For this week, being part of Group B, I read Roberto Duran, Omar Torrijos, and the Rise of Isthmian Machismo. From prior courses I’ve taken at Appalachian State, specifically Colonial Latin America, I already possessed, though limited, some knowledge of the subject regarding what machismo really is and why it is seen as so important, especially in Latin nations. Machismo, being defined as someone who, “possesses an enormous appetite for sex with a variety of women and the ability to drink, party, and fornicate long into the night… an aversion to homosexuality or any perceived feminine comportment completes this image of unadulterated male ferocity.” With this definition in mind, this overtly masculine way of acting isn’t always a positive attribute, and seems to be less of one today than ever before, however this doesn’t mean that it’s totally viewed negatively.
On the flip side of the machismo is “Authentic Machismo,” a term coined by theorist A. Rolando Andrade which states that the authentic machismo is, ” An honest man who seeks to carry out his responsibilities to the best of his ability, the man who loves an tries to take care of his family.” These two definitions being rather polar opposites to one another exposes an underlying cultural issue. Torrijos used machismo (Duran being the symbol of such) and altered it to align with their goals and ambitions, it was a tool used to garner supporters while also suppressing those who weren’t up to par with the unrealistic (and quite hedonistic) standards. Authentic Machismo represents traditional Christian masculinity which rather than focusing on promiscuity and partying, was used to create strong paternal figures who were devout as much to their faith as they were to supporting and protecting their families.
It is of note that the reason machismo even came to be this rather hyper-masculine thing was due to Panama as a nation being seen as weak, effeminate, and unable to provide for and/or defend themselves during the early twentieth century. The pendulum always swings the other way, in time, machismo would be seen as the answer to fix the identity crisis of the nation. Overall, the read was quite quick and very insightful, going into it, I knew very little about the less appealing aspects of machismo and it’s cultural and political usages during the twentieth century. It is also interesting to see how this “machismo culture” is still very much alive and well today in modern sports, especially in combat sports (unsurprisingly), and how very little regarding what is machismo means has changed.
