I Don't Belong Here

To what extent does the expat's relationship with the media define the relationship with his or her adopted island and country? It is a far from academic question; I think it is fundamental. In the past I have spoken about the ease of having access to the English-speaking media and recently looked at the issue of integration (15 August: Living Together In Perfect Harmony). I am beginning to wonder if "integration" is an unattainable state and whether its periodic consideration by the media fails, not only to establish a sensible definition, but also to recognise the role that newspapers and the rest have in inhibiting it.

On a typical day, I might see two British newspapers - "The Times" and "The Guardian"; I might see the local English paper, "Majorca Daily Bulletin"; I might see two Mallorcan papers - "Ultima Hora" and "Diario de Mallorca". I will also see the BBC's website and listen to some of the corporation's programmes. If I listen to Spanish radio, it will be to RNE3 for its eclectic music and occasionally Radio Alcúdia in order to have a laugh at the ridiculous adverts for local restaurants. Television is effectively banned in whatever language.

That I may peruse Spanish media does not make me in some sense "integrated". It's because I, personally and perhaps untypically, am interested and, in part, it's what I do on this blog. In the same way, the fact that I might go out for tapas does not make me "integrated". I did the other evening; the selection at a tapas restaurant is a convenient way of getting around others' indecisiveness as to what to eat. Also in the same way, that I may speak Spanish reasonably well does not make me integrated. Again, it's a matter of interest to be able to speak the language; it is also a matter of expediency - try dealing with local printers in English, for example. Also in the same way, my current reading includes yet another modern history of Spain. This does not make me integrated. I'm a historian in that I have a history degree. The subject interests me, and I'm interested to learn ever more about the country in which I live. Also in the same way, I have been to the bullfight and I would go again. This does not make me integrated. It's a matter of curiosity and of seeking to understand the purpose of its barbarity.

There would seem to have been a letter in the English "Euro Weekly" that passed me by. It had it that expats should go to the bullfight as a way of integrating into local life. Apart from ignoring the fact that many Spaniards do not attend the bullfight, to suggest this would be akin to Poles in Britain demanding a right to hunt foxes as a way of making themselves feel more British. By the same logic, if a tourist were to go to the bullfight would that make him or her integrated? Of course it wouldn't; the line of argument was nonsensical. Moreover, to have written a letter on the subject to an element of the English-speaking media falls straight into the trap set by the existence of English media. The act of writing in English to an English newspaper is, by its very nature, an act of non-integration.

Through the immediacy of English media, the expat retains not just a connection to but also a priority of interest in the old country, be that connection via newspaper, internet, television or radio. The choice of media and more importantly the specifics of that choice - what is read, what is surfed, what is viewed and what is listened to - define the expat's relationship with Mallorca and Spain and his or her perspective. And consequently, that relationship can be pretty tenuous.

I used to wonder quite why the local English press devoted so much space to matters in the UK. "The Bulletin", while it does contain local and Spanish items, is more anglo-centric than not. The answer why is quite simple; its readership. One can argue, with some justification, that running local news at least aids some appreciation of the island, but the bias remains. The other day, for instance, there was a yes-no exchange as to whether Gordon Brown should go or stay. To do something similar for José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero would run the risk of alienating a part of the readership that may not even know that he is the president of Spain. "Euro Weekly" is more Mallorca focussed (in its Mallorcan edition, that is), but still finds space for Leapy Lee who regularly rubbishes Brown but in a far less sober manner than "The Bulletin". He has variously referred to Brown and to his "cronies" and fellow "traitors" as Nazis and Commies - take your pick - and once enjoined his readers to partake in a few minutes of "hate" for Brown. That it would seem there is many an expat who finds this acceptable and craves for more makes one despair. I may not much care for Gordon Brown either, but I don't wish to be party to hatred. But it plays well with some, for whom British politics remains the only game in town. And for those who may take a different view, it is the British political scene that is the expat's talking-point, not the Spanish.

The fluidity of human movement enabled under European law coincided with the explosion of information channels and of the wide availability of media in their different forms. Perversely perhaps, it is this very ease of access to the media that has convinced some to make the move to the likes of Mallorca; this, and the ready-made expatriate community. The combination of the two has the potential to alienate as much as it has to integrate. But what does it actually mean to be integrated in Mallorca? Does one wake up one morning and think that one is integrated? Nope, probably not. Indeed, one doesn't think about the subject full stop, until, that is, it gets raised by the very media who act against it. To that extent, I suppose, I am equally culpable by writing about it here.

There are some who doubtless do think about it; those who seek to wear their alleged integration as some form of badge of honour. I wonder quite how many of these still go home and switch on Sky or read "The Daily Mail", i.e. they are still more comfortable with their own media and their own language. I argued before that only through language does one really begin to attain a state of integration. But even then I'm not wholly convinced. We carry with us all sorts of items of baggage and are unwilling to cast them off. These may be in the form of humour, a fondness for sport or sporting teams, for authors or music. All of them maintain a link that is non-Mallorcan or non-Spanish. And so we continue to pursue those items, because we want to, and we do so by laughing at a columnist or comedy show, by reading a sports report or watching a football match in a (British) bar, by reading a latest book or magazine, by listening to a favourite show on Radio One or Two or 6 Music or other stations. None of this means integration. I have no wish to cease reading English newspapers or enjoying other English media. Why the hell should I? And so it is with the overwhelming majority of expats who may well participate in many local activities, who may have Mallorcan friends, who may speak the language reasonably well, but who also remain - essentially - detached, and who find it very easy to be detached, thanks to their original culture being all around them.

It is the media to which we look for information and entertainment and, in the case of the expat, for reassurance, that of what is current back home. We don't wish to lose touch, but critically we are more interested in "back home", even down to what horses are running at Haydock that afternoon. By and large, we don't embrace the Spanish media because we don't understand what is said, we have no interest and they're not our football clubs, our celebrities or our politicians. Ergo, we are not integrated.

Perhaps it would be simpler to just ignore the whole subject, but it won't go away because it will always crop up somewhere - in the media. And it will be used as an undefined and generic state of being to which the user of the word has probably applied little or no thought. Maybe we should rethink the term. Belonging, a sense of belonging; perhaps this is better. It's also difficult to define, but at least it is more personal and therefore more understandable, and if you feel you belong it doesn't matter what newspaper you read - or in which language.


MORE ON DRIVING LICENCES
The thread of a forum has been brought to my attention which tends to contradict what I said yesterday regarding Spanish driving licences. There is, let's be clear, a lack of clarity, one that I was aware of, so I spoke to my gestor, knowing that he has contacts at Trafico, and the word was, yes, you need to change the licence. If I'm wrong, I apologise, but this is my understanding. The problem is, like other aspects of Spanish law, not everything is clear. Here is the link to the forum: http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/forum/viewthread/1831/


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Elton John, "Bennie And The Jets" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0WCQadt864). Today's title - arch miserabilists; "so very special".

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