Monday, January 7, 2008

America is Spain's Crystal Ball - Volume II

I said I would make a list of societal trends that have come to Spain AFTER they had already taken hold in the States. I want to do this to remind myself of these things and then try to think of anything new that might be coming to Spain in the future.

First I will remind myself of some of the social trends that are happening now in Spain that came from the States. Here goes:

- Anti-Smoking Laws; I remember when Spaniards loved to give me a hard time about the supposed lack of freedom in California because of anti-smoking laws. I always told them, “Just wait, Chavales. Cigarettes are expensive to governments. It’s not about freedom. It’s about hospital bills”.

- Immigration and "Racism"; Many a time I was chastised for the poor treatment by nasty racist Californians of the Mexican immigrants. They would tell me, “See how racist Americans are? The Mexicans are all dishwashers and nannies…” Of course Spain had NO new-comers. (I’m sick of the term ‘immigrants’)

- 30 Year Mortgages; Spain is still in shock over being in debt for a house for so long. Of course, this is old news in the U.S. My parents had a 30-year mortgage in 1952. These loans made a whole generation of homeowners out of poor farmers and ex-service men.

- Easy Credit and Credit Cards; In 1985 – 87 or so, I had a credit card that no one would accept in Madrid, or hardly anyone. Spanish people are really in the early stages of learning how to deal with the instant gratification of credit cards and easy credit loans. Americans already know how dangerous it is to run up a tab you can’t pay – other than the minimum payments – and how easy it is to get screwed by them.

- Political Correctness; I’m pretty sure we invented this due to the many different peoples we have. We got real sensitive which is a good thing really if it doesn’t get silly and out of hand. It seems that Europe is bringing political correctness to a new high though.

- Getting Fat; Let’s face it, Spanish people are getting fatter. It is true that in the 80’s and 90’s and before, when everyone was walking everywhere, when there were no chalets and people driving into Madrid to work, when stress was low, when there were more “old ways” (which were great – don’t get me wrong), people were thin and trim. But with modern life the Spanish have to join the Americans on the scale and wonder why their ass is so big. Don’t worry, the Spanish will learn about the gym and the Stairmaster….

- Volunteer, Professional Military; It used to be that every young man had to do “the Mili” in Spain – it was basically a draft. Now there are ads in the Metro for the professional military. There are also many Spain new-comers enlisting – maybe not even citizens - people of color ... Sound familiar?

- Spray Can Graffiti; Sorry about that Spain.

OK, now for the crystal ball part. Some of the trends that are, sooner or later, coming to Spain:

- Weakening of Labor Unions; This cleaners strike in the Madrid Metro has to be pissing off the normal citizen. I know people want to be supportive but they are going to reach their limit. People are struggling, they have crappy jobs and these guys have good pay, no skills, tons of days off, major benefits, etc. and they are making the ordinary Madrileno’s life miserable. Watch out unions, there are fifty guys waiting to take your job… for less.

- Separation Between Church and State; This one is actually incredible to an American. The Spanish government actually pays the Catholic church.. Oh, and it’s the Americans who are all religious and wacky? They PAY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH! But no other religion!!! The U.S. has had a separation between the government and ANY RELIGION for HUNDREDS OF YEARS. WTF! This has to end.

- Environmental Sensitivity; I know Spain is a pretty country but it is old Europe. They didn’t have any unspoiled scenery to work with like California did. But they really have to ratchet the "environmental sensitivity" up a notch. They will. Recycling will get easier, people will learn not to throw shit on the ground every two seconds, they will learn not to think that an apartment building is the best use of every piece of land. …

- Organic Foods, Healthy Fast Foods; Some day there will be the Spanish versions of Whole Foods Market or Wild Oats, or at least a section in the supermercados for organic foods, soy, vegetarian stuff, etc. And something other than Burger King and KFC in the fast foods department. Something like Baja Fresh or Asian fast food.

- Death of the Bullfight, Animal Rights; I really don’t want to see this one happen but I can just see the EU coming up with some animal rights law in the future that will penalize Spain for the Bullfight. Couple that with many young people not really being into the fiesta nacional - spells doom I fear.

- The End of the “Permanent” Job Contract; This one will take awhile and is terrifying to the Spanish. The state of California is known as an “at will state” which means you can be fired, or laid-off, at any time for any reason. Of course people can sue their employers if there is some really nasty reason you were let go, and discrimination is illegal. But because there are no “permanent jobs” in California, employers are less afraid of hiring new people when they need them – hence unemployment is lower.

- Two Party Political System; What the hell is the communist party doing in Spain? Answer: making sure no one party has a majority - not even PSOE. Let’s face it, PSOE is moving towards the center from the Left and the PP is moving towards the center from the Right (well, maybe not too fast). There is no room for Fascists or Communists anymore. Ironically, in the U.S. in ten years time, we may have a three party system.

That’s what could be coming to Spain.

6 comments:

EuroMadrid said...

Another excellent post. You had me laughing at loud at certain parts. And that thing about the Spanish govt. subsidizing the Catholic church, I didn't know that. That's ridiculous!! What CENTURY are we in??!!!

The next 10 to 15 years in Spain are going to be fascinating to see what happens. In many ways the country isn't prepared for what's to come because nobody is really prepared to sacrifice anything and there's a strong belief and expectation that the government will always provide. I don't see that mentality dissipating anytime soon.

EuroMadrid said...

Oops....I meant to say "laughing out loud." :)

P.S. Thanks for linking to my blog. I just noticed that. Much appreciated!

Anonymous said...

Great post, great insights. I totally agree with your predictions.

I did mention about the Spain's subsidizing churches in my blog, which I find totally absurd especially if they only do this for the Catholic church but no other religious institutions - however, I am told that Spanish gov did announce its ending some time in the near future.

The dependency on jobs offered by the market and government completely squeezes the creative soul out of the country's youngsters. Changing this kind of culture normally takes several generations but thanks to electronic media (and great blogs such as yours), it might happen faster than in the past.

Yes, the American kids do know how to dream and they dream big. This quality is one of many things what I like about America. Another one is their obsession and passion for their beliefs. Whether it is pro or anti of anything, they just give their 100% to it. This may be due to the make-up its citizens. Historically and still, people come to USA by leaving their native lands and roots in search of building better lives than the ones they left. The people who can do this kind of jump must generally possess risk-taking, adventurous, diligent and adaptive traits.

Anonymous said...

To add to my last stmt, these people are also most likely tired of being bogged down by the bureaucracy and relying on the establishment doing everything for them.

Additionally, the teenagers' rebel still seems to be limited to non-productive and self-destructing behaviors in Spain because the society doesn't seem to respect and value their opinions and self-identity. By no means, I am asserting that America does not possess these problems, but in general, if the kids wanted, the opportunities are available. Do you think Christopher Paolini would be able to publish Eragon at age 19 in Spain?

Anonymous said...

Very interesting post, Carl, I'm pretty sure most of my compatriots have never thought about it this way.

I've "adapted" your pots into Spanish and included it in my own blog, linking to yours as the original source. Please let me know if you have a problem with this.

Regards

Carl said...

I'm flattered Roberto. Be my guest. I often think that my rants are missing their audience since they are only in English. But then again, Spaniards sometimes get really mad about comparisons to the U.S. - even if they are true.