By Lida Prypchan
For a woman, taking a walk through the streets of Valencia is a bit of an annoyance, not because of the walk itself, but due to the attitude towards her taken by many of the male inhabitants circulating through the city. This eagerness to talk to women, to say unpleasant things or to wave to them without knowing them, simply follows a pattern that the vast majority of men exhibit. This conduct makes women uncomfortable. Nothing is more enjoyable then going for a walk without stumbling over those uncomfortable situations and being able to walk down the street in peace, knowing that others are not out there waiting for you. This attitude can be categorized as a lack of respect towards another person because those who practice it are intruding on that person. This behavior has a name, and it is a behavior that many men exhibit in Valencia, that of “The Lurker.” I suppose since there are many who practice it, it is a matter of habit passing from generation to generation.
This is one of the many things that is learned by imitation: from seeing the father, a family member, or the community itself conducting themselves in a similar manner. The manifestations are generally the same by all the members of that sex: whistling, turning their heads, blowing kisses in the air, and so on… up to the point of being slapped for carrying this conduct to a ridiculous extreme.
This manner of behavior is part of the family and social education, adolescents are instilled with the ideal of being a Don Juan. The Don Juan is a man whose desire is not fixed on a specific woman but in women in general. He is, in other words, an seducer lacking selectivity, without passion. His pleasure is based on his bragging regarding his ability to seduce women. His relationship with them is not only of little durability, but also unsatisfying because it creates limitations with their own internal conflicts.
The insatiable Don Juan has been studied for a long time by scientists. Psychoanalysis has contributed a lot in this regard. They define a Don Juan as a man whose manhood fails. In any case, the purpose of this article is not to make a detailed study regarding what the behavior of a Don Juan reflects, but to ask them to live and let live, that they go about focused on their tasks and obligations and not bother others by saying things that those persons do not want to hear.
