Machismo and Uselessness

Since the workers on the farm consist of Marcelo (40 ish?), Pato (39), and David (23), we get hit on quite a bit. Taryn and I have both been to Latin American countries so we both knew that men flirt relentlessly with any female that’s in front of them. This can include whistling when we take our sweatshirts off, staring directly at our butts, or making sexual jokes about us. I never feel threatened by any of these because I know men here are held to a different standard than men in the US or some European countries. When men whistle or say something, you simply ignore it and take it as a compliment. Of course, this can get out of hand, but I never felt uncomfortable on the farm.

Even Marcelo who is married and definitely not into us will whistle and joke along with Pato and David. Pato is a different story entirely- he likes his women older and is not afraid to tell us all his stories. Although some people in the US will scoff at the actions of these men, this is simply what they know culturally. There is no reason for me to get upset over a whistle when I know it’s a way of joking around with us. I cannot hold men here to the standards of men in the US because they are two different cultures. That being said, there is a line between harmless flirting and harassment and it takes a bit of time and experience to differentiate between the two.

Machismo on the farm leads to the three of us female volunteers being inútil, or useless. If we can’t shovel fast enough or we don’t know how to cut the logs a certain way, this equates to us being inutiles. Maddy has the hardest time with this and one day it was her job to herd the goats back into their pens. Now, the goats are mini devils- they can smell the gringa radiating from our un-calloused skin. So for Maddy to herd all the goats herself is a difficult task but Marcelo decided she could. When Maddy is supposed to be heading back with the goats, we see her walking slowly, goat-less. We then see the goats in the cow field so she runs after them and tries to herd them into the right field. After they escape several times and all we can do is watch, Marcelo yells her name over and over, thinking this will help. Maddy turns around, enraged, and yells “WHAT?!” in English. Marcelo of course doesn’t understand and only laughs which makes her even more upset. Maddy eventually gives up and lets the goats graze in a different field and Marcelo only laughs and says inútil over and over.

To sum this up, machismo can’t be taken personally. You can’t fight it by simply yelling or talking back, but you need to prove yourself as strong and able. Ignoring men is the best way to do this.