If I am not mistaken the man with the Macho Salad, looking at his techniques and such, he has probably had somewhere between 3-9 years of universaty in Macho Food (we would be roughly 21-28 years of age at that time). And then considering his age, I am guessing 40+, he has probably had some 15-20+ years of real life experience with this. Which I would say is impressive. Many people only do their 9 years of mandatory school years, plus 2-3 years of semi-mandatory work related schooling years called "Gymnasiet" in Sweden. Which results in 9-12 years of Macho Food education befor they go into the work life. Anyone who decides to take it further, to take Universaty courses in it, that is something to be respected.
The "Regular Ordinary Swedish Mealtime" guys are not as educated, actually they are still in school. But there is nothing wrong with that, because to a degree it's almost more pure, more raw, not been as "contaminated" by sociaty and education yet. There is also a youthful eagerness that comes through their performance, that brings it back to when you where younger and did it for fun, rather than for "survival" that it often turn into for most people. But I have to say, the Macho Salad perfomance, that's a true masterpiece. I think it's most likely a "Post Modern Masculinity" style.
I am not that well versed in what each style is called, I only did my 12 years of school, because by the time I was in 7th grade I was already extremely tired of school, not to mention that I was extremely bored due to not feeling challanged enough in school as well... not that I went out of my way in trying to be more challanged, I just wanted to do the things I wanted and found fun. Which is why I almost never did any homework during those last 6 years of school, and I only practiced for test like the evening befor, and waited till the last possible moment befor I wrote papers as well (usually the day befor they where supposed to be handed in). I did that so I could spend as much of my free time as possible on the things I actually thought where fun things to do.
Most of the people around me thought I was a... we call it "plugghäst" in Sweden, you know someone who spends all their time studying and all that stuff to make sure they get the best grade possible. Anyway, they thought I was one of those because I was getting good grades, better grades then almost everyone else in my class in most subjects as well, especially the subjects which I found interesting and fun (like Art class, Math, History, Woodclass, and a few otheres). In reality I probably studied less then even the "trouble makers" in school did (for you Americans, trouble makers and Jocks I guess).

I basicly learned everything I needed to learn by listening in class, and doing a lot of my work in class and during school hours. And by "faking it" during tests. If I did not remember the answer to a question in let's say history, I looked at what I knew about the subject of the question, looked at similar subjects to the question at other periods of time, I also thought about what would be a logical answer to the question.. and then I compleatly fabricated an answer that I thought sounded "right". I would get anything from 25-100% of the points on those answers to.

Anyway, as I said, Macho Salad is probably a "Post Modern Masculinity" style. It's not about perfection, beauty, or following the traditional styles of the age old Masters of Macho Food. No this is about raw emotion, being "real", todays struggles as a man, what is acceptable and especially not acceptable with being a man in todays sociaty.
A lot of men have a hard time in todays Sweden (and the rest of the modern/western world to I would imagin), it can be difficult for men to navigate todays sociaty. Because we have partly lost our role as "men" and "providers" and all that. Sweden has today one of the most equal sociaty between men and women. We are not compleatly there yet, a totally gender equal sociaty, but we are on our way. Being a man in the Swedish sociaty though, and actually in a large part of the rest of the world (especially in the "western world") has become a bit ambiguous.
Because at the same time as we are supposed to be men, act like men, be the main provide, not show emotions, not talk about our problems, make sure the woman has what she needs to take care of the children, what we are supposed to work with and not work with, what and how to do something etc... we are at the same time expected to not act like men, not having to be the one who provides the family, not hold a door open for a woman because she is a woman (some women actually get's mad at guys for holding the door open for them), not be chauvanistic and all that, show our emotions, talk about our emotions and problems, be able to work in what might be considered to be "female work", taking paternity leave to be the one who stays home with the children for X amount of time (the rules in Sweden is that, each parent have 240 days each to be home with the children and still get a salery from their work (at a 80% salery level usually), 60 of those days are locked to each parent... so the man HAS TO be home for atleast 60 days, the remaining 360 days can be devided amongst the parents as they see fit), etc.
So it can be very confusing for any guy as to how to actually be, what to do, what not to do, what modern masculinity is supposed to be, etc. Unfortunatly this is seen in the statistics of suicide, men are more likely to do it then women, often 2-4+ times more likely, because as men we are not supposed to talk about it and get help or something. And Macho Salad reflects all this, this ambiguousness in masculinity and the mans role in todays sociaty.
*compleatly grabbed hold of it with both hands, and ran with it as far as he could...


Edited by Grimm Wulf, 24 June 2012 - 11:19 PM.