guirijohn

When the bulb blows in 22 year old Pepe´s bedroom he tells his mother who dutifully gets out the steps and changes it. “Studying” in his last year of university Pepe has never done a day´s work. Why don´t you earn some money giving lessons suggested his mother. “ I don´t want to prostitute myself”, he retorted. On Monday mornings I see young people in the bicycle repair shop, queuing to pay €15 to have their punctures repaired. A world apart from the young German woman I watched in the street ripping off the tyre with her bare hands. “We learn to repair punctures in school”, she told me.

It is no accident that Spain has 50% plus youth unemployment and Germany 7%. In Spain everyone aspires to be a Señorito, few want to dirty their hands. An apprenticeship is looked down on whereas in Germany it is respected.

The Beckhams, not short of a bob or two, have decided that their 15 year old son should work in a bar at weekends to learn the value of money. Very wise, learning independence and assuming responsibility are an essential part of education.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...lue-money.html

As for Pepe learning only to be dependent, I despair for his future. When you consider that there are millions like him I wonder where Spain in heading.

scrubbedexpat095

Given the subject matter I think it might have been better to post this thread in PDT as there are sure to be strong opinions on what you've posted

That said, I agree with your posts POV

Domino

when I first read about it I thought "Good for them!"
but in the last day or so I have had time to think on it and media attention could well ruin it, with cameras looking for him dropping something, talking to a girl, or just being intrusive and ruining a business because customers stay away.

time will tell if this is the correct place, but the intention is a good one.

amideislas

The Germans exhibit some irritating characteristics (albeit innocently), but one thing I admire them for is that they don't generally expect that the world owes them something, or that certain things are "beneath" them, and rarely exhibit snobbery, although their (sometimes brutal) honesty and directness can easily be mistaken for "snobbery".

I've noticed that many of the native population here often seems to avoid "getting their hands dirty". My neighbour for example, wouldn't ever consider attempting any kind of DIY work. Hires out for everything, even the simplest little jobs like changing a water filter. Same with most locals I know.

And it seems to be encouraged by law in some ways - for example, only a registered architect's work can be submitted for even the simplest of building permission (although ironically, many so-called professional "architects" wouldn't know the difference between architecture and a ground squirrel).

Funny world, yes, but for anyone who'd refuse to take control of their lives simply because it's "beneath" them, I would remind them that living on mum's good graces at 22 yrs. old probably isn't necessary or healthy. It's just "convenient".

chopera

A big reason for Spain's unemployment is that a huge number of people left school at the age of 16 to work on building sites during the boom. The boom collapsed and now these people have no job and no qualifications. So it's more a case of people wanting to get their hands dirty instead of studying, but then the work ran out.

There are also other reasons for Spain's unemployment as well, if you care to look rather than inventing stereotyped anecdotes to fit in with your xenophobic view of the Spanish.

jimenato

The lads in our village will turn their hand to anything - building, agricultural work, fixing cars - in fact fixing anything - it's amazing what they'll repair.

There may be some as described in the OP but by no means are all Spanish like that.

guirijohn

There is no inventing, in fact the Spanish grandfather of Pepe is very skilled about the house so it is not necessarily about the Spanish either. It is about instilling values and responsibility. A generation that lived through the civil war learned to be self sufficient and adaptable. Most children born during the building boom have only known abundance and this leaves them unprepared for the more difficult times ahead.

cricketman

Well, of course your post is xenophobic and a complete invention

You are effectively saying that it is Spanish young people's own fault that there is 58% unemployment among them

So there are 100,000s of thousands of jobs for them are there, but they just can't be bothered?

Spanish young people are protected by their parents but they always have been, it is just a cultural difference. It does not explain the situation of young people in Spain at the moment

And I won't even comment on some stupid celebrity story although do a bit of research into the second richest person in the world (who is Spanish) and how they brought up their children very humbly. Maybe that will change your mind about lazy stereotypes... which leads me to say, the only person being lazy here is you

Dick Dasterdly

It remains to be seen if the Beckhams have it right and also how long the kid sticks it out.

Only thing for sure is that the coffee shop has it right.

I reckon the boost to their trade will be ginormous and regardless if young Beck spends most of his time chatting to punters and signing autographs, they've just pulled off the biggest P.R. stunt in their history at the cost of a mere 2 quid odd per hour.

I'd think it would be a much better character building exercise to send him out to a farm and have him grafting up and down the rows of fruit and veg plantations on his weekends in all weathers, paid not by the hour, but by the row, now that really is a character building exercise.