This is a New York Times Article on the Rise of Hunger in Spain

Wibbs · 07-10-2012 09:47AM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

One baffling thing with the Spanish is their lack of desire to emigrate. To be honest, it's something I don't get. It's a real option for them but I hear, "I'd miss my family too much". Yes, there's emigration but not on any grand scale and that probably goes to partly explain why the unemployment rates here are so high.

Yea I noticed that about them. They really don't travel at all and if they do they rarely stay for life. They're like Anti-New Zealanders.

Given how much of the world is Spanish speaking it's not a language barrier either. You get quite a number of folks from ex Spanish colonies around the world going to Spain, but not the other way around.

MrPoker · 07-10-2012 09:53AM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

One baffling thing with the Spanish is their lack of desire to emigrate. To be honest, it's something I don't get. It's a real option for them but I hear, "I'd miss my family too much". Yes, there's emigration but not on any grand scale and that probably goes to partly explain why the unemployment rates here are so high.

This has to be a huge drain on the Spanish economy with no jobs and high welfare costs. Here in Ireland people are quick to emigrate if they cant find a job which keep our unemployment figures down. I do think this is a factor in the lack of protests here while the rest of us who are working and getting on with things. The Spanish situation seems to be deteriorating quite rapidly.

Eve_Dublin · 07-10-2012 10:28AM

MrPoker wrote: »

This has to be a huge drain on the Spanish economy with no jobs and high welfare costs. Here in Ireland people are quick to emigrate if they cant find a job which keep our unemployment figures down. I do think this is a factor in the lack of protests here while the rest of us who are working and getting on with things. The Spanish situation seems to be deteriorating quite rapidly.

Wibbs wrote: »

Yea I noticed that about them. They really don't travel at all and if they do they rarely stay for life. They're like Anti-New Zealanders. Given how much of the world is Spanish speaking it's not a language barrier either. You get quite a number of folks from ex Spanish colonies around the world going to Spain, but not the other way around.

I really have to bite my tongue anytime I hear them tell me how much they'd miss their family...like I hate my own and couldn't get away from them fast enough :rolleyes:. The Spanish like Spain and like living here. They really believe they have the best food, weather, culture, craic and night life in the world and they won't find it elsewhere. Love this country and the people but the narrow-mindedness would get to you after a while. How they think it's any kind of quality of life living with your parents over having your independence in another country is something I can't get my head round.

I give English classes to a 38 year old woman....in her bedroom in her parents house. She's unemployed and has zero prospects here. I asked her would she be interested in leaving and but she simply said she'd never be happy elsewhere. She's not exceptional. I sympathise with the people here as things are bad but I've zero sympathy for those who refuse outright to help themselves.

Agricola · 07-10-2012 10:35AM

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Taking Germany for example having spent time there I just get the feeling that we don't matter. We're court jesters, they find us amusing. Ireland doesn't get bad mouthed in their press. The reason being imo is that they view us as stupid Paddy's who wouldn't know any better anyway. In comparison, Greece get slaughtered in their media, obviously they are still tensions from WW2 present.

National stereotypes work for other countries as well as Ireland. Apparently the Germans see Greeks as a bunch of work shy, tax dodgers. Maybe thats the whole problem here!!

The real reason we don't get bad mouthed in their press, and the reason Ireland isnt on the radar at all for many Germans, is because the government here is enforcing whats seen as Germanic austerity on the people and they are by and large accepting this medicine without any trouble. Enda and co are following the plan which Merkel approves of. We are not endangering their precious Euro as best we can, and generally being very good europeans in the midst of the present crisis. This coupled with the fact that we are a tiny country whos individual debt problem isnt going to collapse the single currency through a bailout, means we are fine and dandy with the Germans. Their press have little bad to report about us.

Greece on the other hand has a massive debt burden related to GDP, are looking for continual bailouts, are seemingly unwilling and unable to enforce their austerity programs and has a history of questionable dealings with the EU financial power brokers which played a part in leading them to the position they are in. On top of all this, there is violence on the streets of Athens regularly. The German media is feeding the population this perspective on Greece all the time....

So which country do you think they would favour considering this?

Da Shins Kelly · 07-10-2012 04:41PM

Eve_Dublin wrote: »

I don't think the article is making out that it's something affecting the majority of the population though. Things are very bad here,worse than Ireland (which you acknowledged). I wouldn't say we see half of it. In fairness, I don't spend too much time round the back of supermarkets looking out for people diving into dumpsters, so how do we really know what's going on?

My parents visited last week and were shocked by the amount of beggers in the city and this is two people who've spent their lives living in Dublin. Went for a walk round the centre and noticed that yet more shops have shut down, more Africans selling their wares on the street and more homeless wandering round the streets. Things have most definitely gotten a lot worse since I arrived here 3 years ago....and this is Madrid, the capital city and supposedly one of the most prosperous parts of the country.

This article could very well be true. The dole is finite and then you're almost completely on your own. The 400 Euro they speak of in this article is only given to certain extreme cases and even then, it's very difficult to apply for.Salaries are among the lowest in Europe but prices have risen by 3%. I don't know how anyone survives on the average salary here with a family.

One thing the Spanish have that other countries don't is the support of the family. Most young people are living at home with their parents (young in Spain is well into your 30s). If this wasn't the case, there'd be mass rioting and revolting.

One baffling thing with the Spanish is their lack of desire to emigrate. To be honest, it's something I don't get. It's a real option for them but I hear, "I'd miss my family too much". Yes, there's emigration but not on any grand scale and that probably goes to partly explain why the unemployment rates here are so high.

I've very little sympathy for this kind of attitude, if I'm honest. When needs must, particularly among young people. Not suggesting the poor should be shipped out of the country but there's many young, educated people here who are doing nothing and are being supported by their families into their 30s when they've another option.

Well, I admit I wouldn't know much about what's happening in Madrid. I'm in Granada, and while there are beggars (something that comes with being in the city), I wasn't exactly taken aback by how many there were (not many). The article is talking about people eating out of dumpsters, and while that may be a reality for some, I do think that the article is kind of acting like 'oh, look at this new development in Spain! Things are so bad that people are eating out of dumpsters!' Sure, who knows what goes on, but I seriously doubt that that is a serious reality for a lot of people, and like I say, there's probably double the number doing the same thing in the US.

I have noticed the lack of desire to emigrate too, which I think is, like you said, down to the importance of family here. I've also noticed how little importance seems to be put on learning English, compared to other European countries I've visited. There seems to be little or no interest in it, which I think places them at an immediate disadvantage when compared to the likes of Germany or the Scandinavian countries.

This is a New York Times Article on the Rise of Hunger in Spain

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