Everything Is Beautiful In Its Own Way

The letters page in yesterday's "The Bulletin" is likely to provoke a strong reaction. Stand back and wait for responses along the lines of "if things are so bad, then go back to the UK" (accompanied by examples of how bad things are in the UK). The letter, by a Mr. Stack, was a lengthy charge-sheet of the ills of Mallorca: the changed circumstances of the tourism industry; a lack of diversity in the economy; excess supply of bars and restaurants and of new buildings with units beneath that no-one needs; rents too high; dishonesty; political corruption. Those inclined to protest the "everything is beautiful" motif will be scandalised.

The letter is one-sided. But this is normally the way with letters. They are not exercises in journalistic balance. Nevertheless, the letter will, should, touch a nerve. It is not easy to disagree with the sentiments. Whenever such criticisms leap out from a page, a common reaction is to argue that nowhere is perfect, which is perfectly true - nowhere is. But where imperfection exists, a further reaction should be to try and eradicate the causes of imperfection. It is the inability to do so that is the real, nihilistic message of this letter, the writer stating at one point that "there is no solution". Moreover, it is a message of impotence combined with incompetence.

There is a certain familiarity in much of what the writer has to say. All his points have been dealt with on this blog, though I would hope that I do at least suggest some solutions. But while he is entreating readers to not bury their heads in the sand (for which one could also add another cliché - that of turning a blind eye), a few pages later is a double-page spread devoted to a party for some folk I have never heard of and have not the slightest interest in. At the end of that piece, there is even a quote that goes: "The island is so beautiful. It has so much to offer." Yes, it certainly does. Mr. Stack has pointed some of it out.

Let's be clear. Where dysfunction exists in Mallorca, and it is not difficult to be aware of its existence, it adds to the very dottiness of the island. Part of the charm, one could argue, lies in the fact that it is imperfect. And yes, one must appreciate and praise the landscapes and seascapes and all the rest that have contributed to the island's success. But to retreat to the stultifying superficiality of minor "cause celebrity" or to the wearisome repetitiousness of brochure talk is to indeed be blind or insensitive to the malodorous and the malignant. To do so is the Mallorcan modern day of Nero with his fiddle.

The letter, though I doubt many will perceive it as such, is one of the paper's more important contributions. It should provoke a debate, though even if it were to, such a debate would doubtless be mired in emotion. The writer may well be accused of imbalance, disproportion, lack of objectivity, and he may receive a recommendation that he buys a one-way ticket. Perhaps, though, it should be asked why it should need a letter-writer to inspire such a debate.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Crowded House, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIb6I8gtgtw. Today's title - from someone perhaps more known for his novelty songs.

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