Are Latin men different? machismo?

Why are the Spanish far more tolerant of domestic violence than those of us in the United States? I am in Madrid giving a talk at the NEO-11 Conference and i have been interviewed by several journalists here today and this is the question they all ask me...why is the Spanish/Latin male more violent toward female partners than men elsewhere?

Comment by LOUANN BRIZENDINE on June 19, 2011 at 6:32am: Santi Sasa Sanz says--

I´m from Madrid, Spain. I think yes, latins are differents (in Spain, our "temperament" is mediterranean, you know... ...a romantic sea). I think we are more passionals than anglo-saxons, for the good thouhts and acts... ...and of course, f...or de bad too. I wan´t to say that here, in spain, we "hate" those who maltreate-illtrate women. Everybody is ok with the idea of a inferiority complex or a self-esteem 1 ft. under?

Comment by Suzanne Presinal on November 27, 2011 at 12:11am: I am married to a Latin American man, he is at times hot tempered, but towards me he is the most gentle person I have ever known. There is such motherly nurturing to Latin American men that I find their respect for women and to us as mothers is incredible, compared to what I see from the north american male. They understand true family connections and it has rubbed off on me.