Machismo!

We all know that machismo is part of male Latino culture. How do Spanish men rate their machismo compared to the men in other Latino countries? Are Spaniards macho? (Macho...Macho...man...I've got to be....a macho man!)

Define for me what machismo is.

Is he the type that believes that women belongs in the kitchen or making babies? Is he tough guy that will kick someone ass or would not backdown to a policeofficer? Is he the type that makes cats calls and grabs his joystick as a women walks by? Is he the type the drinks until he falls off the bar stool? Is he the type that drives over the speed limit?

For me Machismo guys are the guys that get up everyday go to work and work hard to put food on their family's table. They strive to make a better life for their family and not for themselves. Those type of guys have machismo!

Bill

I can't address the perspective of a Spanish man and how he rates his machismo as compared to men of other Spanish-speaking countries because I am not a native of Spain. My observations cause me to agree with Bill_in_NYC for the most part. Spain is and was a European country even before its membership in the European Union. Spaniards are more European than Latino. I think you may find that machismo attitude more among Gypsies than the General Population.

Even this Yanqui has sat at a Terraza in Madrid tirando piropos at pretty ladies as they strolled by. I don't consider that machismo. Machismo is what the lumberjacks in Cantabria had, the ones my Host tried to get me to wrestle with, the bomberos fighting forest fires, the Guardias who run ski patrols and rescues in the mountains ... Then, as the season ends, they race among themselves.

Like a lot of us, Spanish men rate their machismo by how well their futbol team is doing. I find it amusing that you include a verse from a song done by 'the Village People ...

Machismo has alot to due with attitude, not with being a jerk as in Bill's description of a stereotypical example. Yes, toughness is associated with machismo. It is an amplified display of male behavior. It also affects how they view women. In Latino countries men due expect women to be homemakers. There is a certain attitude of being privileged for being men. In Latin countries boys are favored over girls and their mothers treat them like princes, (I can testify to that! ).

I guess my question really is, do Spanish men view themselves as being tough? Im not refering to the devoted family man that provides for his family. Do they preceive themselves as being macho or dandies? How do other countries view Spanish men, also...how do women view Spanish men?

OK, instead of "philosophiing" about it, I'll share a couple of two machista moments that I've experienced and can recall right now.

A few years back, during the course of a job interview for a secretarial position, I was asked if I was in a relationship (this is very common, I used to get it ALL the time, although it's possible that nowdays it's not so normal, I haven't been asked this so often recently (could be out of PCness or because I'm older and therefore more "imposing", who knows...)). Anyway, I said; yes, I was; and the questions continued, until I was told that the position would required me to accompany my Chinese boss on trips on a regular basis, twice a month or so....to my surprise the next question was: will YOUR PARTNER have a problem with that?
???
I lost all interest on the job right there and then and never knew if they were genuinely "concerned" about my relationship, in which case they shoud have asked if the trips would inconvenience ME somehow, not him!, or....if the job was totally bogus and there was more to it to those little escapades with the boss!
Machismo either way, in my book.

The second incident was more disgraceful.
I was on a taxi cab during a longish ride, having a nice, casual conversation with the driver, a little, affable man, and, obviously, he was feeling very confortable talking to me as well because the radio was on and when a couple of news about two women having been brutally murdered by their respective husbands or ex-partners, he, suddenly looking annoyed, said how he was so tired of having to hear those kind of news, that wife-battering was something that had always taken place and he didn't understand why these days the press and some people made a big fuss about it, when it was no biggie, really; there were several much more pressing issues to tackle, therefore to report these incidents was simply daft.
Trying to control my surprise, I asked if he would think it a "nuisance" if his own daughter suffered that kind of treatment (I got this personal since he had been telling me how worried he was that his sons couldn't find a proper job...)...
Anyway, we continued talking for maybe a couple of minutes, my stomach turning, until I said; well, I'm afraid you've chosen the wrong person to discuss this matter with, since my sister and her baby had to live in shelters for battered women in Wales and England for fear of their lives a while ago; to what he gave the typical, ridiculous statement that one hears from certain men once in a while: then, surely SHE must have done something, behaved badly or mistreated her man in the first place, to deserve it.
I asked to be let out of the car.

I agree that being macho is more of an attitude. To me, it does not include beating your woman, but it does mean that ultimately the man is in charge and if the couple is married, the man should be the head of the household. If you think of yourself as a "50/50 guy" then no, you are not very macho. I think if you have to ask a list of questions as Bill from NYC did, then no, you are not very macho.

If you have to ask someone if you are macho, or ask what it means - then no you are not very macho! Haha...

Being macho or having a macho attitude isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's an attitude of being manly, self confident, being proud of your manhood. Western countries have tried to reshape or remold men into something they are not, as soft, emotional, having to get in touch with their "feminine side". How many women want this type of man? Not many, they can get that from their female friends. What women want is for men to be men. That doesn't mean mistreating women, being drunks, having to prove their manliness by doing stupid things.

To be macho, means to be a man! Plain and simple. No wimps, no dandies, no bullies or cowards. Some countries have reputations for their men being macho such as Mexico and Italy. I still haven't gotten any good responses how Spanish men view themselves.

I'm spanish and I don't care about being a "macho", even when I wear sun glasses.

Things have changed here a lot in the past 10-15 years. "Machismo" is very related to age. Elders usually are (not because men consider themselves machos, it's because they are used to women serving them and letting them assuming all decisions). And my generation (I'm 26) usually not, but younger people, maybe under latin-american influence, are again a little bit more "machistas".

It also depends on education. The people I know have a carreer or at least they have attended to high school. But there are lots of people that lives like 50 years ago. No studies, no books... It's usually to see in those families some kind of machismo.

But I can tell you I'm a girl and I never gave the chance to any man to suppose they are better than me because of their sex. And I've just suffer this kind of thing once (I was buying a PC and they told me if I needed them to plug it... no comments).

Well, now I'm remembering one night, waiting for the bus... a latin-american boy completely drunk aproached to me. He told me something like he wanted to have something with me. I ignored him. Then he told me something... I can't remember exactly. It was like I was too fat and I needed to look prettier to flirt with him. Something weird. I laughed and get into the bus.

But men here, thinking they are the most machos are not common. The average man is quite normal. Unfortunately there are some of them hitting their wifes and involving in fights.

I think following these opinions we can conclude that by definition a macho will say he is the most macho compared to other cultures - perhaps your answer was there all along, OP.

Spaniards are more European than Latino????
Latino is a term referring to all latin based countries really so it is more ample than just Spanish. And Latino came with the Romans language so its European before there were Spaniards.....

as to Macho, its the fact that we (I am spanish) perceived as the main breadwinner of the house,the one with authority on household matters. NOthing to do with being cool or strong or woman beater; thats hollywood stuff. Historically the woman stay home and the men went out to find food;now it is more even. Now you got Broads!or Hembras!