On Spain - the subjective and the objective

Spain. Where to begin? So much to write, so little time. It is a bundle of contradictions. It is secular, and yet incomplete in its secularism. Very social, and yet almost clannish. Socialist, and yet some of its newly-implemented economic policies puts Britain or even the U.S. to shame. Traditional, but highly fluid, techno savy, and ever-changing with its youth.

One of the first things that takes one aback is the high percentage of its elderly population. Everywhere. Hordes and hordes of them; sitting on bench tops eating their kestanes, walking in arm and arm with a fellow elderly person, spontaneously gathering at conspicuous spots of the town gossiping on the latest developments in such serious matters as politics or the more trivial ones like the mishaps and endeavors of their grandchildren.

Unlike, their American counterparts, they look fulfilled. The encumbered, mummified or just plain lonely faces of the elderly in the United States is nowhere to be seen. It is a good place to be if you are old.

For someone accustomed to the American or even Turkish family dynamics, familiar arrangements can appear very tight-knit. Family was ranked as the number one priority for Spaniards in a recent poll. Strangely, work appeared somewhere at the bottom of the list. Most families, here, know no to oscillate between excessive individualism (American style) and excessive authoritarianism (Turco or Arab style). They seem to have achieved a good balance in terms of familial relationships. Certainly, there are exceptions to the rules in that domestic violence is still a major headliner in the news.

A very, very social country. Every café, restaurant or any other gathering venue is packed wall to wall. They are endlessly solving the world’s or Spain’s problems, whining about their work, or how meagerly they are paid, the acute unemployment problem in Europe or simply bitching about life’s little annoyances and nuances. When I first arrived here, now almost 3 months ago, I was certain they were bickering or fighting. No, no, they are not fighting, they are just being human. Unlike their American counterparts, they are being natural. They know not to bottle up their emotions deep, and go and see a counselor for 200 euros/hr and take comfort in artificial means such as Paxil, Prozac or Zoloft. Very few people are even aware of such drugs. Why bury your woes in a bottle, when you can go to the nearest café and bitch? That is the Spanish way. You’ll have to admit it is a lot healthier than the American way.

Speaking of drugs, they are dirt-cheap here. Because the government heavily regulates the pricing of medication, costs are kept to a minimum, enabling the poor to have access to even the most expensive medication. Also, under Spanish law, every citizen is guaranteed health care coverage. What do you say to that America?? Your system treats the lower, middle-lower and increasingly middle-upper class citizens as subhumans by leaving out 50 million Americans out of the system all together..and another 100 million without adequate healthcare coverage. Europeans get health care coverage, an excellent public transportation, an adequate safety net (though it is being threatened with each successive generation), for their taxes, we get stellar B-bombers and helicopters to divide and conquer. Divide and conquer. What a buch of illeterates Americans are!

That is not to say that Spain is not a major seller of arms and weapons. It is well-known to be a 'provider' to such countries as Venezuala, Cuba or Morrocco. But at least the vast majority of the public has access to one of the most basic human rights - health care.