? So the industrial revolution was in full boom. At this point, when you know, women were, were trying to get the right to vote or some women, I should say.
Even during the industrial revolution, women were working, especially in factories, in textile and clothing industries. Which needed a lot of workers for new machines. So women were actually working at this point as well. And no, I'm not saying every single woman was, but women could work. There was also community and social reforms.
So women were deeply involved in big movements, like fighting slavery and controlled alcohol use. Right? So these activities helped women develop skills in organizing and leading, which were crucial when they fought for their own rights. So, you know, women were involved in things outside of the house.
It's not just as homemakers. But a lot of women were actually quite active and influential and challenging the over-simplified story that they were only oppressed [00:14:00] and inactive before they got the right to vote. They have the anti suffrage movement, which I'm going to go through soon. So these are the people with all the women in particular that opposed wanting, like they didn't want to have to vote or didn't want to even vote, right.
That there was a whole movement for this. Not everyone thought women should vote, including women. In fact, some women themselves argued against it saying that it would mess up society. This part of history is not talked about as much, but these women had a different idea of what women's roles should be. Then you've got the historical revision, right?
The way history is told today, doesn't always show these different opinions. This is what I have found. A lot of times the stories about women who didn't want the vote or left out, or they downplayed. This is because the focus in schools and books has shifted to mainly talk about fighting for women's rights. Uh, using ideas from standpoint theory, which I'm going to get into, which tries to highlight the views of those who felt oppressed. [00:15:00] Again, they don't make sense when it goes through standpoint theory, but basically they have taken out of parts of history, literally taken out of educational books and in universities today. Especially when it comes to gender studies, they've completely taken it out. Or under emphasize the fact that there were opposing views to this.
Not everybody was oppressed they've, they've actually given voice to a very small minority, but made it seem like it was the majority and it's just completely inaccurate. So let's talk about the anti suffrage movement. So while the first wave of feminism was gaining momentum, not everyone was on board.
In fact, there was significant opposition. Even as I said from women themselves. So we're going to go into what this is all about. So. Yes, women we're fighting for the right to vote for women. Right. But there was this big group, including lots of women who didn't think it was a good idea. So I want to look into that.
Right? So back in the late 18 hundreds and the early [00:16:00] 19 hundreds groups, like the New York state association, opposed to women's suffrage. Yes. That's what they called it. So say that again, the New York state association, opposed to women suffrage believed that letting women vote would mess up society and family life. By the way this group, right?
So the anti suffrage group, the women that said, no, we don't want to vote was bigger than the suffrage movement. Let me make that clear. You look into it for yourself. They were actually a bigger movement in, in the beginning. They thought it would cause problems at home and make society unstable. These aunties suffragists. Many of whom are women thought a woman's place was at home.
Looking after the family, they believed that getting involved in politics would ruin women's morals and the sacredness of home life. And I'm going to get into this. This is not to say that they thought. Women weren't good enough. This is not to say that they thought that they didn't deserve [00:17:00] it. But not at all.
In fact, they S they viewed their role as wife and mother at home as sacred. He viewed it as a sacred they've viewed politics as messy. They didn't want it to be involved in the sacredness of their. Their role, right? They were highly respected as wives and mothers. They argued that women already had enough influence by shaping their homes and communities and some. Even tried to stop, like they actively tried to stop the vote going through, right.
Because they just thought, no, this is going to mess up society. This is going to mess up home life. This is going to mess up. the stability of a family unit, they could see very strongly where this could head and they opposed it. They even had magazines like the anti suffragists that ran from 1908 to 1912, which spread their beliefs and reasons for opposing women's suffrage. Now, obviously I'm not saying that's every woman [00:18:00] then.
Right. But it was a massive movement. It was very, very big. At that time being a wife and mother was seen as not just a job. But an important and respected role. And this is what I want to point out because often when you hear that. Oh, you know, maybe some women opposed the right to vote, but that's probably because they were so oppressed in their men didn't want them to, or, you know, maybe they just thought they weren't good enough.
No. They saw that their role as wife and mother was very, very respected. Women were considered the moral backbone of the home, right? They were tasked with raising good ethical children and providing a safe Haven for their husbands from the tough world outside. Now, when you say that a lot of feminists screen, because they're like, we are not just here to be a safe Haven for our husbands while they're out there battling in this tough world. Listen to some of my other episodes, if you're new to my podcast, right?
This is probably an interesting [00:19:00] one to start on. If you're brand new, I go through the differences biologically between a man and a woman. We are so different, right. To say their man is in the tough world outside. Right. And as women are the safe Haven at home, that is not a disrespect to us as women. That is an honor.
Right? I want to make that clear and no. I'm not saying that a woman can't work, I'm not saying that a woman can't be a pioneer in her industry or be, you know, so vocal on social media or whatever it is, right? Yes. We can wear many hats as women. But if you are in a relationship with a man, right, as a woman, You are that meant safe space?
Just like he's for you as well. But what it is is traditionally a man is built different biologically, right? He's biologically built different. To a woman, right? He does go out into the world and deal with a lot more than what a woman [00:20:00] should. And it's because he's built that way. Us as women, we run differently.
Right? I won't go into it all in this episode, but we run differently. We run on a cycle that is not to say that there is something wrong with us. So he's not to say that we are weak. That is not to say that we are just. Defunct, right? No, not at all, but we are a man's safe space. He comes from the outside crazy world and comes home to his woman and we are the safe space.
Right. And this is how women traditionally saw it. That you provide a safe Haven for your husband. Now I know that the feminist movement has shat all over that and has put it in. In a light of that is oppressive for women, right. And that is not how these women saw it. It's also not how I see it as well.
I don't see that as oppressive at all, this was a very highly valued role and it was seen as key to keeping society's morals strong. And I have to admit, I can see that. I can see that because now society's morals are shit like seriously society at large, our [00:21:00] morals. Absolutely shit. And that is. Absolutely linked up to the destruction of the family unit and of traditional gender roles.
I. It's clear as fricking day, these women had a lot of indirect power right through their roles at home. They influence the views and the decisions of their husbands and their kids. Like they were the backbone of their family. That is a, that is a role that was treasured, right? Auntie's suffragists thought that this subtle influence was better and more fitting than being directly involved in the messy world of politics.
Again, it's not to say that they weren't good enough to be in the messy world of politics. It's not to say that it's like, you know, the men were way stronger and could deal with it and women can't, it's not that at all. They actually viewed it as lower. They've viewed it as lower than them. They didn't want a part in it.
They viewed it as lower than them. Right there. They had the moral high ground as the wives and the mothers. A lot of these women thought [00:22:00] politics was too harsh and would damage the moral purity that they were associated with. They believed women's true strength, lay in their gentle and moral nature. Which would be compromised in the political arena.
Again, I'm not suggesting that women shouldn't be in the political arena right times have changed obviously, but back then they saw it as beneath them. For many women who were against suffrage, their self-worth was closely tied to their roles at home. They felt fulfilled. They felt important. They could see themselves as essential to society's wellbeing, through their influence of the family.
Right. They had massive influence on their families. As I said, there was a moral backbone of their family. They viewed their relationship in marriage, not as being lesser than their husbands, but as a powerful partnership where both roles. Roles supported a balanced, thriving home. These women often saw the feminist push for voting rights. And more public [00:23:00] roles as a misunderstanding of the real power of being a woman and the natural balance within the family.
I agree. I actually agree. And this is why it made me question the whole right to vote. And not, I'm not saying let's go give up our right to vote. Okay. But I can understand why they were against it. And I do want to just quickly talk about. Relationships and gender roles, because it actually does play into this.
Right. There's a lot of misunderstanding flying around these days when it comes to gender roles. First off being in a relationship or married doesn't mean that you're anyone's slave. Let me make that clear. I do find feminism as a whole tends to give that narrative that it's. And again, I'm not saying all feminists, I'm saying the hardcore. Modern day, feminist C like, or pushing the narrative, that if you are a married woman, that you are now oppressed in some way, Right.
It doesn't mean that you're anyone's slave. It doesn't mean you're your husband's slave. If you hold like a traditional view of marriage. And of traditional gender roles. The whole [00:24:00] idea of a partnership is often twisted to make it seem like you have to be on an equal footing with a man to have any power. This is why I touched on a Galatarian ism in episode six, when I talked about feminism. 'cause a lot of women. Uh, hardcore feminists seem to have this view that like everything needs to be equal across the board.
And that's how, you know, society is going to win. And it's. That's just not true. The thing is real strength in traditional roles often gets overlooked and it's, it's in our differences where the real strength lies. Think about it. In many relationships, it's common for men to take on the provider role, right?
That is common. They're not doing this because they want to control everything. And I'm talking about decent men. Obviously there are wankers out there who do want to control everything. I'm not referring to them. Because that's not the majority that is a minority. Yes, feminism seems to make it sound like that is the majority.
It's not those wankers are the minority. Okay. Let's be clear on that. They're not doing it because they want to [00:25:00] control everything, but because they're committed to supporting their family. That's not about domination. Let's make that clear. It's a deep act of love and service. This is why I think femininity. Has its own incredible power and the feminist movement doesn't make that clear.
Right? Honestly, I think hardcore feminism is trying to turn women into men. That's what it comes across. As, as though there is strength in being more masculine in holding more of the masculine traits. But femininity has incredible power. It's about having such a positive influence that inspires a man.
Think about it as a woman, right in. In a straight relationship. As a woman in your femininity, you inspire a man to dedicate his life. And his energy to you and to your offspring. To you and to your family. This isn't about fighting to outdo men at their own game. That's [00:26:00] what feminism is pushing, but it's about embracing the unique strengths that come with ping. A woman in a lot of ways, men are often natural leaders in a relationship that gets shot on.
I fricken love it. They handled the heavy lifting again, that does not make us weak women at all. We are very, very capable, but we are designed different biologically. They handle the heavy lifting. They make the tough decisions. Again, it's not to say we can't make tough decisions. I think I'm incredible at decision-making.
I think I'm quite quick on my feet. Right. I can make good, quick. Decisions. Gee. Wow. It sounds right now. Like I can't, but I can. So, but I still crave that in a relationship where a man can do the heavy lifting, a man can make the tough decisions, right. Can lead. The family can lead me. It's less actually about being in charge and more about serving those that they care about.
Feminism twists it. Feminism tries to tell you. That if you are in a traditional [00:27:00] gender role relationship, that you are oppressed, that you are, you have men dominating you. No, no, no. They've got it backwards. Honestly. It's actually the man he's actually serving the woman by doing the heavy lifting by doing a lot of the, you know, making the hard decisions and, and being the one that's protecting the woman. Right.
Feminism does get it wrong. It tells women that they need to act tough and to compete with men to feel powerful, but actually women often hold more power when they embrace their natural qualities like nurturing and in. And emotional intelligence, right? When we understand this, we can start to see relationship dynamics differently.
And this is what I believe. Our ancestors prior to the right to vote came in, seriously, saw it this way. This is why I'm touching on it. I actually think they saw things so clearly back then, It's not about one person holding the cards, right? It's not about the man holding all the cards, right? It's about both. Partners [00:28:00] recognizing and valuing what the other brings to the table.
And they're different because we are different. We're not meant to be the same. A true partnership means that both people feel valued, both feel empowered each playing to their own strengths a man's role as a leader. Is to protect and nurture not to, to oppress. Once we get this, it can honestly change the whole game.
It makes both partners feel respected and appreciated. And I think that that is something that the anti suffragist movement, the women back then got right.
It wasn't just about resisting change. It was about valuing and wanting to preserve a role that they saw as crucial to societal health. And stability.
And so this deep dive into the anti suffrage movement uncovers like the complexity of debates surrounding women's roles and rights. And. It highlights the often overlooked voices that resisted change, but not out [00:29:00] of, not because say more resistant to change because they were just stuck in their ways, but they could, they held a belief in the importance and influence of their traditional roles.
And honestly, I think it's sad that we've lost a lot of that. Now understanding these conflicting views on the right to vote. Leads us to what I was talking about earlier, which is a critical point. I really want to make clear. And that is about standpoint theory. And what are the implications for how we view the feminist movement today?
So, Standpoint theory is this idea from the academic world that says that we should look at history through the eyes of those who haven't had much of a voice. People who've been pushed to the edges of society, right? It's about listening, listening to the stories of those who have faced oppression. and thinking that these stories might give us a unique insight into the world.
Sounds good on paper, right? One of those cute little bubble wrapped with a pretty bow. But here's the, where things get tricky. And this [00:30:00] is what got my attention. When I looked into this. This theory has led to a kind of history that picks and chooses what to show us. This is in the academic world, right?
Big in the academic world. It mainly focuses on stories of struggle. And resistance. It often leaves out anything that doesn't fit that narrative. And this is literally what has happened. It is now it's now become one sided learning. So in many universities, you can look into this for yourself.
Look up standpoint theory in regards to feminism. In many universities in, especially in women's studies programs. There's a huge focus on this idea, right? It's shaped, what's taught and talked about pushing the view that women have always been oppressed. So this is essentially what they did. The feminist movement started to look at. Well, as it progressed, they went back into history.
Right. And they were like, let's just take out of the textbooks. Let's just take out of these, you know, women's [00:31:00] studies programs in universities, around the world. Let's take out the fat that women actually were against the vote, let the vote for the right to vote. Right? Let's take out the fact that a lot of women actually loved their roles as wives and mothers at home. A lot of women didn't want to work.
A lot of women didn't want to vote. A lot of women felt like their roles was the highest role that they could have on earth. Let's take that out because that actually doesn't support our feminist movement. And we don't want the young women coming up that are studying university that is studying, you know, things like gender politics and women's studies programs.
Right. We don't want them to actually just hear that all the time. We want them to have our interpretation of what it was like back then. They have actually completely taken out of history for context. Or they have made it a very small part of the [00:32:00] studies. In fact, to the point that women that are now going through universities that are now going through these women's studies programs, aren't even told of how a lot of women were against the feminist movement.
How a lot of women didn't want what the feminist movement was offering. Right. They're actually skipping entire parts of history where women had power because they did women actually held power. They're saying, oh no, no, no. Women were oppressed. They're taking a very small minority of women. And saying that was the majority they're giving that the biggest voice overall.
And obviously those women that were oppressed, that's not cool. And a thousand percent that is, I'm not suggesting that that's cool, but it was the smallest minority. And they're saying, no, no, no. These women that thought they held power? No, they must've actually been that oppressed. That that's just what they were used to.
And so they completely took it out of history. Anything that disagreed against the feminist movement, they either made it very small in the educational texts. Right. Or they [00:33:00] completely took it out. And they said that they were allowed to, because of standpoint theory, it's about giving. Voice to those that they see were voiceless.
But the problem with that is they're making that the biggest voice for everybody. stand point theory is so dominant in some academic circles that it's tough to discuss anything else.
If you try to bring up different viewpoints or you question the usual stories, it can actually be hard to get a word in. I agree. I agree. I've noticed that even just on my own social media, right. It's doesn't just squash debate. It also simplifies the rich complex lives. Women have lived throughout history, so it is completely changed the way that history is now viewed.
This is why the feminist movement is based on not complete factual information. Women that now call themselves feminists like the young women that are coming up the ranks that are hardcore feminists don't even [00:34:00] know the true foundations of the feminist movement.
Now you've got.
In academic circles, standpoint theory has influenced the development of curricular, right? That strive to be more inclusive of different women's experiences. Yes. They say it's for inclusivity. I actually have an issue with that, because I think even if you are trying to be inclusive of the fact that, you know, not all women experience the same things and yes, the minority absolutely should have a voice, but not in place of the majority.
It should be with it. What they're actually doing is completely changing curriculum. They're Developing. Curricular that is not actually accurate on history.
And the problem with this approach is it's supports the feminist arguments. Only. It only supports the feminist arguments, right? For the need to challenge patriarchal structures in two. You know, It basically validates their hypothesis and their theories on life. But the thing is the patriarchal structures.
Again, [00:35:00] patriarchy from episode six that I did on the feminist movement is his father rule. And back then women did not see other rule as oppressive. The majority saw it as power. They held power in their roles. They were protected. They were nurtured. They were safe. They, it like, it's not how history has tried to tell him.
So my own concern with this is that by attempting to come up, come off as inclusive, they've actually rewritten history and made a minority issue.
A majority issue. Therefore pushing feminism onto the world when really only the minority were oppressed. But as they've literally rewritten history, they've made it seem like women across the world were all oppressed prior to feminism. And it simply is not even close to being true. Sometimes focusing a lot on oppression makes us miss out on the different strengths and roles.
Women have played across history. It can create a story where it seems like all women were only victims, which is not the whole truth. Let [00:36:00] me make that clear. We only hear one side, especially in schools and in universities, right? The academic circles. You only hear one side. And it actually can twist the real picture.
There's a worry that some stories get more spotlight because they fit the current feminist view while other important parts of women's lives and achievements might get left out. And I wouldn't say might they actually have. Right. Bye. Through standpoint theory, it's actually been left out. This way of telling history can shape what people think and even influence laws.
Making it seem like all past women's experiences were about fighting oppression. This isn't just about getting the story wrong. It can lead to policies that don't fully address what women need or reflect their real lives. This is a big issue I see with it. Right. Yes. It's crucial to listen to all stories, including those from women who didn't feel oppressed or who saw their roles differently. Real inclusivity.
Cause that's a bloody buzzword. You [00:37:00] hear all the time. Everything's just about being inclusive. Yeah, right. So they say that, but it's only when it actually fits their fucking agenda. I get my backup about this. It's like, yeah, let's be inclusive. Right? Let's big buzzword. Let's be inclusive to everybody. But not when it doesn't actually promote the agenda that we're trying to push. Real inclusivity means bringing these diverse voices into the conversation so that we get a full picture, not just from one angle.
Now I've said enough about standpoint theory, I gap a little bit. Yeah, I write about that. I really do with a foundation in the historical and theoretical context, let's now shift our focus to some of the most influential figures of the time. How did Titans of their time like JP Morgan and John D Rockefeller play into these social movements and economic changes?
So we had wealthy philanthropists. Ah, there's a word philanthropist and strategic [00:38:00] social changes, right? This is all going to make sense. So JP Morgan and John D Rockefeller, I'm going to call them Morgan and Rockefeller from now on. Two big names from the industrial revolution era they're often seen as these generous philanthropists, right?
Just Kiffin given all them money and their wealth away to all these different social movements. Ah, what incredibly nice guys. They were. But there might actually be deeper reasons for their support of social movements like feminism, which go beyond just being nice. They might've actually, we're going to explore this being aiming to reshape society in ways that would benefit their business interests.
So Morgan played a big role in reshaping American industries around the early 19 hundreds.
He helped create big companies that controlled entire industries like railroads and still this not only put a lot of economic power in a few hands, but also changed the job market significantly. By possibly backing [00:39:00] women's rights and I'll get into it. Morgan might have been trying to make the workforce bigger and more stable, which would help in an economy that was getting more industrialized. Showing support for social issues could also calm down labor disputes and make him look forward thinking.
Morgan was a key player during the financial crisis in 1907, because it was a financial crisis. Which showed just how much sway he had over the us banking system. And I'm going to get into that with the federal reserve. So his actions during the crisis contributed to the creation of the federal reserve in 1913, these years are significant.
So the federal reserve in 1913, This new system helps stabilize banks. And it was an incredible time for big bankers, like Morgan, giving them a way to have more control over the economy.
So obviously during this time it was a lot of economic stress, especially around like 1907. There was a lot of worker unrest and companies started to see the [00:40:00] benefits of adopting social reforms to appear progressive. And to reduce any form of unrested or. In this light, promoting social reforms, including women's rights, might've been a strategy to ease labor tensions by showing a forward thinking approach.
And just briefly when it comes to Rockefeller, right?
Cause he was supporting women working obviously. Rockefeller's or a lot of potential
In making sure women were healthy and educated. By pushing for better education. And public health. He helped make it possible for more women to work. Doesn't that just sound lovely. Right? Sounds lovely. This was great for his businesses because having more women in the workforce could lower labor costs and increase the number of workers boosting his industries. Productivity and profits. Rockefeller gave a lot of money to schools and universities, which might seem generous, but it also served his interest.
Right. So Rockefeller. He just to put [00:41:00] things in context was the wealthiest man in America at the time, potentially even the world, they say that he's worth back then at around like 1913 kind of timeframe. Was it around 900 million? And that's at that time, that is worth like, Hundreds of billions of dollars.
If you compare it to inflation now without currency, right? Big time wealthy man. He was big in the industrial revolution. It made sense. It was in his best interest to support movements like feminism, right? Because he could get more women into the workforce, which meant lower. hourly rates because there's more workers.
It also meant then, you know, it was in his best interest to support the educational systems because then the kids could be at school while mum was at work and dad was at work and he did, he supported these social movements and was seen as this incredibly wealthy. Generous philanthropists, whereas, yes, that is one way of [00:42:00] looking at it, but what's, what's the actually most sinister reasons for that. His support for making school mandatory because he supported this meant that all kids, even from working families got educated, right?
Again, sounds wonderful. This not only kept kids busy while their parents worked, but it also ensured that they grew up to be the kind of work is he needed. Think about it. This man, whether directly or indirectly supported feminism supported. compulsory education support a lot of social movements at the time that meant that women would be working.
Men would be working. Children would be in schools that meant more profits in his, directly to him, but also meant incredible factory workers would be coming through the lines. Cause all the children are going to be educated as they called it, but really taught how to be compliant. Factory workers.
So his philanthropist ways went far beyond just being kind.
Right, [00:43:00] but also far beyond just business, they reached into family lives to by backing initiatives that got more women working and kids learning and state run schools, he helped change the traditional family set up. This meant kids were taught state approved values. Because again, it's not just about, cause you got to remember women in that time saw their roles as sacred.
They were the ones that were the moral backbone of the family. They, their role was sacred. They were teaching the children. The family values the family ways. Now no, the kids are. In a state run school and they would now be learning state values. Uh, state approved values, which could be very different to what the family actually wanted. This often matched what was good for business? Hmm. Ensuring they fit right into the
capitalist system when they grew up. In a way, this was like guiding the whole society to think and act in ways that kept his business running smoothly [00:44:00] and profitably. I had to raise these questions right. Not only did I question, okay. Why, why is no one talking about the fact that most women didn't actually want to vote?
And most women didn't actually care about getting all these rights because they saw their role as sacred and. And in society, they were revered and seen as like, their roles were incredible. Right. I questioned that, but then I'm like, okay. So then how did it go from that? Where most didn't care about wanting to vote to then the feminist movement took off. Well, it was supported by these big wealthy businessmen right.
Directly or indirectly. Who stood to profit from the movement itself. That's going to raise some questions that like, Is every woman. Now that calls herself a feminist actually, has she just been used as a, as a pawn for.
For the system. Right. You, you still now pushing this, that you appointed for the [00:45:00] system. I raised questions like this. Rockefeller also put money into arts and culture, which might have helped. Gently push public opinion to favor the economic and social systems that benefited his businesses. Right. He was constantly shaping societal values that would support the growth of his industrial empire.
This was not just from a cute little kind little place.
It wasn't just about helping others. It was a clever way to mold society to meet his needs, ensuring his business thrived. And he was maintaining his position at the top. Right. Ensuring that he was at the top of the top. By the time women got the right to vote in 1920. Rockefeller. Wasn't just a famous businessman.
He was the richest man in the weld. Right. It's hard to even picture that the richest man in the world. Now, what does all this mean in the grand scheme of things? How did these financial giants and their actions influenced the broader economic and social landscape [00:46:00] of their time? And what does this tell us about the intersection of feminism and economic strategy?
Let's talk about the federal reserve. This is so interesting. So we're going to dive into the. Key event in the us economic history. And yes, this impacts us even in Australia, right? The federal frickin reserve. I'm not going to go all into it. That should be a whole nother episode on the financial industry and what a fricking corrupt mess that is. But the creation of the federal reserve in 1913, remedy 13, 19 13, right. this moment marked a major shift in how America managed its money and its economy. Again, which impacts us in here in Australia.
So this secret meeting at Jekyll island don't know if you've heard of this or not, but back in November of 1910, so this was three years prior. Something pretty secretive went down at the Jekyll island club, which is basically in Georgia. So a bunch of the most powerful guys in [00:47:00] American banking. And, you know, top, top Senator as well.
So top American banking, men, or people that were associated with the top American banking men and a top Senator had this secretive meeting, right. That set the stage for the federal reserve act.So it was a bunch of guys. It was about six of them from memory. These guys were super secretive.
They used fake names, right? So they decided they're all gonna meet at Jekyll island and have this private meeting. They used fake names to stay under the radar of how they were going to get there. So on their way to the island, they did not use their names because they, you got to understand, they wanted to set up a federal reserve act that one would bring stability to America, but would also. help to support them financially, massively, right?
It's in their best interest to get this through. And they didn't want reporters at the time to catch wind of what was going on. So they didn't just [00:48:00] travel quietly. They pretended that they were going on a duck hunting trip. They dressed up as if they were going on a duck hunting trip. They all went separately.
They didn't just go with one group because that would be so obvious. And they had secret names. Right? So complete secret meeting at this Jekyll island in Georgia. So this stealth mode was crucial because they didn't want the public or anyone that was a bit nosey to mess with their agenda. It was extreme. secrecy, right?
Including their covert arrival at Jekyll island. This has been criticized more of recent years because it highlighted concerns about how big banks might've had too much control over public policy decisions. So that was in 1910. These men met. And basically over a period of days, they drafted what was to become the federal reserve.
So they created it. It's three years later, December 23 in 1913. So literally right before Christmas, [00:49:00] like two days before Christmas, when a lot of Congress members were on a Christmas break, this was intentional. It was not, this was not just some accidental date that they did this. It was chosen.
Right. They got the law passed with fewer people there to oppose it. So they actually got the federal reserve act passed in. Because Congress members, a lot of them were on holiday. So there wasn't many people there to actually oppose it. And this law set up the federal reserve system as the central bank of the United States. Which was supposed to make the country's money and financial systems safer, more flexible and more stable. Now if it, if it was all for the good, why would you need to do it all?
Hush, hush. Right? Why would you need to do this secretive little, get it through con Congress real quickly over the Christmas break when everyone's on holiday. Right. Obviously they, they had not great intentions. Around the time the federal reserve was created. They were big changes in family life and in [00:50:00] work life factories needed more workers.
Cause you gotta realize like that industrial revolution was booming. factories needed more workers due to growing industries. More women started working outside the home, right? This has before, by the way, the vote went through. You got to realize it was just in 1913 when the actual federal reserve act came into place. The women's right to vote came in 1920. So factories needed more workers, more women outside the home, which then, you know, this change pushed along by ideas about being independent, you know, be independent women.
You guys have been oppressed for too long, but independent women get out and work, which helped to bring more money into the family. Of course, because they've got two workers. Which matched what women's rights movements were saying about women needing to take part more in the economy, because that's what feminism was pushing.
You know, you are oppressed. You need to get outside the home. You need to get working. Well, then they did. And so then obviously with the federal reserve at double [00:51:00] tax incomes, like bloody oats, can you see this? At the same time, there was a push to make sure all kids went to school, a mood known as compulsory education.
This all happened around the same time. Guys. This helped the economy by again, preparing children to be better. More reliable workers in the future. So they knew they were deliberately getting everybody's kids into educational, you know, state run school, forced education, which was turning them into perfect little worker bees so that they could then. Also work in the factories like their parents. School started focusing on qualities that were important for factory jobs, like being on time, following rules, reading and writing.
Well guess what? Our school system today side note is still exactly the fricking same, right. Is literally just designed to push out nine to five worker base. Like that needs a whole reform. So in 1913, the government also started collecting income [00:52:00] tax from everyone. How convenient, right. That. Just let's back up for a second. The feminist movement, right?
Gets this big push women. You are suffering women. You are oppressed. They're like, no, we're not, no, we're not. We actually love our roles at home. We love our moral influence at home. We love, you know, that the man is doing all the dirty work and we get this awesome role where we are seen as like, High status in society.
Are you kidding me? We are not oppressed. Sure. There was a small minority, but most weren't no were not. And then they keep pushing, keep pushing, keep pushing and what ends up helping the feminist movement grow or backing by these big wealthy philanthropists that. Have ulterior motives. And so lots of money gets pumped into the feminist movement, propaganda machine. Okay.
Now women start listening more and more and more because it's shoved down their throat. And we all know what happens when a propaganda machine gets shoved down your throat more and more people start to believe it more women started working. Right. [00:53:00] And this is all around the time when education became compulsory, when the federal reserve act was enforced by the same men or all men that represented these men like Rockefeller Morgan, right? Uh, well, Rockefeller just to know, Rockefeller, wasn't a part of the federal reserve act.
A representative of Morgan was, but Rockefeller also had an involvement which I'll get into in a second, but not directly, but these men. They have ulterior motives and the federal reserve act goes through secretly over the Christmas break. And then all of a sudden double tax income comes into play.
This is when you would be taxed right prior to then it wasn't such a big thing. In 1913, the government started collecting income tax from everyone. Thanks to the 16th amendment. This tax gave the government a steady flow of money. Which is important for paying for government activities, social programs, regulations that helped [00:54:00] industries grow.
Not only are they getting the man's tax, but now they're getting a woman's tax. Right. Let's talk about Morgan and Rockefeller and their involvement again. So Morgan played a direct role in the creation of the federal reserve. He was an integral member of the Jekyll island club, which is a private Haven where many of America's most influential finances and industrialists convened.
So this. Jekyll island club, this private Haven, right? A lot of very wealthy, most influential men in America were part of this club. Morgan was a part of this club and Rockefeller or, or also a part of this club. So in 1910, that was when the, the crucial secret hush hush meeting took place at the club, which laid the foundation or plans for what would become the federal reserve system Morgan's involvement in this elite group And his participation in the meeting was central to the efforts aimed at stabilizing and centralizing America's banking system. [00:55:00] I have seen two reports.
One was that Morgan was present. But a lot of what I'm actually reading and I want to be factual here. So I don't want to say that. Was that he wasn't present. It was his representative that was actually present. So someone that represented his actual business was present at this meeting.
Either way he stood to benefit from it.
And either way he was a part of the club. The extreme secrecy of this meeting, including again, the use of aliases, the cover story about the duck hunting trip underscores the links. These financial leaders were willing to go to shape public policy away from public scrutiny. This club was located on an exclusive island accessible only by boat. Typically by yacht for its millionaire members. Enhancing the privacy and exclusivity of their gatherings now, Rockefeller.
Was also a member of the Jekyll island club and he was connected to the powerful network.
I mean, think about it. He was the most richest man in [00:56:00] America at the time. He had significant influence over American finance and industry. Now I couldn't see direct evidence that he participated in that specific meeting. Right that, you know, created the federal reserve. But his association with the club and his overarching influence in the financial and industrial sectors contributed to the economic conditions. Favoring the establishment of a central bank.
So his extensive business empire and its connections with these like elite circles indirectly supported the push for a centralized banking system aimed at providing greater economic stability.
So both of these men gained a lot from the federal reserve as it created. A stable and predictable environment. That was good for business. That's what it was seen as even though they may not have directly been at the meeting where the federal reserve was planned. Their ideas and business goals were represented by their friends and associates that were present there.
Now, bringing it back [00:57:00] to our topic of feminism. The same big players who benefited from the economy also saw advantages in supporting feminist causes. By promoting ideas about women working and having more independence. So by promoting anything and supporting anything that gave the message of all women, you're oppressed. You should be working, be those independent free women that you should be, you know? That not only shaped a workforce, it included more women, but also influenced family dynamics to fit the needs of a growing industrial economy. This support for feminism.
Wasn't just about social justice. I actually don't think it had anything to do with social justice. I personally don't think that their motives were anything to do about supporting women to be these independent free. Leaders that they, you know, w we're told that they should be. To me, it was about creating conditions that were good for their business.
More workers, more consumers, more influence over a social [00:58:00] structure. Now quickly, let's talk about the industrial revolution and feminism. So obviously, as I said, the industrial revolution was already changing the world by making factories and machines, the heart of production. That meant they needed more workers.
And that's how obviously feminism and other social changes came into play, which was. Steered by, in my opinion, these rich industrialists.
So I believe that these big bosses, these so-called philanthropists of their time.
Like those involved with starting the federal reserve saw a golden opportunity in feminism. I actually think women have been taken for a fucking ride with feminism. Like, this is why I. I honestly, I don't like feminism at all. In fact, the more I've gone into this, the more I'm like bloody oath women. We've been taking, taken for a fucking ride with the creation of feminism, truly by backing women's rights to work and to [00:59:00] vote, they could pull more women into factories.
This would boost the number of available workers keep wages low because obviously there's more people able to do the jobs now. So there wasn't, you know, they could keep it low. Crank up that factory output, like woo. Look at you. Little worker bees.
So to me supporting feminism, wasn't even about equality. Honestly, I don't think that's what it was, but that's what was fed to the women, in my opinion, that's what was fed to women. Yep. Sure. And I do think some women that wanted to originally start the movement saw it as that, and that's what the driving factor was, but I don't think that's what it ended up being.
Once these wealthy industrialist men got involved. It was just a smart business move on their behalf and it fit right into their larger plan to make more money and to shape society. And as I said in 1913, the same year that the federal reserve was created was the same year. The federal income tax was introduced. These weren't just [01:00:00] financial changes, right? They were major moves. Yes. It helped to stabilise the economy and to increase government money. Right. Okay. No denying that at the time.
However, The sneaky ways that these were introduced, like, you know, the secret meetings, the hurried laws. Make a lot of people, including myself. I think that it was mainly for the benefit of these big financial players, they got their grip on the economy. There's no. Two ways around that.
I don't think that it was about giving women freedom.
I don't think that at all. It, honestly, to me was social engineering. Changing the basic ways that society works to fit the industrial age better. They saw an opportunity and they jumped at it like. Makes us women look pretty dumb in a way.
They got women into jobs. They got kids into schools.
The new industrial society could just control more of daily life, like from family decisions to, [01:01:00] you know, how people thought of traditional gender roles in society.
So, yes, obviously the industrial revolution bought advances. I'm not going to deny that. But it also meant there was a push for changes, like women's suffrage. Compulsory education, right? Getting women into the workforce. These moves helped shaped A new social order that matched the needs of an industrial economy, which ultimately benefited those at the top of the business world.
Now I've got fired up about. I need to bring it all together for you.
So we've just looked at what were the real motives behind the support of the feminist movement? Was it purely about rights or were there deeper, more strategic interests at play? I want to bring this to a close here and say that, you know, everything we've touched on. Yes. We looked at the early days of feminism.
Was it a big win for women as far as voting rights? Depends on which textbook you're reading and what university is to how [01:02:00] much is how much of the truth is actually in there. But look, and I'm not saying that I think women shouldn't be voting, but I can understand that they actually saw it back then as they could influence their husbands and the family dynamic.
And basically the man would go and vote as a representative of that family. So it's not that women didn't have a voice. Yes, they did. Obviously the man could go and vote, whatever he wanted at the end of the day, he could change it, but still like the man represented that family, the woman had an influence on the vote. Through her husband.
Right. But anyway, that's a whole side tangent. So we looked at the early days of feminism, as I said voting. Was it a, when was it not? We looked at the heavy hitters, like JP Morgan. You know, Rockefeller, these were guys that were neat deep in the economy and in the industrial revolution. And it just makes you wonder, it definitely makes me freak on one day where they backing women's rights, just to be nice. I doubt it, or when they're playing a bigger game, one that included turning a [01:03:00] profit from a changing society.
Right? If, if you look at it, right, I can't be grudge. These men, they saw an opportunity and they jumped at it and.
Yeah, I can't be grudge, therefore thinking ways. Do I agree? Well, I don't like the way that feminism has turned into what it has turned into now. And I, I actually can see how. Feminism has broken down a family unit. Feminism has broken down traditional gender roles. Feminism has contributed to kids Been raised by the state through education.
And look, I'm not against education, but you can see it right. When you take a step back, you can see how much this is broken down to society, and I'm not solely putting the blame on feminism. But this has been a massive movement. Now I see it as also contributing to Mentone, turning themselves into women and women into men.
I can see it contributing to the push for it being on kids. I can see, you know, it's supporting. [01:04:00] Glorification of obesity now through. Oh, God. Do I really want to rant on this? I just think that feminism has had a massive part to play in so much of the breaking down of society. I really do.
So we obviously talked about how, you know, putting women in the workforce and getting kids into schools.
Was it just by chance or no? Was it social engineering? These moves, help set up a new kind of economy. Right. But it also opens up a can of worms about the real reasons behind pushing for these rights. Was it all about empowerment or was there a bit of a power play to mold society in a way that lines, these men's pockets like Morgan and Rockefeller and others? It's a lot to think about.
And obviously it's not all black and white history is messy. Okay. History is messy. It's full of layers. And sometimes the good guys and the bad guys might be wearing the same hats. Right? So someone might view Rockefeller and Morgan as in a really great light while someone else will view them in a really negative light.
I understand that. [01:05:00] But I really just wanted to pull at these threads and CA I just want to encourage you. And myself to keep asking the tough questions, right? Don't just take history at face value. Remember every story, even the ones about fighting for justice can have hidden sides that might just change the whole picture.
If we got to see all of what is underneath it. So. Obviously I've made my views clear, right? I, I don't need to go on anymore, but I just wanted to say thank you so much for sticking around with me for this episode today. I know I was going through lots of different things. I get fired up about it, right. Just stay curious, stay questioning, and yeah, I'll catch you on the next one.
For more mind bending talks. We'll keep stirring the pot. And yeah, until next time I love your gods. Thank you so much for joining me today. And please let me know your thoughts. If this has been a light bulb moment for you, or if you think I'm more nuts than I was [01:06:00] before I will receive all of it, let me know your thoughts and yeah.
Love your guts as always have a great week legends by.
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