The Relationship Between Power And Love In The Bell Hooks

The experience of love is one that cannot be described. It can, however, be analyzed in hopes of figuring out what a healthy love looks like and means. The relationship between power and love is looked at closely in the Bell Hooks reading. In her piece, she explores the idea of the patriarchy as well as any power discrepancies that may exist in relationships. Additionally, Smith writes about capitalism and the power that comes along the patriarchy that can easily be translated to problems that occur in relationships.
On page 93 of the Bell Hooks reading, she says that the idea of love can be corrupted by power. "Cultures of domination rely on cultivation of fear as a sure way of obedience. In our society we make much of love and say little about fear. Yet we are all terribly afraid most of the time. As a culture we are obsessed with the notion of safety. Yet we do not question why we live in states of anxiety and dread. Fear is the primary source upholding structures of domination. It promotes the desire …show more content…
“While the contemporary feminist movement has done much to intervene with this kind of thinking, challenging and changing it, and by so doing offering women and men a chance to lead more fulfilling lives, patriarchal thinking is still the norm for those in power,” she says. Herein lies a similarity to Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations” where he discusses the topic of capitalism in great detail. Our capitalistic society has been run by the patriarchy from the beginning. This is where corruption can come in terms of love and power. In a relationship,women can often become followers of their man instead of their equal due to our society which sets up feelings of inferiority for women. This is why it’s important that we start to rid society of the domination of the patriarchy because relationships cannot be healthy if one feels their partner is superior to