Journal Entry 1

• Marianismo, the female component of machismo, is a very interesting topic. In my opinion, it is a reflection of male dominance of females in Latin American culture with the perception of the Virgin Mary as the female ideal. It is a sad yet stalwart viewpoint that reflects the suppression of females. Although the reading talks about it being more prevalent in Latin America, I believe that one could trace it roots to the Reconquista of Spain. In those days it was far more common for a woman to lose a husband or a son in battle due to the ongoing state of warfare for 700 years in the Iberian Peninsula.
• One thing that is interesting in the differences between Latin America and Spain is the etymology of language. If I may be a bit crude, I find it interesting that in Spain a common colloquialism is “hijo de puta”, or son of a bitch, whereas in Latin America (especially Mexico) the more common saying is “hijo de la chingada”, or, literally translated, “son of the fucked one”. One can easily see the metaphor in the Conquista of the New World by Spain and its subjugation of the Latin American indigenous population.
• Although this may sound sexist, I do believe that male-based warfare has its roots in biology for the simple reason that a MAN is necessary for reproduction, but MEN are not; meaning that the loss of part of the male population in warfare does not necessarily mean as great of a loss in reproductive capabilities as it would if the same amount of women were lost in warfare. I am not saying that this is morally correct or not chauvinistic, but simply biology; however, with the advent of population control in many western societies, this reasoning for the exclusion of women from combat no longer holds up.