Re: Spanish attitude
 

Good point, it can be said for any nation. However, some evidence shows that the Moors ruled their parts of Spain a bit like the Romans ruled Britain or Britain ruled India i.e. without much social integration...

The key was when the reconquest happened, the Moors had to convert to Christianity or leave the country. Nobody is sure on how many decided to stay.

In any case by the 20th century any remaining Moors were completely integrated into Spanish life in a way that they couldnt be identified as an ethnic group. Genetic studies have shown that Spanish people carry no more North African DNA as an average Britain or Frenchman.

The latest wave of immigration will effect Britian and Spain much much more as we are on course to become a rainbow nation of ethnic groups just like Brazil. It's almost impossible to say what an average Brazilian looks like, maybe in 50 years time we'll say the same about British or Spanish people.

Re: Spanish attitude
 

Thats interesting, cos I've always assumed thats why a "typical" spaniard has those beautiful looks, the olive skin, black hair, dark eyes etc - because they were interbred for so many centuries?! and thats why some of the classical "typical" spanish music has a tinge of arabicness!!!???

But since the birth of commercial travelling, I think in a few generations time we'll all be pretty much the same???

Jo xxx

Re: Spanish attitude
 

Many spanish words originate from Arabic. eg. Ojalá. There is a lengthy list as anyone who has ever done basic spanish will know.

According to a study:rolleyes: I read all the human race traces back to about 4 women.

Re: Spanish attitude
 

According to the bible it traces back to just the one!! Eve LOL Theres the Alhambra too, that has very strong arabic roots, my sons been studying all this in como at school and according to him even the towns around here are arabic names...

Anyway, we're digressing from the OPs question!! Interesting tho, it makes me realise how trivial and pointless racist issues are
Jo xxx

Re: Spanish attitude
 

I bet they had a big bed, Were do you get a duvet for four. Five if you included the needed man.:blink:

Re: Spanish attitude
 

[QUOTE=jackytoo;8487664]Many spanish words originate from Arabic. eg. Ojalá. There is a lengthy list as anyone who has ever done basic spanish will know.

QUOTE]

Yes of course there are, but what has that to do with genetics? There are many Latin words in English too.

Of course the whole thing about races is completely made up anyway. Only 30,000 years ago it is thought the human race almost died out and there were only 1 or 2 thousand humans left in the world. So we all come from the same relatively recent ancestors.

Well, very recent ancestors if we think that some animal species have been around for millions of years

Re: Spanish attitude
 

Speech, music, socialising, more socialising, even more socialising.................. in comes the genetics ;);) LOL

Jo xxx

Re: Spanish attitude
 

Getting back to the Op's question, I generally find people are pretty much the same wherever you go. How your treated is generally a question of how you allow yourself to be treated, and how you treat others.

The old adage, "Theres good, and bad in all", rings true.

Re: Spanish attitude
 

In the UK I worked with a girl who had epilepsy and she told me that she once had a major seizure at Piccadilly Railway Station in Manchester (breaking her jaw in the process) and someone stole her purse and mobile phone whilst she was unconscious. I just can't imagine that happening in Spain.

A few months ago we saw an old man fall in the street, he cut his face quite badly and broke his glasses. A group of young lads hanging out on a bench across the road rushed over to help him, it was good to see. So did we, incidentally!

Re: Spanish attitude
 

Sorry but do you read the newpapers in Spain ? :blink:

Re: Spanish attitude
 

rose tinted glasses anyone, going cheep? :)

Re: Spanish attitude
 

I don't think you can't judge any society by street crime. It's international, and has its own causes.

You can judge a society by other types of crime, of course. Spanish corruption is different from English corruption, and stems from the fact that a Spaniard in a position of power or influence feels morally obliged to help out his/her extended family. I would argue that British corruption is more about 'number 1' or—at best—the nuclear family.

Better still, you judge a society by what its ordinary (non-criminal) people are like.

People are not all the same. The Spanish are more tolerant of mistakes; they also tend to live for the moment. The British are perpetually trying to prevent mistakes from happening, ideally by laws in Parliament (…); they are also more likely to think about fairly long-term consequences of what they do.

I'd rather fly in a plane with a British pilot; if I were a soldier I'd rather serve under a British commanding officer. But in my day-to-day life I'd rather live among the Spanish. (Which, thank goodness, we all do!)

Re: Spanish attitude
 

My Neice & family were sitting on the beach in Alicante when they were robbed of phones, money etc by passing theives

Re: Spanish attitude
 

:confused:

Must have me confused with someone else - no glasses on this gal !

Re: Spanish attitude
 

Of course I read Spanish newspapers - only in today's Diario Sur there is a report of someone throwing a man out of the window of an apartment block causing very serious injuries. I would have to be blind and deaf, never mind wearing rose tinted glasses (and really, couldn't people find a more original way of expressing themselves than trotting out that tired old cliche) to think that crime doesn't exist in Spain.

I live in a big town within an area which is considered socially deprived, not in some manicured urbanisation or gated community, or out in the campo. I don't see that elderly people in town are afraid to go out alone after dark, that parents are afraid to let their children play out in the street for hours on end unsupervised, that disabled people are jeered at and harassed by local youths, or that people are nervous about having to pass groups of feral youths hanging about in the street for fear of becoming the victim of their aggression.

Of course crime exists, in fact my own house was burgled last year so society here certainly isn't perfect but on the whole I find it much less threatening than life in a comparable area in the UK. On Monday of this week there was a problem in my street when a group of gitano neighbours were having a very noisy party to celebrate a wedding anniversary and were partying in the street playing incredibly loud music all afternoon. The police turned up 3 times and shut it down the last time by taking their amplifier away, but it was resolved peacefully without it turning into a huge brawl which I think it certainly would have done in the UK especially with alcohol involved.