Comments on: Spanish Stereotypes 2

By: Javi

Javi — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:58:17 +0000

Do you want to know why we have one of the lowest rates of productivity while having one of the longer hours in Europe? BECAUSE WE HAVE THE LOWEST SALARIES ALONG WITH GREECE AND PORTUGAL… if we get better paid maybe we would be more productive…

now, people may say there are african or asian countries with lower salaries and higher productivity rates but they dont belong to an economic alliance that have raised the prices and kept the salaries the same…think of that

By: Javi

Javi — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:14:58 +0000

why would you say we dont mix with foreigners when we are abroad? when i travel outside spain i always like to get mixed with the locals and have a chat with them…as you said you may find all kinds everywhere… i dont see the british gettin mixed but i wouldnt say that of the italians or the germans, they congeniate very well with us

By: morevisitor

morevisitor — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:35:57 +0000

Esto es un poste bueno. Este poste da sinceramente información de calidad. estudiaré definitivamente lo.realmente puntas que muy útiles son proporcionadas aquí.gracias tanto.sigue así

By: Robbo

Robbo — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 01:54:53 +0000

Poms accusing Spaniards of laziness!!! Now that’s rich.

By: Pablo

Pablo — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:18:54 +0000

I am a Spaniard myself and just find hilarious many of the comments that I usually hear about us.
I have been living in the UK for over 5 years and just gave up trying to explain misconceptions about Spanish people and Spain itself as a country.
When I am asked, did you find very hard to get used to the English weather? Initally, I would answer: Well, not really, I am from Northern Spain, Galicia, you know, this area is predominantly rainy and pretty cold in winter, even colder than the UK, I would say. But now, I just had enough and therefore I usually agree with every comment I am told. Oh yes, you’re right, very hard indeed. This weather is so miserable particularly bearing in mind that my home city is placed in the middle of the tropic!!
Just a few days ago, I have been asked if I turned black in summer because of sunbathing. My look is pretty much European. And this is not a racist comment at all, don’t take me wrong. Spain is the outcome of a number of invasions carried out by a large number of people coming from very different origins (so that the Spanish race just doesn’t exist), but anyway it should not be difficult to anyone to differentiate an Asian (paquistani) from a Spaniard, something which apparently is really hard to distinguish, according to what I have been told. Ironically, I said that we have very strong links with the Far East, so that we have similar facial features.
I have never ever seen a flamenco show in my region, but obviously we’re very skillful and accomplished flamenco dancers and needless to say that we love bullfighting and drink alcohol all day long. I must say that I have no clue about flamenco, so I can’t say whether I like it or not, I am totally against bullfighting and also am a teetotal. I have not drunk a drop of alcohol for a number of years.
Anyway, as I said there are so many stereotypes about us that the list is just endless (lazy, irresponsible, party people, rude, among many others…, but curiously none of them are positive, but nevertheless they do not bother me at all, I just find them funny). Believe me, I dealt with people from many countries and found good and bad people everywhere, culture is more and more a globalised issue, and people trend to behave according to similar patterns.
Thanks to those who can spare 2 minutes to read my comment.

By: Christina Baker

Christina Baker — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:24:43 +0000

Hi! Thank goodness there is someone else who know salsa is not from Spain. I am a salsa dancer in the U.S. and even wrote a Master’s thesis on salsa music and dance. However, giving a mini lesson here in Spain, I was told by a Spaniard that less merengue (which was actually a cha-cha-cha) would have been better for a salsa class. I was also pinched on the cheek and treated like a misinformed child when I said salsa came from NY. Something you may want to add to your list of stereotypes or overall observations is that here in Spain, “experts” are in endless supply.

Thanks for this list!

By: Carlos

Carlos — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:43:02 +0000

Hi:

As one of the "weird creatures" under scrutiny in these posts (Spaniards), I would like to make a couple of remarks:

1) We do have our personal space. It is just different from that of other countries. Distances tend to be shorter and we are more tactile than most other nations. The codes are different. If you want to feel more comfortable about it, try to get aquainted with them, by asking/observing people, for instance.

2) Neither I or any of my family, friends or acquaintances ever drink sangria. I have had a can of it sitting in my fridge for about three months, and the odds are that it will end up down the drain. I did not even buy it on purpose: it came attached to some other drink I bougth as a "promotion pack."

3) Spain is a very diverse country. Living in, say, Rota and talking about Spain as a whole is like living in San Diego and thinking that you know the USA. To give you just a very simple, superficial example, it has been raining where I live nearly non stop for the last two months, and we are already halfway through the summer!!!!!!!!!!!

4) I hate flamenco and bullfights, and I don't consider myself atypical in that respect.

5) In Spain, they are sloppy workers and diligent, responsible ones, in a proportion similar to anywhere else in the "civilised" (sorry to be so ethnocentric from a Western perspective) world. Differences are down to variation in individual dispositions not because it runs in our culture. I regard assumimg otherwise as a tad xenophobic.

I do not intend to sound too recriminatory, and I have not exactly posted this in answer to the previous post, perhaps more to do with general preconceptions about us. Enjoy your stay among us, "Natevan".

By: Carlos

Carlos — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:43:02 +0000

By: natevan

natevan — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:54:32 +0000

lol Im living in spain right now.. in the vacation portion but I am in the military. I am an american and Ive noticed the british outlook to be rather negative. I can say this for sure.. The spanish are very lax on their concept of time. if you want something done give it a while longer to get done. If you can accept it you may appreciate it very much. Sangria is very loved in southern spain, but only during the summer. Personally I love it and will continue to drink it year round. The spanish in big cities like madrid or barcelona have very similar hard working ethics as much as the english or americans do. It's only the smaller shops and such that do not. One thing that I cant get used to is how they have no concept of personal space. At least in america we keep our distance from eachother unless.. well ha invited in.

The one thing we americans do that spanish dont, annd something i am taking time on getting adjusted to, is the common dance in clubs. They seem to find their personal space there. And if you have ever been to an american club you would notice that we seem to lose that sense of space... fast. haha. One more thing.. I dont know about the english, but in america we dont touch alcohol until maybe 6-7 pm at the earliest but here in spain it is common to drink wine with lunch before heading back to work. Hence siesta i suppose.

That's all I have for now though

By: Laura

Laura — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 07:22:20 +0000

I am an Argentinean girl, living in Spain. I studied here four years in college and of course you have a large amount of lazy people who wouldnt go to class for staying in bed. But you have also people who were studying hard and combining it with a job. I ve been studying in Germany, Ireland and Scotland and you find people of every kind in every place. One just have to be open minded and adapt.

It is true that Spanish people tend to keep their timetables and they do not mix with locals when they go to other countries, which in my opinion is a mistake. To widen your mind travelling you have to get to know the culture of the place. But the truth is that you couldnt say that English mix much with Spanish around here either. I live in Málaga and you have entirely English ghettos in Torremolinos or Fuengirola. Some of them have been living here for ages and cant speak proper Spanish. I guess we are all much more demanding when we have the foreigner knocking at our country's dorr…

My point is that stereotypes are out date: you have lazy and hard-working people everywhere, nice and stiff, narrow- and open-minded.

Anyway, cool post Matthew!
Saludos

By: Kirsty

Kirsty — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:29:46 +0000

Maybe like in many countries it varies from region to region? I know that I am living with a Spanish Host Family in Cantabria and they work incredibly hard, not just at their jobs but with the family as well. I think half the problem is snobby Brits coming and assuming that everyone Speaks english because I have not encountered any rude spanish people… some crazy ones yes, but not rude, but I speak their language…
Its the same as in the UK, English people get annoyed with immgrants coming into our country and not speaking English… thats how the Spanish/French/German (etc) feel when one goes to their country and speaks in foreign tongue!

By: Matthew Bennett

Matthew Bennett — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:05:18 +0000

Well, disagreeing is fine, of course . Although we work very long hours in Spain, I have read more than one article that places Spain’s productivity near the bottom of the European lists.

By: Ray

Ray — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:04:51 +0000

I have to disagree. On far too many occasions I have had this stereotype demonstrated in cold hard fact, here in Spain. It is a very, very seldom occasion that a Spaniard makes the exception that proves the rule.
Not only do Spaniards demonstrate laziness in their occupations and general attitude towards life, they also have a very well developed sense of entitlement, a significantly lower sense of personal responsibility, and have no idea what ‘rugged individualism’ even means.
You will immediately be labeled and despised as a meddling, snobbish, mean and rude outsider if you do ever give a Spaniard an opportunity to excel, and assign them more work than they are comfortable with. And if you do your own job, agree to deadlines, and meet them – you are most certainly a ‘trepas’ and ‘pelota’