I am not a newsagent loyalist. Given that a journey is required for whichever newsagent I might patronise, each day brings its moment of decision-making. Which one?
A Can Picafort shop has become the newsagent of most chat, partly because the chap seems to take notice of what's in the "Bulletin"; well, on its front and back covers at any rate. I very much doubt that he will be reading this (when it goes forward to the Bulletin). Nor indeed does he know that I am there within its covers.
"Capello quits" was the cue for a morning chat. What I had anticipated might have been solely an assessment of the now former England manager's contribution to the national team turned out to be the cue for another racism analysis; there had been a previous one regarding Luis Suárez.
The chat does tend to be somewhat one-sided. As a subject for discussion, I tend to simply nod, utter the occasional "claro", even if I don't mean it, and eventually depart, bidding my interlocutor a pleasant and good day. I have no wish to cause offence and no offence has been caused on his part. It is a discussion, if you can call it that, which speaks volumes about different cultural perspectives.
The chat wandered off into seemingly unrelated territory, that of the French broadcaster Canal Plus' satirising of Rafael Nadal as a doper and of claims by the French to be superior in matters of racial correctness. Who had France ever had in their national football team who was of a different ethnic origin? Zidane. Spain had Senna, and he was black.
This did rather overlook Henry, Thuram, Desailly and any number of black French players and also overlooked the occasion when the former Spanish coach, Luis Aragonés, was caught describing Henry in a John Terry-like fashion (allegedly, when it comes to Terry of course).
It is good to know that the French are currently European public enemies "numéro un" where the Mallorcans are concerned. Showing Nadal urinating into a petrol tank; how dare the French? This does at least divert attention from the British for the time being. And it is also good to know that a French propensity to provoke neighbourly ill-will extends to the south as well as the north of France.
Be it racially correct Britain or France, there is no great vive of la différence between Britain and France in the eyes of many a Spaniard or Mallorcan. They simply don't get the whole racial deal. Which is not to say that there is rampant racism, as there isn't. Just that they don't see what the fuss is all about. And the newsagent couldn't figure out what the fuss over Capello was all about.
Capello's mistake was to have made a misjudgment, but it was a mistake in keeping with what appears to have been his failure to have bought into British culture and mores, and not just because of his failure to have acquired a decent level of English.
British expats in Mallorca aren't of course like Capello. Most of them are not paid a small fortune for doing very little. But the Capello story is instructive as an example of how not acquiring a feel for culture, central to which is an appreciation of language, can result in misjudgment and in non-ingratiation.
Capello can't be blamed for his mercenariness. What the precise terms of his contract were, who can say. They should though have included clauses for the sake of keeping up appearances if nothing else. Without them it was all too easy to consider him as someone taking a fat pay cheque and giving very little back.
In a similar way, many an expat is a mercenary. Not in terms of monetary or material gain, but in terms of gains from what Mallorca has to offer and not giving much back or not seriously attempting to come to terms with local culture or societal mores. Or in making misjudgments in the form of constant criticisms, be they anything from disapproval of bullfighting or road behaviour or standards of service.
But perhaps it is too much to expect otherwise. There will always be misjudgments and misunderstandings and not just because of a failure of language. The mercenariness of ease of mobility can sharpen cultural distinctions rather than lessen them. And it is one that leaves the country or island that is subject to the mercenariness wishing to fall back on what it knows best - its own. Not just Mallorca but also England. After Sven and Fabio, England wants an Englishman; Harry, for whom there has been no misjudgment.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Showing posts with label Racism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Racism. Show all posts
Friday, February 10, 2012
Friday, January 06, 2012
We Three Black And White Kings
Who remembers "The Black And White Minstrel Show"? I do and I cringe at the memory. For those who don't remember it, I should explain that it involved white male singers "blacking up". The BBC finally axed the show in the late seventies, protests against it having gone on for some ten years.
To be fair to the show, it was one of the last manifestations of a tradition that had existed in variety for many years. Al Jolson was the most famous to wear a black face, but Jolson was anything but racist. Despite Jolson having championed the causes of black entertainers, the very notion of blacking-up and its offensiveness in the current-day was what was played on and captured hilariously in the series "Benidorm". When "Mal Jolson" was performing, the expression of jaw-dropped horror on the face of the character Gavin was priceless.
All this brings me to Three Kings. Historical accuracy, in the sense that the story of the Three Kings is accurate at all, demands that one of the Kings is black. In this respect, the portrayal of the Kings at ceremonies across Mallorca yesterday can claim legitimacy, but the fact that Balthasar gets blacked up is something one finds hard to believe would be tolerated in Britain.
Sensitivity to race issues does have a cultural divide. The Spanish media demonstrates it, for example. Whereas British newspapers would not, unless it were of fundamental relevance, refer to someone's colour, the Spanish press does.
The race thing where Spain is concerned has, for most in Britain and also for Brits who live in Spain, cropped up in the context of sport, most obviously with the abuse aimed at black English footballers. There was also the incident when spectators at the Spanish Grand Prix blacked up in aiming abuse at Lewis Hamilton.
Such incidents have led to assumptions as to racism in Spain, and such incidents haven't exactly gone away. Last year the Brazilian footballer Dani Alves complained that he was regularly abused and called a monkey when playing for Barcelona. It didn't help in downplaying the existence of racism when the US State Department, no less, had to remove a phrase which read "racist prejudices could lead to the arrest of Afro-Americans who travel to Spain" from its website when Michelle Obama visited in 2010.
Sport, meanwhile, has also thrown up the Luis Suárez affair. With all the cultural and linguistic elements that this has given rise to, plus the sheer fanaticism with football, it is not surprising that it has inspired a good deal of comment in Spain. But going by, as an example, comments posted to the website of the sports newspaper "Marca", there is a fair degree of support for the English FA and a fair understanding that different rules apply in England and Britain.
One tires of the "political correctness gone mad" cliché that doubtless would be levelled at any suggestions that the Mallorcans and Spaniards might not indulge in blacking up, but lack of correctness there is and its absence barely seems to register, certainly when it comes to Three Kings. The historical accuracy line would be taken in defence, but if accuracy is needed, then why is it necessary for someone to black up? There are, after all, plenty of coloured people around, and in some towns Balthasar is indeed black.
Perhaps black people would be unconcerned and would go along with a further defence, that the Three Kings are just innocent tradition mainly aimed at children. But maybe the tradition should be considered in an educational context and whether, therefore, blacking up is still appropriate. A Spanish website ("Diario de Mallorca") had an online chat with the Kings; it was a child who asked why Balthasar had to be coloured black. And in furtherance of the tradition, sleeping children can have their cheeks blackened, as though they had been kissed by Balthasar.
It is innocent, but then "The Black And White Minstrel Show" was once considered to be just innocent entertainment. It is an exaggeration to imply that Three Kings is in some way racist. It isn't because it isn't knowingly treated or considered as such. It is also well wide of the mark to suggest that Mallorcans or the Spanish are any more racist than anyone else (I've no reason to believe this, put it that way). The problem, though, as with the Hamilton business having been a "joke", is that what may be deemed culturally innocent can create a wrong impression.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
To be fair to the show, it was one of the last manifestations of a tradition that had existed in variety for many years. Al Jolson was the most famous to wear a black face, but Jolson was anything but racist. Despite Jolson having championed the causes of black entertainers, the very notion of blacking-up and its offensiveness in the current-day was what was played on and captured hilariously in the series "Benidorm". When "Mal Jolson" was performing, the expression of jaw-dropped horror on the face of the character Gavin was priceless.
All this brings me to Three Kings. Historical accuracy, in the sense that the story of the Three Kings is accurate at all, demands that one of the Kings is black. In this respect, the portrayal of the Kings at ceremonies across Mallorca yesterday can claim legitimacy, but the fact that Balthasar gets blacked up is something one finds hard to believe would be tolerated in Britain.
Sensitivity to race issues does have a cultural divide. The Spanish media demonstrates it, for example. Whereas British newspapers would not, unless it were of fundamental relevance, refer to someone's colour, the Spanish press does.
The race thing where Spain is concerned has, for most in Britain and also for Brits who live in Spain, cropped up in the context of sport, most obviously with the abuse aimed at black English footballers. There was also the incident when spectators at the Spanish Grand Prix blacked up in aiming abuse at Lewis Hamilton.
Such incidents have led to assumptions as to racism in Spain, and such incidents haven't exactly gone away. Last year the Brazilian footballer Dani Alves complained that he was regularly abused and called a monkey when playing for Barcelona. It didn't help in downplaying the existence of racism when the US State Department, no less, had to remove a phrase which read "racist prejudices could lead to the arrest of Afro-Americans who travel to Spain" from its website when Michelle Obama visited in 2010.
Sport, meanwhile, has also thrown up the Luis Suárez affair. With all the cultural and linguistic elements that this has given rise to, plus the sheer fanaticism with football, it is not surprising that it has inspired a good deal of comment in Spain. But going by, as an example, comments posted to the website of the sports newspaper "Marca", there is a fair degree of support for the English FA and a fair understanding that different rules apply in England and Britain.
One tires of the "political correctness gone mad" cliché that doubtless would be levelled at any suggestions that the Mallorcans and Spaniards might not indulge in blacking up, but lack of correctness there is and its absence barely seems to register, certainly when it comes to Three Kings. The historical accuracy line would be taken in defence, but if accuracy is needed, then why is it necessary for someone to black up? There are, after all, plenty of coloured people around, and in some towns Balthasar is indeed black.
Perhaps black people would be unconcerned and would go along with a further defence, that the Three Kings are just innocent tradition mainly aimed at children. But maybe the tradition should be considered in an educational context and whether, therefore, blacking up is still appropriate. A Spanish website ("Diario de Mallorca") had an online chat with the Kings; it was a child who asked why Balthasar had to be coloured black. And in furtherance of the tradition, sleeping children can have their cheeks blackened, as though they had been kissed by Balthasar.
It is innocent, but then "The Black And White Minstrel Show" was once considered to be just innocent entertainment. It is an exaggeration to imply that Three Kings is in some way racist. It isn't because it isn't knowingly treated or considered as such. It is also well wide of the mark to suggest that Mallorcans or the Spanish are any more racist than anyone else (I've no reason to believe this, put it that way). The problem, though, as with the Hamilton business having been a "joke", is that what may be deemed culturally innocent can create a wrong impression.
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Fun Loving Criminals: Insecurity in Mallorca
How safe or secure do you feel or would you feel in Mallorca? According to a survey by the polling organisation Gadeso, reported in "The Diario", just over a third of those living in Mallorca have been in some way affected by various crimes related to cars, property or to the person. In Ibiza, the number rises to almost a half; Menorca has a better record, it would seem. In addition to actual incidents, the feeling of insecurity is increasing, and both real and imagined crimes are being blamed primarily on immigrants and the unemployed.
There is at least one factor that has to be taken into account when considering these figures, and that is the number of second homes that are left unattended. Many of these are only visited in the summer and belong to people from the hinterland. Their very proliferation does perhaps tend to make the statistics seem worse, as there is so much temptation to rob.
An impression that may exist, among some, is that Mallorca is full of fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, sunny-dispositioned people who would never dream of nicking your car or relieving you of your DVD player. It is, unfortunately, a false impression. Fun-loving criminals might be more appropriate, though one has to be careful in not overstating the situation. Crime, though, there most certainly is, and in Ibiza in particular there is another contributing factor - drugs.
At times of economic hardship, one has, I guess, to accept that crime will rise and that feelings of insecurity will go up as well. Much of it is petty, but one only has to look around to see that if it's not tied down, it's likely to be lifted. See those empty butane bottles outside a restaurant. Chained up. Those tables and chairs outside a restaurant. Similarly restrained. I once had a pair of old Reebok trainers that were falling to pieces nicked from a terrace. I have also been broken into.
Immigrants being put in the frame is, one also has to guess, to be expected. Another survey by Gadeso recently revealed that it was felt that there were too many immigrants in Mallorca. Again, not really a surprise. "The Diario" asked the question whether "we" (the Mallorcans) were racists. It suggested not, but did believe that there was xenophobia. It might be difficult to distinguish between the two.
A while ago, I was interviewed by a chap called Ben (not the Ben who often appears on this blog) as part of a university project. He asked about racism, explaining that he had encountered racist attitudes. These were, I had to surmise, directed towards certain nationalities. And in this respect, there is racism, but it is not something that comes to the surface. Or rarely seems to. In Palma there are different issues, those of gangs, but away from the capital, one would have to say that while racism does exist - and where doesn't it? - it is not a major issue. I did though have to check with Ben when he asked me the question. Was he referring to the Mallorcans or to the British?
One has to accept that Mallorca has undergone an enormous change in the past four decades, and immigration has contributed to this. Such a societal change is bound to create some tension. It's obvious, as it is obvious anywhere. But it might be remembered that the Mallorcans traditionally reserved most of their "xenophobia" not for those from other countries but for those from mainland Spain - the "forasters".
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
There is at least one factor that has to be taken into account when considering these figures, and that is the number of second homes that are left unattended. Many of these are only visited in the summer and belong to people from the hinterland. Their very proliferation does perhaps tend to make the statistics seem worse, as there is so much temptation to rob.
An impression that may exist, among some, is that Mallorca is full of fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, sunny-dispositioned people who would never dream of nicking your car or relieving you of your DVD player. It is, unfortunately, a false impression. Fun-loving criminals might be more appropriate, though one has to be careful in not overstating the situation. Crime, though, there most certainly is, and in Ibiza in particular there is another contributing factor - drugs.
At times of economic hardship, one has, I guess, to accept that crime will rise and that feelings of insecurity will go up as well. Much of it is petty, but one only has to look around to see that if it's not tied down, it's likely to be lifted. See those empty butane bottles outside a restaurant. Chained up. Those tables and chairs outside a restaurant. Similarly restrained. I once had a pair of old Reebok trainers that were falling to pieces nicked from a terrace. I have also been broken into.
Immigrants being put in the frame is, one also has to guess, to be expected. Another survey by Gadeso recently revealed that it was felt that there were too many immigrants in Mallorca. Again, not really a surprise. "The Diario" asked the question whether "we" (the Mallorcans) were racists. It suggested not, but did believe that there was xenophobia. It might be difficult to distinguish between the two.
A while ago, I was interviewed by a chap called Ben (not the Ben who often appears on this blog) as part of a university project. He asked about racism, explaining that he had encountered racist attitudes. These were, I had to surmise, directed towards certain nationalities. And in this respect, there is racism, but it is not something that comes to the surface. Or rarely seems to. In Palma there are different issues, those of gangs, but away from the capital, one would have to say that while racism does exist - and where doesn't it? - it is not a major issue. I did though have to check with Ben when he asked me the question. Was he referring to the Mallorcans or to the British?
One has to accept that Mallorca has undergone an enormous change in the past four decades, and immigration has contributed to this. Such a societal change is bound to create some tension. It's obvious, as it is obvious anywhere. But it might be remembered that the Mallorcans traditionally reserved most of their "xenophobia" not for those from other countries but for those from mainland Spain - the "forasters".
Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Percentage You're Paying Is Too High Priced
120 per cent. Read that carefully. It really does say one hundred and twenty per cent. What does it denote? The increase in unemployment in the Balearics in the last twelve months. And there isn't even - yet - a technical recession. The whole of Spain may be suffering, but not on the scale of the Balearics. The increase dwarfs the second highest, that of 79% in Murcia. The anticipated number out of work during the coming winter has had to be revised upwards; it is likely to exceed 100,000. What is the actual working population in the Balearics? It's around the 550,000 mark. Almost a fifth will not be working this winter. The most depressing aspect of the 120%, however, is that it has been registered in the third quarter of the year, when, theoretically, employment should be at its highest. There were over 55,000 unemployed during the third quarter. Last year, there were 25,000 - that's the 120%.
The absurd suggestion, made some weeks ago, that tourism (in winter!) would help to offset the job losses in construction makes one wonder about the sanity of some local politicians. At least others are saying that now would not be a good time to be causing political instability by calling elections in response to the latest round of scandals. There is some sanity then. At such economic times as these, the last thing that is needed is an election. The question is though, how do the politicians dig the Balearics out of its unemployment hole? Or perhaps the question should be - can they?
One answer lies in heavy doses of public spending, for which, almost certainly, one should read construction. The Balearic Government has already committed funds to firms that have faced indebtedness as a result of the construction collapse. They may have helped them survive, short term, but where is the pipeline of projects that is going to provide them with business? Take just one example - the museum redevelopment of Alcúdia's old power station. The project first came to the table in May last year. They have yet to work out how exactly it is to be financed.
Throwing money at infrastructure projects is one thing, but not everyone is capable of construction work, even were there the jobs to go around. White-collar public service jobs might also be a solution, but these would probably simply only add to a top-heavy bureaucracy; the reverse - fewer jobs - is the requirement in some instances. The town halls are all strapped for cash; they would need to go begging to the government and ultimately to Madrid for the capital to engage in more local works. There again, public spending, and therefore public borrowing, is not necessarily the ideal approach, especially if it leads to projects that might otherwise be financed under more benign, later economic circumstances, and what would be the time-scales of such projects. There is something to be said, instead, for tax cuts and for reductions in onerous social-security levies. The latter is highly unlikely, especially at present, but the size of contributions is a distinct obstacle to employment creation.
Maybe there is something in Keynes' notion of employing the unemployed to dig holes which they then fill in. To have witnessed some of the road and street works in Puerto Pollensa these past few winters, one would think this has already been the policy. But how does a local authority like Pollensa, with its budget shortfall of approaching a million euros, get to fund meaningful projects? And indeed what would they be? Given the hash the town hall makes of certain things, one couldn't be confident of them getting them right in any event. Maybe it wouldn't matter though: dig holes, and then fill them in.
The unemployment situation is being faced up to by Mallorca's bodies for combatting racism. There is a recognition that foreigners could be the target for social discontent. More than half the number of foreigners in the Balearics come from outside the European Union, but even some from within face discrimination of different forms. There is to be a campaign against racist attitudes, one that, in the words of the councillor for immigration, emphasises that "an intolerant society is a society with fear". It is a campaign that might well be needed.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - The Four Seasons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QuZQylrdfA). Today's title - from the title track of an album by a British band of the late '60s and early '70s: one that was more appreciated in the US. Think lots of vehicles.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
The absurd suggestion, made some weeks ago, that tourism (in winter!) would help to offset the job losses in construction makes one wonder about the sanity of some local politicians. At least others are saying that now would not be a good time to be causing political instability by calling elections in response to the latest round of scandals. There is some sanity then. At such economic times as these, the last thing that is needed is an election. The question is though, how do the politicians dig the Balearics out of its unemployment hole? Or perhaps the question should be - can they?
One answer lies in heavy doses of public spending, for which, almost certainly, one should read construction. The Balearic Government has already committed funds to firms that have faced indebtedness as a result of the construction collapse. They may have helped them survive, short term, but where is the pipeline of projects that is going to provide them with business? Take just one example - the museum redevelopment of Alcúdia's old power station. The project first came to the table in May last year. They have yet to work out how exactly it is to be financed.
Throwing money at infrastructure projects is one thing, but not everyone is capable of construction work, even were there the jobs to go around. White-collar public service jobs might also be a solution, but these would probably simply only add to a top-heavy bureaucracy; the reverse - fewer jobs - is the requirement in some instances. The town halls are all strapped for cash; they would need to go begging to the government and ultimately to Madrid for the capital to engage in more local works. There again, public spending, and therefore public borrowing, is not necessarily the ideal approach, especially if it leads to projects that might otherwise be financed under more benign, later economic circumstances, and what would be the time-scales of such projects. There is something to be said, instead, for tax cuts and for reductions in onerous social-security levies. The latter is highly unlikely, especially at present, but the size of contributions is a distinct obstacle to employment creation.
Maybe there is something in Keynes' notion of employing the unemployed to dig holes which they then fill in. To have witnessed some of the road and street works in Puerto Pollensa these past few winters, one would think this has already been the policy. But how does a local authority like Pollensa, with its budget shortfall of approaching a million euros, get to fund meaningful projects? And indeed what would they be? Given the hash the town hall makes of certain things, one couldn't be confident of them getting them right in any event. Maybe it wouldn't matter though: dig holes, and then fill them in.
The unemployment situation is being faced up to by Mallorca's bodies for combatting racism. There is a recognition that foreigners could be the target for social discontent. More than half the number of foreigners in the Balearics come from outside the European Union, but even some from within face discrimination of different forms. There is to be a campaign against racist attitudes, one that, in the words of the councillor for immigration, emphasises that "an intolerant society is a society with fear". It is a campaign that might well be needed.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - The Four Seasons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QuZQylrdfA). Today's title - from the title track of an album by a British band of the late '60s and early '70s: one that was more appreciated in the US. Think lots of vehicles.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
I'm A Joker
Racism in Spanish sport has raised its less than pleasant head yet again. The decision of the FA to not play a friendly at Real Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium and the part-racism-caused change of venue and then change back again of the Atletico Madrid-Liverpool game are both evidence of the ongoing problems that Spain has, in football at any rate, with its racist elements. Personally, I think the FA have made a mistake. They should have said that they would go back to the Bernabeu - scene of the racist chants during the England game four years ago - and dared the fans to do the same. If they had returned and the same embarrassing noises been raised, then no one would have been able to deny it any longer, especially not the Spanish FA and elements in the media. This is the Spanish FA which continues to dole out inadequate sanctions for racist abuse, such as one for Atletico last season.
The FA, while taking the moral high ground, have pushed the Spanish into a corner; it is for the latter to decide on the venue, not for it to be dictated to by another association. By pushing them, it could make for a more intransigent attitude, rather than one that seeks to kick racism out of its game. Even were the game to be moved, who is to say the same chanting might not occur at another ground? For once, the two parts of Madrid are united in what is seen as a slur on the city, not just on its two football clubs. And there are also the conspiracy theorists; those who believe it is part of a campaign to deny Madrid the 2016 Olympics. The Spanish are getting paranoid about this, as they were when the Sid Lowe-basketball team row blew up amidst similar charges of an anti-Madrid Olympics nature.
Of course, we've been here before where football is concerned, what with Aragones and his Henry remark and Samuel Eto'o threatening to walk off the pitch. Neither met with anything like the kind of action or outcry that they would have in Britain. And that is part of the issue, probably the issue - the difference between a PC Britain and a Spain which, its apologists will say, see monkey chants and the rest as a joke and not to be taken seriously. But joke means fair game, as it used to be in England when the same "joke" was directed at the likes of Clyde Best. Though before the British become too sanctimonious, it is probably true that the same joke might still be played out if it were not for the life bans or a potential race-hatred conviction, while the joke has morphed into something else - go and take a look at youtube, if it's still there, and the abuse of Sol Campbell by Spurs fans. That wasn't overtly racist, but it was there along with the sheer baseness of the chanting and the homophobia.
Nevertheless, Spain is in some sort of circa-Love-Thy-Neighbour denial when it comes to sport racism. Here is a country where, in the media in general, for example, racism is condemned, and yet in its football stadia it is quite the contrary. Even the "AS" sports paper has said that those wishing to make monkey noises would be better off going to a zoo. However, there are the apologists who have it that it's just a joke. So that's all-right then.
But for all this, can it be said that Spain, and by extension, Mallorca is essentially racist? My guess is that it is no more so or no less than Britain. Yet one's experiences govern opinion. Locally, one is just as likely, more likely, to get expressions of a racist nature coming from the mouths of expats as one is to hear them from Spaniards. There is little sense in which, with the exception of recent eastern European immigrants and Moroccans, there is any real xenophobia. There is, though, a linguistic dimension, one that has been raised by Spaniards writing to defend themselves in the English-speaking press, and this relates to the word "negro". To the PC-attuned ear and mind of the Brit, this passes as derogatory, but, in both noun and adjectival form, it is the Spanish word for black person, just as "negro" is the adjective for anything that is black. Black is negro in Spanish. Short of somehow banning the word, a ludicrous proposition, there has to be an understanding that this is not derogatory or insulting; it is a word - no more, no less.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Coldplay (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yeGHyRavAA). Today's title - one of his biggest hits but, IMHO, one of his worst.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
The FA, while taking the moral high ground, have pushed the Spanish into a corner; it is for the latter to decide on the venue, not for it to be dictated to by another association. By pushing them, it could make for a more intransigent attitude, rather than one that seeks to kick racism out of its game. Even were the game to be moved, who is to say the same chanting might not occur at another ground? For once, the two parts of Madrid are united in what is seen as a slur on the city, not just on its two football clubs. And there are also the conspiracy theorists; those who believe it is part of a campaign to deny Madrid the 2016 Olympics. The Spanish are getting paranoid about this, as they were when the Sid Lowe-basketball team row blew up amidst similar charges of an anti-Madrid Olympics nature.
Of course, we've been here before where football is concerned, what with Aragones and his Henry remark and Samuel Eto'o threatening to walk off the pitch. Neither met with anything like the kind of action or outcry that they would have in Britain. And that is part of the issue, probably the issue - the difference between a PC Britain and a Spain which, its apologists will say, see monkey chants and the rest as a joke and not to be taken seriously. But joke means fair game, as it used to be in England when the same "joke" was directed at the likes of Clyde Best. Though before the British become too sanctimonious, it is probably true that the same joke might still be played out if it were not for the life bans or a potential race-hatred conviction, while the joke has morphed into something else - go and take a look at youtube, if it's still there, and the abuse of Sol Campbell by Spurs fans. That wasn't overtly racist, but it was there along with the sheer baseness of the chanting and the homophobia.
Nevertheless, Spain is in some sort of circa-Love-Thy-Neighbour denial when it comes to sport racism. Here is a country where, in the media in general, for example, racism is condemned, and yet in its football stadia it is quite the contrary. Even the "AS" sports paper has said that those wishing to make monkey noises would be better off going to a zoo. However, there are the apologists who have it that it's just a joke. So that's all-right then.
But for all this, can it be said that Spain, and by extension, Mallorca is essentially racist? My guess is that it is no more so or no less than Britain. Yet one's experiences govern opinion. Locally, one is just as likely, more likely, to get expressions of a racist nature coming from the mouths of expats as one is to hear them from Spaniards. There is little sense in which, with the exception of recent eastern European immigrants and Moroccans, there is any real xenophobia. There is, though, a linguistic dimension, one that has been raised by Spaniards writing to defend themselves in the English-speaking press, and this relates to the word "negro". To the PC-attuned ear and mind of the Brit, this passes as derogatory, but, in both noun and adjectival form, it is the Spanish word for black person, just as "negro" is the adjective for anything that is black. Black is negro in Spanish. Short of somehow banning the word, a ludicrous proposition, there has to be an understanding that this is not derogatory or insulting; it is a word - no more, no less.
QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Coldplay (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yeGHyRavAA). Today's title - one of his biggest hits but, IMHO, one of his worst.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Bits And Pieces
So, even more by way of updates. This time the canal incident and the Beep Romanian row.
Someone came through anon with a comment appended to the piece on 19 May, saying that he or she had seen the car at 6.30 in the morning sticking out of the canal and, moreover, had seen the way the police handled the episode, by essentially letting all and sundry have a good look at what was going on with the forensics. I don't know what that really tells us, but I would guess that elsewhere, let's say the UK, it might have been dealt with a tad more discreetly. Apart from the voyeuristic, the general Joe or Jose Public has no need to be presented with death and an incident of this nature in such a way.
This is the comment in full: "I saw the car sticking out of the canal at 6.30am. I couldn't believe the time it took to get that poor girl out of the canal and how laid back the police were in letting passers-by look in and witness them taking her out and doing forensic tests on her in full view of the public.. It was both shocking and very sad."
And so to the Beep story (14 May). It did occur to me that there might be something more behind that sign than a mere dislike of Romanians. But there was nothing that I read in the press other than the facts of the sign and the resultant hoo-hah. So I'm very grateful to Nicole for pointing out that the shop had had 3000 euros worth of laptop lifted by a couple of Romanians, and that they were caught on camera but had not been tracked down - yet.
Well, I can understand the store owner being somewhat annoyed. When I had the break-in and the expensive camera was lifted, I wasn't exactly overjoyed. But had the police ever discovered who did it and had that person been of eastern European origin (for sake of argument), it would not have made me harbour the view that all people from that area were burglars. The point about the sign was that, by implication, Romanians were being branded thieves or potential thieves. You cannot do that. And if you were allowed to do so, therein would lie the roots of civil disorder to say nothing of sanctioned racism.
But I am doubly grateful to Nicole as it highlights the risk that we all, myself included, take received information either of a biased or a partial nature (and by partial here I mean in the sense of being incomplete) and form a judgement that may not be accurate. We interpret that information to suit our world view, even if some of us strive for a balance rather than seeing merely black or white. But I admit that I read the story and formed a distinct impression. In fact initially I laughed as it was so preposterous, but then I could conceive of only one word - racism. I still hold with that, but to begin with I had acted without the knowledge of some background. Had the fact of the theft been reported at the time, it would not have changed that impression; indeed it may well have hardened it. At least, however, I would have been acting on complete(-ish) or verging towards complete rather than partial information. For what it's worth though, sympathetic as I am to the store-owner in terms of the theft and of his frustration, I cannot excuse him his action.
There is a whole wider issue here, and it is the fact that rarely do any of us know the full story, and yet we make conclusions, utter opinions, become dogmatic with the benefit of only bits or pieces of information or, worse, information that is flawed, prejudiced, one-sided, wrong and sometimes malicious. The sources of this partial information are clear - gossip, embellished gossip, newspapers, television, the Internet. We take this partial, biased or manipulated information because we want to, because it suits our world view, our prejudices. The McCanns were/are a classic example.
And yet, were we to stop and wish to check every bit of information, we would get nowhere. There is an inevitability about human discourse, that it is incomplete. Of course it is. But this is not to say that there shouldn't be some responsibility, and no more so than on the Internet. I can feel a very long thesis coming on, so I shall close, but you've been warned: I might just publish it here.
QUIZ
Chain - Led Zeppelin to "Stairway to Heaven" to Heaven 17 who basically were the British Electric Foundation. Simple. And so how do you get from Heaven 17 to "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"? Dead easy. Today's title - who?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Someone came through anon with a comment appended to the piece on 19 May, saying that he or she had seen the car at 6.30 in the morning sticking out of the canal and, moreover, had seen the way the police handled the episode, by essentially letting all and sundry have a good look at what was going on with the forensics. I don't know what that really tells us, but I would guess that elsewhere, let's say the UK, it might have been dealt with a tad more discreetly. Apart from the voyeuristic, the general Joe or Jose Public has no need to be presented with death and an incident of this nature in such a way.
This is the comment in full: "I saw the car sticking out of the canal at 6.30am. I couldn't believe the time it took to get that poor girl out of the canal and how laid back the police were in letting passers-by look in and witness them taking her out and doing forensic tests on her in full view of the public.. It was both shocking and very sad."
And so to the Beep story (14 May). It did occur to me that there might be something more behind that sign than a mere dislike of Romanians. But there was nothing that I read in the press other than the facts of the sign and the resultant hoo-hah. So I'm very grateful to Nicole for pointing out that the shop had had 3000 euros worth of laptop lifted by a couple of Romanians, and that they were caught on camera but had not been tracked down - yet.
Well, I can understand the store owner being somewhat annoyed. When I had the break-in and the expensive camera was lifted, I wasn't exactly overjoyed. But had the police ever discovered who did it and had that person been of eastern European origin (for sake of argument), it would not have made me harbour the view that all people from that area were burglars. The point about the sign was that, by implication, Romanians were being branded thieves or potential thieves. You cannot do that. And if you were allowed to do so, therein would lie the roots of civil disorder to say nothing of sanctioned racism.
But I am doubly grateful to Nicole as it highlights the risk that we all, myself included, take received information either of a biased or a partial nature (and by partial here I mean in the sense of being incomplete) and form a judgement that may not be accurate. We interpret that information to suit our world view, even if some of us strive for a balance rather than seeing merely black or white. But I admit that I read the story and formed a distinct impression. In fact initially I laughed as it was so preposterous, but then I could conceive of only one word - racism. I still hold with that, but to begin with I had acted without the knowledge of some background. Had the fact of the theft been reported at the time, it would not have changed that impression; indeed it may well have hardened it. At least, however, I would have been acting on complete(-ish) or verging towards complete rather than partial information. For what it's worth though, sympathetic as I am to the store-owner in terms of the theft and of his frustration, I cannot excuse him his action.
There is a whole wider issue here, and it is the fact that rarely do any of us know the full story, and yet we make conclusions, utter opinions, become dogmatic with the benefit of only bits or pieces of information or, worse, information that is flawed, prejudiced, one-sided, wrong and sometimes malicious. The sources of this partial information are clear - gossip, embellished gossip, newspapers, television, the Internet. We take this partial, biased or manipulated information because we want to, because it suits our world view, our prejudices. The McCanns were/are a classic example.
And yet, were we to stop and wish to check every bit of information, we would get nowhere. There is an inevitability about human discourse, that it is incomplete. Of course it is. But this is not to say that there shouldn't be some responsibility, and no more so than on the Internet. I can feel a very long thesis coming on, so I shall close, but you've been warned: I might just publish it here.
QUIZ
Chain - Led Zeppelin to "Stairway to Heaven" to Heaven 17 who basically were the British Electric Foundation. Simple. And so how do you get from Heaven 17 to "Papa Was A Rolling Stone"? Dead easy. Today's title - who?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Not Welcome
Here's something charming. Charming in the sarcastic form.
A sign was placed in front of a shop in Alcúdia which read something to the effect of no entrance without prior notice to dogs and Romanians.
As I said, charming huh?
Maybe it's one of those little racist jokes. Like the Lewis Hamilton joke. You know, the joke that is acceptable because a bit of racism is not taken seriously. Nah, it's just a joke, mate. No offence. And there were apologists, even among the English media (one at least who lives in Spain), that agreed the Hamilton thing wasn't too clever, but one had to understand ... Yea, yea, yea.
I happen to know some Romanians, and I don't reckon they will see the joke.
This story, as reported in the "Diario", did not actually mention the shop in question in its main feature, but it did show a picture, did mention the proprietor (who apparently has form of a "discriminatory" nature) and did also have a side bar which did mention the shop. Beep. The computer shop in Alcúdia. I was shocked. Somehow I found it hard to associate this sort of thing with a computer store and especially with Beep, a shop I know quite well and which has had a fair amount of euros of mine pass over its counter. Well, I think I might think twice in the future.
Sorry, this is a bit dashed-off today. No quiz. It's known as all day at the printers and it's done my head in. And there will probably be another similar day tomorrow, and I had to go to the hospital with an infected toe, and I haven't slept since ...
Till tomorrow. Maybe.
QUIZ
Yesterday's chain - Captain Sensible did "Happy Talk" from "South Pacific". Today's title - Extreme. No quiz today.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
A sign was placed in front of a shop in Alcúdia which read something to the effect of no entrance without prior notice to dogs and Romanians.
As I said, charming huh?
Maybe it's one of those little racist jokes. Like the Lewis Hamilton joke. You know, the joke that is acceptable because a bit of racism is not taken seriously. Nah, it's just a joke, mate. No offence. And there were apologists, even among the English media (one at least who lives in Spain), that agreed the Hamilton thing wasn't too clever, but one had to understand ... Yea, yea, yea.
I happen to know some Romanians, and I don't reckon they will see the joke.
This story, as reported in the "Diario", did not actually mention the shop in question in its main feature, but it did show a picture, did mention the proprietor (who apparently has form of a "discriminatory" nature) and did also have a side bar which did mention the shop. Beep. The computer shop in Alcúdia. I was shocked. Somehow I found it hard to associate this sort of thing with a computer store and especially with Beep, a shop I know quite well and which has had a fair amount of euros of mine pass over its counter. Well, I think I might think twice in the future.
Sorry, this is a bit dashed-off today. No quiz. It's known as all day at the printers and it's done my head in. And there will probably be another similar day tomorrow, and I had to go to the hospital with an infected toe, and I haven't slept since ...
Till tomorrow. Maybe.
QUIZ
Yesterday's chain - Captain Sensible did "Happy Talk" from "South Pacific". Today's title - Extreme. No quiz today.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Every Kind Of People – Part 2
Odd indeed for this blog to do a full-article day-after follow-up, but the immigration kerfuffle started by the Partido Popular’s presidential candidate Mariano Rajoy has brought forth more views ‘n’ news – it takes the spectre of a potential (but non-existent) threat to Brit interests to elevate Spanish politics from a state of almost total indifference in the lives of your average expat.
There was something I wanted to add to yesterday’s piece. Well, more than one thing. Firstly, the stink that Rajoy has caused with his talk of an “integration” policy for immigrants should really come as no surprise. Take this – “Interior Minister, Mariano Rajoy, has said: ‘The hope must be that people integrate. If an immigrant wants to live here and claim his rights, he will have obligations like learning to speak the language we all speak here.’ ” This comes from the BBC’s website. It pre-dates the victory of Zapatero in 2004, when Rajoy was a member of the Aznar administration. In other words, he has form, so the charge of opportunism carries less weight.
Secondly, immigration is a difficult subject for politicians, or at least a difficult subject on which to create a balanced and unemotional debate. It is almost inevitable that certain opinions within that debate will arouse a charge of racism or discrimination. It is why many politicians choose to avoid or skirt round it. Unless a free-for-all policy is being proposed, by definition some group or other is liable to be subject to some form of discrimination. However, this is not to let Rajoy off the hook, as his target is pretty clear. He would have been wiser to have called for a nuanced debate on the subject, rather than pandering to electorate fears of Africanisation or some other cultural disruption.
Thirdly, there is the British and EU dimension. Rajoy does not include EU immigration in his proposed policy, whereby new arrivals would sign a form of contract which would oblige them to be good boys and girls and go to Spanish classes (or something like that). EU states are limited in terms of what they can demand or stipulate of incomers from other EU states. They are free, for example, to apply certain discriminatory practices in respect of worker rights if they so wish. Whether people from Britain learn the language is a matter of their choice not for the state to enforce.
It is all the more confusing, therefore, that the leader in this week’s “Euro Weekly” seeks to make some form of capital out of Rajoy’s proposals and their impact on Brits. On the one hand it says that his words are not “aimed at northern Europeans who can’t speak the language”, and then, on the other, asks who Rajoy’s plans are going to affect, answering that “loyal readers” (of his newspaper) should “look in the mirror”. What on Earth does this mean? On the facing page, a short article states that Rajoy’s “proposed measures do not apply to those who come from EU countries”.
Fourthly, one could argue that Rajoy is being consistent in following a line of “Spanishness” in his campaign. He has, after all, managed to upset a fair number of Catalans, Mallorcans and others by stating that his educational policy would see Spanish (Castilian) being used as THE language of education throughout the country.
Finally, local Balearic boss, Francesc Antich (who is PSOE, like the Zapatero government), has become embroiled in the whole immigration saga, with the PP accusing him of not having an immigration policy. Commenting on this, “The Bulletin” makes a very good point, namely that under Antich’s Partido Popular predecessor, Jaume Matas, immigration into the Balearics was positively encouraged in order to provide jobs, mainly in the then booming construction industry. When it suits, it suits; when it doesn’t, it doesn’t. ‘Twas ever thus in politics.
Rajoy may yet win the election. He may yet introduce his immigration policy. But for the British community, it will carry on in largely blissful and total ignorance, unaffected by and disinterested in national politics. The worry about Rajoy, in addition to the opprobrium he has attracted, is, as with his daft comments about climate change, that he is something of a loose cannon and a less than thoughtful one at that.
QUIZ
As it’s the same title, the answer is held over. Sorry about that, folks.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
There was something I wanted to add to yesterday’s piece. Well, more than one thing. Firstly, the stink that Rajoy has caused with his talk of an “integration” policy for immigrants should really come as no surprise. Take this – “Interior Minister, Mariano Rajoy, has said: ‘The hope must be that people integrate. If an immigrant wants to live here and claim his rights, he will have obligations like learning to speak the language we all speak here.’ ” This comes from the BBC’s website. It pre-dates the victory of Zapatero in 2004, when Rajoy was a member of the Aznar administration. In other words, he has form, so the charge of opportunism carries less weight.
Secondly, immigration is a difficult subject for politicians, or at least a difficult subject on which to create a balanced and unemotional debate. It is almost inevitable that certain opinions within that debate will arouse a charge of racism or discrimination. It is why many politicians choose to avoid or skirt round it. Unless a free-for-all policy is being proposed, by definition some group or other is liable to be subject to some form of discrimination. However, this is not to let Rajoy off the hook, as his target is pretty clear. He would have been wiser to have called for a nuanced debate on the subject, rather than pandering to electorate fears of Africanisation or some other cultural disruption.
Thirdly, there is the British and EU dimension. Rajoy does not include EU immigration in his proposed policy, whereby new arrivals would sign a form of contract which would oblige them to be good boys and girls and go to Spanish classes (or something like that). EU states are limited in terms of what they can demand or stipulate of incomers from other EU states. They are free, for example, to apply certain discriminatory practices in respect of worker rights if they so wish. Whether people from Britain learn the language is a matter of their choice not for the state to enforce.
It is all the more confusing, therefore, that the leader in this week’s “Euro Weekly” seeks to make some form of capital out of Rajoy’s proposals and their impact on Brits. On the one hand it says that his words are not “aimed at northern Europeans who can’t speak the language”, and then, on the other, asks who Rajoy’s plans are going to affect, answering that “loyal readers” (of his newspaper) should “look in the mirror”. What on Earth does this mean? On the facing page, a short article states that Rajoy’s “proposed measures do not apply to those who come from EU countries”.
Fourthly, one could argue that Rajoy is being consistent in following a line of “Spanishness” in his campaign. He has, after all, managed to upset a fair number of Catalans, Mallorcans and others by stating that his educational policy would see Spanish (Castilian) being used as THE language of education throughout the country.
Finally, local Balearic boss, Francesc Antich (who is PSOE, like the Zapatero government), has become embroiled in the whole immigration saga, with the PP accusing him of not having an immigration policy. Commenting on this, “The Bulletin” makes a very good point, namely that under Antich’s Partido Popular predecessor, Jaume Matas, immigration into the Balearics was positively encouraged in order to provide jobs, mainly in the then booming construction industry. When it suits, it suits; when it doesn’t, it doesn’t. ‘Twas ever thus in politics.
Rajoy may yet win the election. He may yet introduce his immigration policy. But for the British community, it will carry on in largely blissful and total ignorance, unaffected by and disinterested in national politics. The worry about Rajoy, in addition to the opprobrium he has attracted, is, as with his daft comments about climate change, that he is something of a loose cannon and a less than thoughtful one at that.
QUIZ
As it’s the same title, the answer is held over. Sorry about that, folks.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Every Kind Of People
Immigration. It has become an election issue. The PP’s Mariano Rajoy has sought to make it one, bringing forth condemnations of racism and xenophobia. But Rajoy is merely reflecting a widely held concern. Social surveys of matters of concern always feature immigration prominently, nowhere more so than in Mallorca. Along with employment, it is often the main concern.
Spain has a long history of immigration and of different cultures. Indeed it was, at one time, a multi-cultural land before the purges of the Jews and the Muslims at the end of the fifteenth century, a time when the notion of Spain became more of a reality through the union of the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. While the ending of Moorish influence in 1492 is widely known, less well known perhaps is the often harsher treatment of the Jews who, made to become “conversos”, still suffered at the hands of zealous inquisitors. Despite the fears of some that the conversos, some of whom went on to hold positions of power, were not truly committed Christians, Spain began to become Spain – the nation of the Catholic Kings.
Through empire, the slave trade and Spain’s position as a maritime trading nation, immigration was common enough; indeed much of its early mercantile influence was the result of Genoese immigration. In more recent times, however, immigration has been less of an issue, though it is untrue to suggest that there was none during the Franco era. It is only though in the past couple of decades that immigration has made its contemporary mark. And it is the different strands of immigration that lie behind the condemnations of Rajoy. European Union migration and that from central and southern America are one thing, movement of people from other countries, in particular African countries is another thing entirely. You might recall my mentioning that Moroccans comprised the greatest number of foreigners who gained Spanish citizenship last year.
Rajoy wants all immigrants to learn Spanish, he will pursue deportation for law-breakers. It sounds vaguely familiar. In Britain, where multi-culturalism is deemed to have failed, not least by a race-issue mover and shaker like Trevor Philips, a form of assimilation-based monoculturalism is sought, despite what the Archbishop of Canterbury might think. Britain has its bonkers citizenship test; proficiency in the language is not just a political desire, it is socially desirable and desired. Many members of ethnic communities have embraced British culture with a passion that contrasts sharply with an embracing of Spain (and its language) by many British expatriates. Immigration does not have to be a threat to the societal norm, albeit that it might modify that norm to some degree, as it has – continuously – in Britain over centuries.
Immigration may have a history in Spain, but Rajoy is reacting to a relatively recent phenomenon, that of significant inward movement of new peoples. His language may sound sinister to some, but what is a politician to do? At least he is addressing an issue that the opposition would rather not, an issue that the surveys show is of concern. It is though the suggestion of discrimination against certain groups of immigrants that is the worry, and he needs to be more sensitive in this respect. It is also, potentially, just cheap electioneering in that the old canard of immigration equating to loss of employment opportunities is also being aired. But if Rajoy is hinting, through his deportation threat, that Spain would not countenance a form of Londonistan emerging in the country, I’m not sure many would disagree. He needs to be wary of the ease with which the racism charge can be levelled at him and of being charged with political opportunism, but he is not wrong to raise the subject of immigration.
QUIZ
Yesterday – Paul McCartney. Today’s title – no longer with us, but this was a cracking song by this British soul/rock artist.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Spain has a long history of immigration and of different cultures. Indeed it was, at one time, a multi-cultural land before the purges of the Jews and the Muslims at the end of the fifteenth century, a time when the notion of Spain became more of a reality through the union of the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon. While the ending of Moorish influence in 1492 is widely known, less well known perhaps is the often harsher treatment of the Jews who, made to become “conversos”, still suffered at the hands of zealous inquisitors. Despite the fears of some that the conversos, some of whom went on to hold positions of power, were not truly committed Christians, Spain began to become Spain – the nation of the Catholic Kings.
Through empire, the slave trade and Spain’s position as a maritime trading nation, immigration was common enough; indeed much of its early mercantile influence was the result of Genoese immigration. In more recent times, however, immigration has been less of an issue, though it is untrue to suggest that there was none during the Franco era. It is only though in the past couple of decades that immigration has made its contemporary mark. And it is the different strands of immigration that lie behind the condemnations of Rajoy. European Union migration and that from central and southern America are one thing, movement of people from other countries, in particular African countries is another thing entirely. You might recall my mentioning that Moroccans comprised the greatest number of foreigners who gained Spanish citizenship last year.
Rajoy wants all immigrants to learn Spanish, he will pursue deportation for law-breakers. It sounds vaguely familiar. In Britain, where multi-culturalism is deemed to have failed, not least by a race-issue mover and shaker like Trevor Philips, a form of assimilation-based monoculturalism is sought, despite what the Archbishop of Canterbury might think. Britain has its bonkers citizenship test; proficiency in the language is not just a political desire, it is socially desirable and desired. Many members of ethnic communities have embraced British culture with a passion that contrasts sharply with an embracing of Spain (and its language) by many British expatriates. Immigration does not have to be a threat to the societal norm, albeit that it might modify that norm to some degree, as it has – continuously – in Britain over centuries.
Immigration may have a history in Spain, but Rajoy is reacting to a relatively recent phenomenon, that of significant inward movement of new peoples. His language may sound sinister to some, but what is a politician to do? At least he is addressing an issue that the opposition would rather not, an issue that the surveys show is of concern. It is though the suggestion of discrimination against certain groups of immigrants that is the worry, and he needs to be more sensitive in this respect. It is also, potentially, just cheap electioneering in that the old canard of immigration equating to loss of employment opportunities is also being aired. But if Rajoy is hinting, through his deportation threat, that Spain would not countenance a form of Londonistan emerging in the country, I’m not sure many would disagree. He needs to be wary of the ease with which the racism charge can be levelled at him and of being charged with political opportunism, but he is not wrong to raise the subject of immigration.
QUIZ
Yesterday – Paul McCartney. Today’s title – no longer with us, but this was a cracking song by this British soul/rock artist.
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
You’re An Embarrassment
The racist abuse of Lewis Hamilton at testing for the Formula One season in Barcelona was regrettable. The hysteria surrounding it has used stronger adjectives, justifiably perhaps but in danger of over-revving the engine, in particular an anti-Spanish one with the throttle down on all Spaniards being racists.
There is racism here. Unquestionably there is. So there is everywhere. On occasions such as the Hamilton affair, the British scurry into their sanctimonious smugness of having “solved” the racism-in-sport issue. But things are never black and white, if you’ll pardon the expression.
Whereas Britain has been largely cleansed by political correctness, the same cannot be said for Spain, and for which – in certain ways – we should be grateful. Spanish racism in sport is not the vicious neo-Nazism of eastern Europe; it is more a jokey racism. It is the sort of “joke” that used to pervade British society, one that used to allow even someone as apparently right-on as John Cleese to associate himself with a radio-comedy show that featured a regular “how-de-do-dere-honey” whenever the word black or dark was in the script; one that used to allow something as monstrous as “The Black and White Minstrel Show” to pass as Saturday evening entertainment.
But the “joke” is itself unkind and unacceptable. In Spanish football, it has led to Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o threatening to leave the pitch, to the embarrassing abuse of England’s coloured players, and to the lack of censure of Luis Aragones, the national team coach, after his remarks about Thierry Henry. What has happened to Aragones? He is still the coach. Glenn Hoddle’s crackpot ideas about the disabled proved to be the final nail in his England managerial coffin. Offensive they may have been, but Hoddle was dismissed as being potty and went on to manage in the Premiership. Had he said what Aragones said, he would have been booted out of FA headquarters faster than you could say “Ron Atkinson” and would never have gone near the game again. Big Ron, shown the red card from the commentary box on the back of his Desailly remarks, had his own joke about the three black players at West Brom – “The Three Degrees”. The last I heard of him, he was involved in a celebrity dinner. Where? Yep, in Mallorca.
The incident involving Hamilton may have been inspired by his spat with local hero Fernando Alonso, but the blacking-up by a few spectators was not a joke, even if they might have believed it to be. It was not a joke, it was puerile. And that’s the thing with such racism, it is childish, stupid, embarrassing and demeaning; demeaning both to those who have their fingers in the face paint and to their “targets”– just like the minstrels used to be. The relevant Spanish authorities and elements of the Spanish media are complicit in giving succour to such childishness. Football clubs are treated with a woeful lack of sanction, the commentators on the England match managed to ignore mentioning the chants, a reporter from the “AS” sports newspaper was on radio saying that it was just a handful of people at the testing in Barcelona. The absence of righteous political correctness may be a positive in Spain, but it does not, or should not extend to the puerility of darkening the face and monkey chants. It does the country no favours and needs to be addressed more seriously, as it should have been with Aragones who should have been shown the door. It is time that some in Spain learnt to grow up.
QUIZ
Yesterday – Could only have been the wonderful Dusty Springfield. Today’s title – nutty boys?
(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)
There is racism here. Unquestionably there is. So there is everywhere. On occasions such as the Hamilton affair, the British scurry into their sanctimonious smugness of having “solved” the racism-in-sport issue. But things are never black and white, if you’ll pardon the expression.
Whereas Britain has been largely cleansed by political correctness, the same cannot be said for Spain, and for which – in certain ways – we should be grateful. Spanish racism in sport is not the vicious neo-Nazism of eastern Europe; it is more a jokey racism. It is the sort of “joke” that used to pervade British society, one that used to allow even someone as apparently right-on as John Cleese to associate himself with a radio-comedy show that featured a regular “how-de-do-dere-honey” whenever the word black or dark was in the script; one that used to allow something as monstrous as “The Black and White Minstrel Show” to pass as Saturday evening entertainment.
But the “joke” is itself unkind and unacceptable. In Spanish football, it has led to Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o threatening to leave the pitch, to the embarrassing abuse of England’s coloured players, and to the lack of censure of Luis Aragones, the national team coach, after his remarks about Thierry Henry. What has happened to Aragones? He is still the coach. Glenn Hoddle’s crackpot ideas about the disabled proved to be the final nail in his England managerial coffin. Offensive they may have been, but Hoddle was dismissed as being potty and went on to manage in the Premiership. Had he said what Aragones said, he would have been booted out of FA headquarters faster than you could say “Ron Atkinson” and would never have gone near the game again. Big Ron, shown the red card from the commentary box on the back of his Desailly remarks, had his own joke about the three black players at West Brom – “The Three Degrees”. The last I heard of him, he was involved in a celebrity dinner. Where? Yep, in Mallorca.
The incident involving Hamilton may have been inspired by his spat with local hero Fernando Alonso, but the blacking-up by a few spectators was not a joke, even if they might have believed it to be. It was not a joke, it was puerile. And that’s the thing with such racism, it is childish, stupid, embarrassing and demeaning; demeaning both to those who have their fingers in the face paint and to their “targets”– just like the minstrels used to be. The relevant Spanish authorities and elements of the Spanish media are complicit in giving succour to such childishness. Football clubs are treated with a woeful lack of sanction, the commentators on the England match managed to ignore mentioning the chants, a reporter from the “AS” sports newspaper was on radio saying that it was just a handful of people at the testing in Barcelona. The absence of righteous political correctness may be a positive in Spain, but it does not, or should not extend to the puerility of darkening the face and monkey chants. It does the country no favours and needs to be addressed more seriously, as it should have been with Aragones who should have been shown the door. It is time that some in Spain learnt to grow up.
QUIZ
Yesterday – Could only have been the wonderful Dusty Springfield. Today’s title – nutty boys?
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