The Masculinity Conspiracy offers some new answers to old problems by viewing patriarchy (partially tongue-in-cheek) via the lens of conspiracy logic, which political scientist Michael Barkun claims is characterised by three assumptions: nothing happens by accident; nothing is as it seems; everything is connected. Rather than simply viewing patriarchy as something men do to women, The Masculinity Conspiracy suggests patriarchy is a power conspiracy which mobilises men to oppress women, but which paradoxically has little interest in men as individuals.
The Masculinity Conspiracy speaks clearly to issues of sustainability that the Australian public can address from the confines of their homes. Problematic aspects of masculinity have a huge footprint on the world, asserting a significant environmental and social cost: these aspects (either suffered disproportionately by men, or disproportionately caused by men) include violence, poor health, low educational achievement, increased levels of depression, incarceration, unsustainable levels of resource consumption and corporate growth as a measure of "success". Many of these problems are directly related to the typical social construction of masculinity: how is masculinity defined? how is masculinity asserted within society? By revealing the nature of this conspiracy, it is hoped that men will realise that it is in theirs as well as women's interest to overturn patriarchy, recasting the feminist agenda of liberation from a "women's movement" to a "people's movement" and encouraging a more sustainable way of living enjoyed by men, women, children, and the world in which we live.
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