--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We think that we live in a heterosexual…" description: "\"We think that we live in a heterosexual society because most men are fixated on women as sexual objects; but, in fact, we live ina homosexual society b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/andrea-dworkin-1998_authenticity_we-think-that-we-live-in-a-heterosexual_1455413.png" --- # We think that we live in a heterosexual society because… ![“We think that we live in a heterosexual society because most men are fixated on women as sexual objects; but, in fact, we live ina homosexual society because all credible transactions of power, authority, and authenticity take place among men; all transactions based on equity and individuality…” quote by Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/andrea-dworkin-1998_authenticity_we-think-that-we-live-in-a-heterosexual_1455413.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/andrea-dworkin-1998_authenticity_we-think-that-we-live-in-a-heterosexual_1455413.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d8/andrea-dworkin-1998_authenticity_we-think-that-we-live-in-a-heterosexual_1455413.png) > “We think that we live in a heterosexual society because most men are fixated on women as sexual objects; but, in fact, we live ina homosexual society because all credible transactions of power, authority, and authenticity take place among men; all transactions based on equity and individuality take place among men. Men are real; therefore, all real relationship is between men; all real communication is between men; all real reciprocity is between men; all real mutuality is between men.” [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that societal power, authority, and authentic relationships are dominated by men, suggesting a fundamentally male-oriented social order. **In simple terms:** Power and authentic ties are male‑centric. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge male‑centric power dynamics. Themes gender power authority authenticity relationships Mood critical reflective Type analytical critical When to use this quote - political leadership - corporate governance - academic circles - media representation - legal systems Key Concepts patriarchy social hierarchy masculinity equity Questions to Reflect On - How does male dominance shape institutions? - What ways can women claim authentic power? A Different Perspective It overlooks women's agency and contributions in many domains. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authenticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Equity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equity/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Heterosexual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heterosexual/) [Homosexual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexual/) [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Individuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuality/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Real relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-relationship/) [Reciprocity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reciprocity/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I was born of heterosexual parents. I was taught by heterosexual teachers in a fiercely heterosexual society. Television ads and newspaper ads — fiercely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/i-was-born-of-heterosexual-parents-i-was-taught-by-heterosexual/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [If it was wrong to persecute heterosexuals in a homosexual society then the reverse was wrong, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-hefner/if-it-was-wrong-to-persecute-heterosexuals-in-a-homosexual-society/) [Hugh Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-hefner/) > [Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/heterosexual-intercourse-is-the-pure-formalized-expression-of/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [We are the state, and we shall continue to be the state until we have created the institutions that form a real community and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-landauer/we-are-the-state-and-we-shall-continue-to-be-the-state-until-we-have/) [Gustav Landauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-landauer/) > [In our society, it's been the men who've handled most of the finances, and the women who've stood by and watched men botch things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lynch/in-our-society-it-s-been-the-men-who-ve-handled-most-of-the-finances/) [Peter Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lynch/) > [If we desire a society in which men are brothers, then we must act towards one another with brotherhood. If we can build such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-rustin/if-we-desire-a-society-in-which-men-are-brothers-then-we-must-act/) [Bayard Rustin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-rustin/) > [When society is made up of men who know no interior solitude it can no longer be held together by love: and consequently it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/when-society-is-made-up-of-men-who-know-no-interior-solitude-it-can/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I said there was a society of men among us, bred up from their youth in the art of proving by words multiplied for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-said-there-was-a-society-of-men-among-us-bred-up-from-their-youth/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [A society in which men recognize no check upon their freedom soon becomes a society where freedom is the possession of only a savage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/a-society-in-which-men-recognize-no-check-upon-their-freedom-soon/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [If laying aside all worldly Greatness and Vain-Glory, I should be ask'd where I thought it was most probable that Men might enjoy true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-de-mandeville/if-laying-aside-all-worldly-greatness-and-vain-glory-i-should-be-ask/) [Bernard de Mandeville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-de-mandeville/) > [“Slavery does not merely mean a legalised form of subjection. It means a state of society in which some men are forced to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhimrao-ramji-ambedkar/slavery-does-not-merely-mean-a-legalised-form-of-subjection-it-means/) [Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhimrao-ramji-ambedkar/) > [In smart society men are jealous of one another after the fashion of women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/in-smart-society-men-are-jealous-of-one-another-after-the-fashion-of/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [In the society of men the truth resides now less in what things are than in what they are not. Our social realities are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/in-the-society-of-men-the-truth-resides-now-less-in-what-things-are/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [A state of society where men may not speak their minds cannot long endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/a-state-of-society-where-men-may-not-speak-their-minds-cannot-long/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [A great society is a society in which its men of business think greatly of their functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/a-great-society-is-a-society-in-which-its-men-of-business-think/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) ## More by Andrea Dworkin > [Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/heterosexual-intercourse-is-the-pure-formalized-expression-of/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [There is no place on earth, no day or night, no hour or minute, when one is not a Jew or a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/there-is-no-place-on-earth-no-day-or-night-no-hour-or-minute-when-one/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [Men are rewarded for learning the practice of violence in virtually any sphere of activity by money, admiration, recognition, respect, and the genuflection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/men-are-rewarded-for-learning-the-practice-of-violence-in-virtually/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [“Inferiority is not banal or incidental even when it happens to women. It is not a petty affliction like bad skin or circles under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/inferiority-is-not-banal-or-incidental-even-when-it-happens-to-women/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [“Critiques of rape, pornography, and prostitution are “sex-negative” without qualification or examination, perhaps because so many men use these ignoble routes of access and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/critiques-of-rape-pornography-and-prostitution-are-sex-negative/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [Surely the freedom of women must mean more to us than the freedom of pimps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/surely-the-freedom-of-women-must-mean-more-to-us-than-the-freedom-of/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [As I see it, our revolutionary task is to destroy phallic identity in men and masochistic non-identity in women--that is, to destroy the polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-i-see-it-our-revolutionary-task-is-to-destroy-phallic-identity-in/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [The will to domination is a ravenous beast. There are never enough warm bodies to satiate its monstrous hunger. Once alive, this beast grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-will-to-domination-is-a-ravenous-beast-there-are-never-enough/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [Feminism exists so that no woman ever has to face her abuser in isolation, alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminism-exists-so-that-no-woman-ever-has-to-face-her-abuser-in/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [“people ask, well, dont sweet things happen? yes, indeed, many sweet things, but sweet doesnt keep you from dying, making love doesnt keep you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/people-ask-well-dont-sweet-things-happen-yes-indeed-many-sweet-things/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [Feminism is a political practice of fighting male supremacy on behalf of women as a class, including all the women you don't like, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminism-is-a-political-practice-of-fighting-male-supremacy-on-behalf/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [As long as there is rape... there is not going to be any peace or justice or equality or freedom. You are not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-long-as-there-is-rape-there-is-not-going-to-be-any-peace-or/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [Pornography reveals that male pleasure is inextricably tied to victimizing, hurting, exploiting; that sexual fun and sexual passion in the privacy of the male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/pornography-reveals-that-male-pleasure-is-inextricably-tied-to/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [The man takes a body that is not his, claims it, sows his so-called seed, reaps a harvest - he colonizes a female body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-man-takes-a-body-that-is-not-his-claims-it-sows-his-so-called/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [We have a double standard, which is to say, a man can show how much he cares by being violent-see, he's jealous, he cares-a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/we-have-a-double-standard-which-is-to-say-a-man-can-show-how-much-he/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) [Explore all 186 Andrea Dworkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) ## More Authenticity quotes > [“the property that grounded the self in Romanticism was sincerity, and in modernism was authenticity, then in postmod ernism it is visibility.10”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-property-that-grounded-the-self-in-romanticism-was-sincerity-and/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Real artists offer authenticity, not just money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhymefest/real-artists-offer-authenticity-not-just-money/) [Rhymefest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhymefest/) > [“I figure the more people think I'm just mildly weird, the less likely they are to know how weird I really am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-hooyenga/i-figure-the-more-people-think-i-m-just-mildly-weird-the-less-likely/) Melanie Hooyenga > [I think people can read authenticity and they know when you're involved and when you're just slapping your name on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/i-think-people-can-read-authenticity-and-they-know-when-you-re/) [La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/) > [“I strive for authenticity even though it brings with it vulnerability and the inevitable judgment of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-r-w-lee/i-strive-for-authenticity-even-though-it-brings-with-it-vulnerability/) [L.R.W. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-r-w-lee/) > [Children go where they find sincerity and authenticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/children-go-where-they-find-sincerity-and-authenticity/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Anything that I ever do is from the heart and authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/anything-that-i-ever-do-is-from-the-heart-and-authentic/) [Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/) > [What I love about Nivea is they're all about authenticity. The brand isn't pretending to be anything it isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/what-i-love-about-nivea-is-they-re-all-about-authenticity-the-brand/) [Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/) > [There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man's faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-which-so-certifies-the-genuineness-of-a-man-s-faith/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're really famous, there's very little authenticity in people, so you prefer the company of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/when-you-re-really-famous-there-s-very-little-authenticity-in-people/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [“We could not be fulfilled if we weren't inauthentic some of the time—inauthentic, that is, in relation to such things as our passing desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-could-not-be-fulfilled-if-we-weren-t-inauthentic-some-of-the-time/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [No man knows the genuineness of his convictions until he has sacrificed something for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/no-man-knows-the-genuineness-of-his-convictions-until-he-has/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) [Browse all 1,437 Authenticity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We think that we live in a heterosexual society because most men are fixated on women as sexual objects; but, in fact, we live ina homosexual society because all credible transactions of power, authority, and authenticity take place among men; all transactions based on equity and individuality take place among men. 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