Articles by Robert Jensen
The Dangers of White Male Supremacy
YES! Magazine · June, 2021
This essay is an expanded version of my review of Ijeoma Oluo’s book _Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America_ that appeared in the magazine’s print edition.
Tough Love for Mediocre White Guys: Getting White men to give up dominance is a challenge
YES! Magazine · May, 2021
A review of Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America by Ijeoma Oluo
Male violence makes single-sex shelters a necessity
Lewiston Sun Journal · May, 2021
In a democratic society that respects individual rights, conflict is inevitable when rights collide. Such conflict is playing out in a Maine homeless shelter, where women are expected to endure abusive behavior in the name of inclusivity. Women assert their right to seek safety from men’s violence. The transgender movement asserts the right of anyone to self-identify with any gender. We side with women.
Pornographic distortions: The struggle for intimacy in the 21st century
Feminist Current · March, 2021
“Pornographic distortions,” refers both to the ways in which pornography distorts human sexuality, and the way in which pornography’s defenders distort the views of critics.
Getting Radical: Feminism, Patriarchy, and the Sexual-Exploitation Industries
Dignity: A Journal of Sexual Exploitation and Violence · March, 2021
The sexual-exploitation industries, including prostitution and pornography, are patriarchal institutions that are inconsistent with dignity, solidarity, and equality. Radical feminism offers a compelling analysis not only for women but also for men striving to be fully human.
Wes Jackson: How to Respect One’s Tools
Merion West · February, 2021
An edited transcript of Episode 2 of “Podcast from the Prairie.” https://podcastfromtheprairie.com/
‘A simple boy from the prairie’: An interview with Robert Jensen
Feminist Current · February, 2021
When a European graduate student emailed to ask if I would participate in an assignment to “do an interview with one of my favourite authors,” I said yes. My books have not exactly been best-sellers, and so I was an easy target for anyone describing me as a “favourite author.”
From Pornography to Agriculture: Challenging Hierarchy
MerionWest.com · January, 2021
“At the core of this analysis is a claim that, at first glance, may seem to be a stretch: The erosion of human dignity in our broken world starts with the erosion of the planet’s soils.”
Against Hierarchy
Voice Male magazine · October, 2020
It’s getting harder for people in the United States to turn away from the sexism, racism, and inequality that is woven into the fabric of society. From the women’s march of 2017, to the ongoing protests against white supremacy in policing and other institutions, to the wider attention being paid to extreme disparities in wealth—the demand for justice intensifies.
Who is we?
The Ecological Citizen · October, 2020
Glaring inequality, both between and within societies, makes it difficult to talk about ‘we’ – a collective human project of understanding and responding to multiple, cascading ecological crises. Assigning responsibility for today’s social injustice and ecological unsustainability, and levels of obligations to repair the damage, is required, but that is only a first step. A decent human future also requires us to understand human–carbon nature and face the reasons it will be difficult to move from 8 billion people in a high-energy global society to a smaller population in a low-energy world. No existing ideology or culture is going to provide us with a template for dealing with what lies ahead, and the sooner we confront the magnitude of the challenge, the better for everyone.
Seize a wrench and the day
Land Report, and Resilience.org · August, 2020
Living resourcefully, in good humor, and not worried about badges