9 Ways In Which Machismo Transforms Us Into Psychopaths
When we think about the concept of “machismo”, it is easy for us to imagine a man who expresses clearly sexist opinions about the role that women should have as caregivers of the home and children.
However, it has long been known that machismo is not just a series of beliefs about what relationships between men and women should be like. It doesn’t just appear by directly displaying unpopular opinions; It arises in our way of behaving and relating. It is in the actions, not in the words.
That is why, many times, the hurtful nature of machismo is hidden; It is seen as something totally normal not because it does not cause pain (it does) nor because it is fair (it is not), but because it is difficult for us to imagine another way of relating to the female gender. It has become normal not to empathize with women act towards them just as a psychopath would.
This is how machismo makes us psychopaths towards women
Below we will see several attitudes, practices and behaviors that, Despite being a way of treating women as an object, they are part of our daily lives
1. Expect a reward for treating the woman like a human being
Psychopaths are characterized by being able to manage any personal relationship following a logic of costs and benefits. That is, practically everything they do when being with someone makes sense as part of a more or less concrete strategy to obtain something in return
This is something that happens a lot these days in the way men try to get along with women. Not explicitly belittling is perceived as a competitive window to have against a large number of men, and that means it can be used to ask for something in return.
For example, the concept of “frienzone” is often is used for emotional blackmail in this sense, overlooking that friendship is not something that should be used to buy people.
2. Forcing situations in which it is too difficult to say no
Although it is slow, progress exists, and that is why more and more people are clear that rape is something aberrant in all cases (although it is hard to believe, this idea is relatively recent). However, actions that closely resemble this type of imposition of will directed against women continue to be normalized.
An example of this has to do with “flirting” techniques commonly used by men and which have in common create such a violent situation in which saying no costs much This can consist of both blurring the boundaries of personal space (with hugs that were initially going to be brief but end up becoming longer) or creating an atmosphere so unpleasant that accepting any request is the easiest way out (for example, through very personal and uncomfortable questions).
The idea is placing women in a clear situation of inferiority leaving her with no room to negotiate what is acceptable and what is not.
This practice is another of those subtle ways that are used to annul women and consists of acting as if everything that happens in the dialogues with them occurred in a little theater, something that means nothing and from which we can move away to address the people who do have enough intelligence to understand what is happening.
4. Acting as if every woman should give up her time to meet a man
It is systematic: no one is surprised if while walking down the street we do not want to stop for a second to receive an advertising brochure for a new business that has opened in the area, but it is unacceptable that a woman does not want to pay attention for several minutes to give the opportunity to a man who wants to present himself In the same way that psychopaths can approach any relationship as a puzzle in which the goal is to get what one wants, in these types of interactions the woman’s initial disposition does not matter; Only the end you want to reach matters.
5. Blaming the woman for her feelings
The emotional sphere has always been associated with the feminine, and that means that it can be interpreted as a sign of weakness. For example, female workers are often belittled by assuming that they care more about people than cold business goals. This happens even with female bosses.
6. Using your sexuality against you
Much of the way we have learned to conceive female sexuality is based on a belief that is as irrational as it is harmful: If you are not a man and you want to live your sexuality, you lose rights and dignity
That is, the simple knowledge that a woman is not totally alien to sexual life can be used against her, either to humiliate her or to restrict her freedom under the pretext of protecting her. Any excuse is good to subjugate a person who is not assigned to the male gender.
7. Using your “purity” against you
If the previous option cannot be exploited because there are no obvious signs that a woman does not fit the role of sexual object, that can also be a reason to attack her.
As? There are different strategies: from treating it as something that has no value because it is “disconnected” from its supposed function as a machine to reproduce and breed, to pointing out that Not investing time and effort in awakening the interest of men detracts from its value
8. Value women only for their aesthetics
This goes far beyond the tendency we have to look at people’s appearance to decide what attitude we will take towards them, something we often fall into regardless of what the other person is like. In the case of women, furthermore, machismo contributes to the physical being the one that describes his personality their aspirations and interests.
In other words, the woman is perceived as an animated mannequin, specifically programmed to direct her thinking towards the area in which the mannequin works: attracting, offering a good image, etc.
9. Blaming the victim of gender violence
It is still very common hold victims of sexual harassment or rape accountable for what happened to them The reason for this is that doing anything else would mean taking full responsibility for a serious social and structural problem, while ignoring it and keeping women’s safety needs aside is more comfortable.
