By patriarchy, I mean male supremacy; I mean a society where every avenue of power – especially mainstream institutions of power – is overwhelmingly dominated by men.
As the Olympic torch relay – itself a creation of the Nazis, first employed in the Berlin games - makes its way down Speer Jr's avenue of power, the world will once again be made to witness a triumph of the totalitarian will.
Sexual impotence is the worst thing that can happen to a man only in a society in which almost every other avenue of power is closed - except, of course, the tyranny of domestic violence against women and children and bullying at work.
In the last few years novel experimental methodologies have been introduced, opening to researchers in the field novel avenues of unprecedented power.
None of those avenues to power have been ignored by the Democrats, but the Republicans have stayed with them and fortified them far more intently.
Their skepticism of the traditional avenues to power and access revealed these women's individualism and assertiveness, and it showed a keen understanding of black womanhood and its role in politics that almost seems prophetic in hindsight.
Since his main avenue of earning power was cut off stateside in what poker circles call Black Friday, he has made $700,000, including nearly $214,000 for triumphing in a World Poker Tour event at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in August.
Other avenues of exploration are battery power, bio-diesel made from vegetable oil and methanol, liquid petroleum gas, liquefied natural gas, compressed natural gas and hybrid engines that supplement fossil fuel power with electric power.
Outside, Red Square remains a potent symbol of power - and grand avenues rippling from the centre are punctuated with mighty skycrapers.
What is clear is that Zanu-PF is still trying to control things through all avenues of state machinery, even when power has slipped from their hands.
