E. Jean Carroll vs. Donald Trump: Matriarchy vs. Patriarchy in Animals
There is something much deeper going on in this verdict—other animal societies offer us a big clue. And a future survival strategy.
For those of us who have long studied animal societies it’s not surprising that an 80-year-old woman is the first to truly silence a serial liar, rapist, and the man who succeeded in appointing judges who have denied women the right to our bodily autonomy. The ground-breaking verdict in the E. Jean Carroll vs. Trump case is the most dramatic and costly financial accountability the ex-president has faced for his misogynistic legacy. It will be the first of many. Multitudes of women are celebrating Carroll’s courtroom revelation: “He is nothing.” she told Rachel Maddow. “There’s no need to be afraid of him.”
But there is something much deeper going on—other animal societies offer a big clue. Many primates have already realized that alpha males who stomp and strut in their King-of-the-Mountain vainglory are short-lived and not a smart strategy for survival. Scientists once believed that in baboon society, it was the competitive males who made the rules and mated most; but when renown primatologist Barbara Smuts, entered the field, she discovered that it was the females who most often choose the mates. They distinctly prefer male baboons who volunteer to babysit offspring…
