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Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
I don't believe the patriarchy exists, and is simply used as a tool to silence criticism of feminism.

Alright, I would like to start this CMV by stating that I do think feminism is necessary in our society. Girls everywhere are faced with discrimination due to their gender in overt and covert forms, and the feminist movement has been good for combating said discrimination.

That said, I don't believe the "patriarchy" is a real thing as of the year 2013. So far as I am aware, the patriarchy is a catch all term for male privilege and the causes, ideologies, and actions that uphold and advance said privilege. Sure, the patriarchy may have existed in the past, but it has been wiped out, or at least reduced to a role of irrelevancy.

First of all, the concept of the patriarchy doesn't make a ton of sense in terms of advancing the position of men. MRA's and similar groups often note the ways in which men are disadvantaged: Higher suicide rates, forced conscription, cultural expectations to be the bread winners, higher incarceration rates, imbalanced divorce/custody courts, lower education rates, and a lack of identity. Why would the patriarchy set up these factors to intentionally hurt men? Assume the goal is male dominance, why would the patriarchy set up disadvantages for men such as these?

Another thing I've noticed is that often feminists sight the patriarchy and/or male privileges for discrimination against them; we've all heard the arguments about wage discrepancy, traditional gender roles, and rape culture. However, it appears wage discrepancy today is more of a cultural thing than overt discrimination; men naturally flow into higher earning fields of work such as STEM. Where I feel this falls apart is that any girl can enter a STEM field if she chooses and face little resistance, but a straight male entering a traditionally "feminine" field such as dance or women's studies faces heavy resistance from both men and women. And although rape is a serious issue, I feel that those who are convicted receive heavy punishments (usually lengthy jail time). Why would the patriarchy seek to limit men in these ways? If it truly was about making men dominant, wouldn't it seek to give men complete freedoms while limiting the same freedoms in women?

Ultimately, I feel like this is where the idea of the patriarchy falls apart; both genders are limited in certain ways, it isn't simply men dominating over women for their own gain. 

So what relevance does this have to modern feminism? I feel that the concept of the patriarchy is used to suppress any criticism of feminism. As a straight male I am not allowed to question feminism, because I am part of the patriarchy and therefore my male privilege blinds me. I find this is extremely restrictive to discussion about the aims of feminism, where it succeeds, and where it fails.

EDIT: Something I forgot in the original post, which I meant to comment on. A lot of people state that the issues men face are a result of the patriarchy assigning gender roles to men as well as women. I can agree with this. There are even men out there who are currently fighting these gender roles, not unlike women did "back in the day". However, whenever somebody even suggests discussing the possibility that men face issues, the response they usually receive is "well you're privileged so shut up/women have it worse, quit bitching". I have observed this happen twice relatively close to home for me: Once at University of Toronto, where a "MRA" lecture was barricaded by feminists, and then again even more recently at Ryerson university (also in Toronto), when students suggesting a new group to examine mens issues was immediately shut down. 

Now, where these groups raising legitimate points or just spouting misogyny? We'll never know unfortunately, because the concept of "privilege" was used as a tool to prevent men from voicing their opinions. This is where I have a large complaint; women are allowed to discuss their issues and work towards a solution, but any male attempting to discuss an issue is instantly shut down by the more militant side of feminism.
gpt
>Assume the goal is male dominance, why would the patriarchy set up disadvantages for men such as these?

>Why would the patriarchy seek to limit men in these ways?

You seem to be thinking of the patriarchy in terms of a grand conspiracy that's pulling strings to make life better for men at the disadvantage of women.

In reality, when feminists refer to "patriarchy" they are referring more to the historic dominance of males in society and the lasting cultural implications of that dominance. These implications (are seen to) disadvantage women in favor of men, but they can also hurt men (see: your point about men taking on "feminine" roles in society). In reality, no one is pulling the strings.