Macho insults “return political women to private life”

“Political violence against women”

For Paloma Román Marugán, director of the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) School of Government, these insults “Political violence against women” and “What’s behind all this? the understanding that women are intruders in the political world and yet you have to throw it away”. She adds that such talk is intended to “injure and arouse hatred” and that it is common for women to be exposed to it “when they come forward a little for doing good or bad.” And that kind of attitude one of the most common reasons for leaving political careers Ladies”.

“Colau and Báñez would be better “cleaning the floors” or “doing cross-stitch”“

Some statements from 2016 stand out against the idea that women should not participate in political life. Ada Colau (at Comú Podem), a PP councilor came and said, “In a serious and healthy society, I’d be cleaning the floors and not as mayor of Barcelona”. Also against the former minister fatma banez (PP) By Jesús Ferrara, former Secretary of the PSOE Organization in Huelva:I better do cross stitch”.

Political scientist and political communications consultant Mireia Castelló “Insults against men not allowed” and they often target women who take advantage of the situation. your age factor (no matter how young or how old), their sexual orientation, origin, and even social class.

The infantilization of women: “Abolish girlish authority”

Former Equality Ministers Bibiana Aido and Leire Pajin They also shared the profile and positions of young politicians at the time with Montero. They were also subjected to harsh macho attacks.

“A public discourse on women has been well studied; infantilization” points out Susana Guerrero, professor of Spanish Language at the University of Malaga and head of the R+D+i project. Metalinguistic discourse on “women and language” (Dismuprene). “It’s a road Take away authority like when we take it from a girl small. “Sometimes, in public, women are treated like minors without the right to speak and vote,” she adds.

“Montero and the “slumber party” or “friend trip”“

When Montero went to New York with other heads of his ministry, there were leaders who said he “carried his pajama party there” and was “out on a trip with friends.” In this sense, in order to determine whether a discourse is sexist, Guerrero proposes the “investment rule”what’s this? changing the focus of criticism for a man or try to find other similar references to events perpetrated by men in political criticism.

He emphasizes, “We did not come across a pajama party held by men when they made thousands of business trips,” but although this is very “obvious”, he points to the following fact: there is a “very clear bias” regarding seemingly neutral insults What “useless” or “immature”it very rarely appeals to men and much more to women because “It is easier to reject a woman” and with it his entire administration or career, because “the field of politics has traditionally been masculine.” “This language is finally It is believed that the prestige of the male is more than the disgrace of the female.”.

Castelló also highlights the factor of leading the Ministry of Equality. “cruelty” Against female politicians for “everything symbolic and administrative this Ministry stands for” and for its “undoubted commitment to machoma”.

In addition personal situations Regarding the Minister’s private life use as a weapon accepted by some “woman”. Something that already happened with the former mayor of Madrid Master Bottle (PP) When she received criticism from Pablo Iglesias, the former leader of Podemos: “The Impromptu embodies being a wife in its name.”

The “misconceptions” spilled when “arguments are missing”

In terms of political communication, Castelló points out that it’s about. “language traps” when the word is “the most important tool that politics has”. He states that these traps were “already studied by the Greek classics”. trying to win arguments or arguments”. One of the biggest “misconceptions” in this language is “ad hominem” or uses the personal characteristics of the enemy. Currently this may “go viral” or create a ‘zasca’, but not a real sparring This is what citizens expect from politicians”.

This type of strategy includes: insultagainst the opponent in general, not just macho. try with it “Depress the enemy, undermine his self-respect, and make fun of him. about themselves and undermines their authority”, explains Castelló. In the case of sexist insults, they are used to attack things that the offender “deems to be somehow weak”, namely women.

According to Marugán, these insults are “unacceptable” and ” absence of other more robust critical arguments” pertaining to a person’s management, activity, or political decision.

“Cross all lines” to normalize macho rhetoric

All political parties on Thursday condemned Vox’s words They opposed Montero and denounced that they “crossed all boundaries” with these insults. However, before this “Macho behavior is piling up” to whom “probably they did not give due importance” and the problem is that “from the first explosion not answered correctlythat these behaviors eventually “grow” and “normalized” shift.

“Machismo was introduced to the public so that it could eventually be normalized.“

Castelló goes further and says that certain parties deliberately raise these “controversial” topics or insults ( theory extreme window) because although it causes a “momentary scandal” because it is seen as “unbearable” by the society, it increasingly serves to “normalize”: “Red lines such as preposterous things and machismo are presented to the public, which can eventually be normalized.

“Giving wings to reproduce these messages in society“

The problem, as the sociologist and doctor Bárbara Triguero in feminist and gender studies revealed to TVE, is that what is transferred from public office to society is that they have the “freedom” to say and do “whatever they want”. “Wings are given to reproduce these messages in social networks and in society at large,” he adds. And he thinks the problem with everything is that there is nothing. no “sanctions” or “results” type To those who voiced these insults by institutions saying “no, this will not be allowed”: “The political system should be reviewed.”

For his part, Guerrero points out: language used in public spaces has “too much power”. “Socializing, educating us, and much more if it comes from the media by people in authority.” Marugan agrees. The media has “a lot of responsibility” what is transferred to the citizen and their obligation to contextualize: “Macho insults are a damn message.