I had intended to write an article about how contemporary culture regards human nature in relation to institutions. But I happened to watch an episode of Johnny Carson with the actor Fernando Lamas. The interview with Lamas inspired me to account for perception of masculinity. An understanding of the misperception of masculinity will give a foundation for the next article on view of man in relation to institutions.
Lamas recognized that there is a horrible misconception in modern culture by thinking macho means as he put it, “to be the heavyweight champion of the world or to slap a woman around, all the wrong things.” He clarified the original meaning of the word by saying, “To be macho is to be a man, to be a man is to be able to laugh to cry to embrace an other man if you love him without any hand-ups about it, to cope with situations that are difficult, to protect your woman… a man could go to see a ballet today and a football game tomorrow.”
In Spanish and Latin American cultures machismo was a moral ideal for males, involving the characteristics of honor, responsibility, perseverance and courage. Lamas describes a macho man as a person who not only has virtue but also who is comfortable in his skin, comfortable in being human. His description comes close to Francis Schaeffer’s idea of the manniness of man. The unfortunate fact is such character is not nurtured by the modern organization of society.
American mass culture has created a gross macho-man stereotype. When I did a web for this article the most common definition of macho was: a man who is virile and sexually active promiscuous, showing aggressive pride in one’s masculinity. The social patterned defect has estranged men from the wholeness of their nature. The alienation is reflected often in transgressions of contemporary music. Shakespeare’s characterization of the alienated man,”The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; The motions of his spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music,” is accepted as a norm. The degraded view of man as a predatorial creature has subverted Christianity into a nihilistic mystical form. Man is is no longer respected to do any good. The preservation of the dignity of man which was the hallmark of the Christian influence on the American Revolution is forfeited for a life boat ethic of saving souls. Such men would never wrestle an angel as Jacob did for the blessing of Israel.
In the modern world men have lost respect for their nature. They have lost sight of the fact that in a well balance nature, what C.S. Lewis called the Chest-Maganimity-Sentiment, one is able to discern much of what is good and bad. The debunking of masculinity has lead to a schizoid culture split between cold sterilization and transgressive vulgarity. Today it is difficult to find men who have the whole sense of being macho, but one I know is the author Miguel A. Fernandez. In a sense the aim of my art has been macho, painting images that protect females to be feminine, preserving beauty to be beautiful.