Amid all the lamentation about the upcoming Dutch radical-right coalition, there is fortunately still something to laugh about in The Hague, the house of parliament. A little while ago, I saw a video of politician Thierry Baudet on behalf of his party Forum for Democracy blustering in parliament that, above all, we should eat more meat instead of less, because animal products are essential for a good diet. And that tedious “vegetarianisation” accompanied by the “feminisation of European mankind” is something Forum for Democracy is totally against. Long live machismo!
“We are the party of meat-eaters, fish-eaters, the party of the traditional primal diet of man” said the Forum for Democracy-frontman. In the message, he briefly promotes – at Dutch taxpayers’ expense – his company that sells meat/meal-boxes filled with ‘honest meat, fish and dairy’.
In the video, Baudet is also lifting dumbbells to work on his muscles. And of course, you only develop muscles on a diet full of animal proteins, one of the most common misconceptions about diet and bodybuilding. The combination of male muscularity and meat consumption is something we often see. After all, ‘real’ men eat meat; preferably red and bloody. What Baudet actually wants to say when he talks about the ‘vegetarisation’ and ‘feminisation’ of Europeans is that the pursuit of more plant-based food is something for losers. And men should no longer be ‘real men’ but degenerate into slavish, salad-eating wimps.
Feminist Spain
Spain is a country well on its way to ‘feminisation’ and insists on wanting to be feminist. Socialist Prime Minister Sanchez and leftist-progressive politicians regularly talk about a ‘feminist Spain’ in their speeches. At the same time, animal products (sobrasada, sepia a la plancha, jamón ibérico, manchego..no mention a few) are the heart of Spanish cuisine and the Spaniard’s ‘vegetarianisation’ is miles away. So the two do not necessarily go hand in hand. And yet, thanks to the persistence of former left-progressive minister of Equality, Irene Montero, a feminist Spain has managed to make a good start in the land of bloody bullfights.
Feminism that rejects Spanish macho culture, in which men are central and the traditional division of roles between men and women is no longer taken for granted. Feminism that manifests itself, if anything, through attention to violence against women, or ‘violencia machista’, because macho culture expresses itself often enough in unwanted, aggressive behaviour towards women.
Punto Violeta
For a while now, I have been seeing purple signs on Mallorca, where I live. At schools, cafes, restaurants, in all kinds of public places. Every village has these purple signs stating that there is no place for ‘machismo’ (‘masclisme’ in Catalan, the first language on Mallorca).
Here is an example of such a purple sign in a local café (a ‘Punto Violeta’):
This purple sign has a link to information on what ‘violencia machista’ means, how to recognise it and what to do as a victim.
Male violence
‘Violencia machista’ is any action against women that results in harm or suffering and manifests itself in different forms of violence: physical, psychological, sexual, digital and economic. It takes place within marriage/relationships, within families, in the workplace, socially or within a community.
Certain behaviours, attitudes or comments are manifestations of gender-based violence by partners or ex-partners, such as: being ignored, disdaining and ridiculing women, being humiliated privately or publicly, scolding and insulting, (physical) threats, isolation from family and/or friends, forcing intercourse and exerting control. It goes from subtle, rather invisible to more explicit and visible actions. For example: sexist humour and language, to ignoring and emotional blackmail, ending in aggressive physical behaviour up to manslaughter.
Femicide
Last year, 58 women were killed by this kind of violence. In recent months, 11 women have been killed by violence for being women, also known as femicide, mostly by (ex-) partners. Six (victims and perpetrators) are from Spain. Five from other countries; from which countries they are, isn’t mentioned on the Spanish government’s website on gender-based violence. Just more than a week ago, on 19 May in Barcelona, a 29-year-old woman was killed by partner violence. Since 2003, the year that femicides have begun to be registered, 1.255 women have been killed.
Violencia machista thus goes from subtle, invisible, to more explicit and visible violence. This is the so-called pyramid of violence against women, which is deeply embedded in a patriarchal society. Other serious forms of violence against women include human trafficking and genetic mutilation.
One in two women in Spain are presumed to face male violence in her life. If you encounter gender-based violence, a dedicated phone number is available for information and to get help. Also if you witness such violence. The purple signs pointing you in the right direction on this issue appear in many places around the island.
Another example of Spain’s ‘feminisation’ is that female workers can now claim leave for serious menstrual complaints. This makes Spain the first country in Europe.
And, of course, at least half of the Spanish coalition are women.
Coercive kiss
These are just some facts of the ‘feminisation’ of Spain. For some an abomination, for others it’s a sign of progress. Not wanted anyway by some right-wing conservative politicians who complain that men are currently discriminated against with the emphasis on gender equality and the political focus of violence against women. It all would go too far. Remember, for example, all the fuss caused by the ‘coercive kiss’ last year. The intimate kiss that the former president of the Royal Spanish Football Association, Luis Rubiales, gave to football star Jennifer Hermoso when the Spanish women’s football team won the world title. A sentence of two years and six months in prison has now been demanded for that coercive kiss.
Deafening silence
Irene Montero, the Spanish ex-minister of equality (now up for election to the European Parliament), was the same politician who took her seat in the Spanish congress wearing a Keffiyeh scarf and hammered on the boycott of Israel with her colleague, Ione Belarra. On 7 October last year, when Israeli women were brutally kidnapped, tortured and raped in broad daylight by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, both women were deafeningly silent. Apparently, the fight against violence against women was and is less relevant to them when Jewish and/or Israeli women are the victims. This painful silence is striking, but it fits within the far-left ideology of their party, Podemos.
Bullfights
Meanwhile, machismo is far from being wiped out in Spain. Bullfights still take place, for instance, and in Mallorca, bullfighting – influenced by right-wing conservative municipal policies – is even expanding rather than diminishing. This machismo is mainly a popular entertainment of the older generation and also by tourists. However, a majority of Spaniards want to get rid of this sadistic ‘tradition’.
But other ‘bull festivals’ also take place in Spain. San Fermin in Pamplona is perhaps the most famous annual festival where bulls run through narrow streets, chased by daredevils, all young men, to eventually the bullring, where the tormented animals are gruesomely killed later in the day. You and I pay for this cruelty through generous subsidies by the European Union. During the San Fermin festival, which is full of testosterone and machismo, young women are often harassed.
So there’s a lot of work to be done to ban these evil Spanish traditions that are essentially drenched in machismo. Conservative forces with their so-called traditions and culture as weapons will always try to fight that. They won’t let the last bit of Spanish machismo be taken away so easily.
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This week published on Reporters Online (Dutch):
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Whatever it will be, mile gracias!!
Con Amor,
Eva
☆evalunes 