Prioritizing upness is often seen to be patriarchal (see James Nelson's The Intimate Connection), as it is the erection that points up and the male monotheistic deity is often up (amongst other things). But upness is also something that is very hard to not privilege. Historically, power has been associated with language. He who speaks is the one who currently holds the power. And when there are large groups of people, in order to be heard, the speaker is often raised up on a stage or dais. So power is closely connected with those who are raised up, who are higher than those around them.
It has been said that height it so connected with power that it cannot be separated. We can't crouch down in order to be heard in a crowd, and when a voice is muffled by crouching, the voice will lose its power to someone else.
However, there is a story of Jesus subverting this up-privileging. Jesus got in a boat and went out on the lake so that he may be heard. Jesus went horizontally, not vertically. And he still managed to achieve a place from which he could be heard, still retained the power of speech, yet did so in a sideways manner.
So maybe there is hope for those who wish to escape this patriarchal privileging of the erection.
Interestingly enough when I was about eight I had an illustrated bible with this story depicted.
ReplyDeleteRather than a fishing/rowing boat they had chosen to draw an (anachronistic) tall sailing ship with a raised deck, and Jesus pontificating down from on high.
Now THATS cultural conditioning :)
My phallus goes straight out though, rather than up. Except when I am lying down for cowgirl/reverse cowgirl etc
That's funny. Yeah, a tall ship certainly doesn't subvert upness. I've always seen small boats like this and this.
ReplyDeleteYour erect penis comes up to get to that straight out position from its flaccid state though right? And certainly the cowgirl thing isn't out of the picture either. ;)