Tunes: The Acorn
I chose not to write about something I will miss, but something that I will not: the politics and a few cultural aspects of Spain. It has been very good for me to be in Europe, in order to see a collectivist sort of system, which is the opposite of our individualist system in the US. It has helped me to see the idols of both systems, and has taught me very much about the hearts of these people I have been interacting with daily. I have to thank Carmen Manuel, my US lit teacher here, because she has been the one to point out most of these cultural differences.
Socialism:
Marx is held in high esteem here, and if you do not have a socialist train of thought, you are considered heartless. The thing about this system, is that it relies on those who earn the money to pay for everybody else. The communist creed is this: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." - Karl Marx. Spain has a very steeply graduated income tax, and the wealthy support (or attempt to support) the spending of this country. Big business is looked down upon, and so is being personally wealthy. If you have money, you are called a "pijo," which means posh/snob/spolied, and despised (I have seen this attitude displayed countless times). So despite the fact that the upper wealth bracket supports a large percentage of the entire economy, they are not rewarded for their success. I just don't understand it. I won't pick at each way this system isn't working, but I will note that this country, along with Portugal, Ireland, Italy, and Greece (google search PIIGS), are some of the most financially hurting countries in Europe.
Conformism (externally and internally)
-Externally: Perhaps this is a minor thing, but appearances are very much a part of the culture here, and if you do not follow the general trend of "do's and don'ts" for fashion, you will be stared at. If it is not June, then it is not yet summer, and you will be stared at for wearing sandals, tank-tops, or shorts, regardless of the temperature.
-Internally: Thought processes. The high school system does not teach critical thinking, but a heavy load of memorization and repetition. The "papers" written in college are akin to what we would consider an outline, and it is mostly 'copy and paste' from other sources. I don't see much challenging of the credibility of the sources from which my colleagues gain their knowledge, and it scares me when I hear the amount of slanted journalism they accept unquestioningly.
Absence of "The American Dream"
I titled it that because Carmen Manuel, my US literature teacher was the first one to point this out to me. There seems to be a general acceptance for one's position in society, and it is bizarre for someone to try to rise above their socioeconomic status. When I first encountered it, it seemed to me as hopelessness. Carmen always talked about how Spaniards are so good at finding someone to blame for each problem, complaining about it, but not doing anything to change the situation because such action is a social abnormality. Carmen usually equates it to Spain's Catholic mindset in opposition to America's Protestant mindset, and I have been playing with that idea very often these past months.
I feel like writing any more seems like me whining about Spain, and such a medium for such sensitive cultural topics leaves much to be desired. If anyone would like to talk about any of these observations in more detail, lemme know.
Off to (try to) study!
