Whenever the topic of Catalan devolution is argued about, at least one person will draw attention to the 'fact' that Catalans are rude and horrible people. The argument, though it has absolutely no bearing on the topic of devolution, is fallacious, and is employed as a tactic to make the debate about the conduct of Catalans rather than the fact of their desire for further devolution from Spain.
The classic form of this argument is: "Why should I have to speak in Catalan when I know they speak Spanish?". This is generally asked by foreign visitors to Barcelona who have allegedly undergone awful treatment at the hands of vicious Catalan waiters, shop-keepers and officials all intent on making their lives a misery.
My first response to the question is that it's just good manners to make an effort to connect with people when you come to their country. If I have dinner at a house where they say grace before eating, I don't just sit on the sofa with the TV on waiting for them to finish. I'll go along with it, bow my head and say Amen with the rest of them. Similarly, in Catalonia, I'll make an effort to say just a few words in Catalan: of course people here speak Spanish, but a lot of them speak English too and would we really expect them to deal with us only in the language most convenient to ourselves? This smacks of a huge double-standard. Is it really the Catalans who are obstructing communication? Or is it the people who refuse to make any effort whatsoever to use the local language?
My second argument is much simpler: this never happens anyway. Catalans do not refuse to speak in Spanish to people. This is a lie which is bandied about by people who've had some sort of bad experience here. How can I make this claim, I hear you ask? Simple: I've lived here for four years. In this time, I've visited numerous (hundreds) of bars, restaurants, night clubs, shops, bakeries, offices of the state and businesses. From Cadaques to the Ebre, from Vic and Lleida to Sort and Tarragona, I've travelled all around this country and not once have I experienced this alleged rudeness. I've probably had contact with thousands of Catalans and not a single one has ever treated me in this way.
Indeed, my experiences suggest that the true situation is the opposite of what the original question suggests: I have found that if I'm talking with a Catalan and trying to get by in Catalan, they will invariably switch to Spanish or English to make things easier for me. This can be very frustrating when you're trying to learn Catalan, but it's done out of courtesy and kindness rather than any malicious intent.
Why is it then that my experiences with Catalans and language seem so totally contradictory to those of the complainers? I can only assume that the extent of this rudeness and bad behaviour is grossly exagerrated by people who have a fixed anti-Catalan agenda.
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...a blog by Tom Clarke in Barcelona, Catalonia, covering politics, culture and society
December 17th, 2009 - 09:53
"I have found that if I'm talking with a Catalan and trying to get by in Catalan, they will invariably switch to Spanish or English to make things easier for me. This can be very frustrating when you're trying to learn Catalan, but it's done out of courtesy and kindness rather than any malicious intent."
Whilst I totally agree with your views, I would like to clarify that the switch to Spanish when a non-native Catalan speaker is trying to speak in Catalan is not done out of courtesy and kindness but rather of deeply ingrained fear as a result of decades (centuries?) of repression and been told off or even a smack in the face by countless Spaniards telling them that it is rude to speak your own language in your own country in the presence of a Spanish speaker!
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December 17th, 2009 - 09:58
@Toni – no, it was out of courtesy. I'm talking about real occasions involving myself and people I know.
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December 17th, 2009 - 10:01
OK Tom, accepted…But I know that the usual behaviour is the one I have made reference to (there are lots of studies describing this issue)!
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December 17th, 2009 - 18:17
I haven't noticed that people are particularly rude here. In Madrid I've been yelled at much more for far less. I've never had anyone complain to me about speaking in Spanish, even at school meetings the teachers didn't mind doing the meeting in Spanish so I could understand.
Perhaps my accent is was so horrible that they'd rather have me massacre Castillian than Catalan.
I've heard about as many stories from Catalans who complain that Spanish people are rude to them as vice versa, so I think the only conclusion is that yes, unfortunately, there are assholes in the world.
Everyone in high-tech most everyone speaks English (or at least has the ability to sound out english words using spanish pronunciation rules), so I haven't had any big problems there. It actually help to learn the Catalan pronunciation rules to I could figure out which damn English word some people were trying to say.
I would say that Catalans are much more private than I was expecting. For many people here, their lives are already filled up with family, friends from way back, etc, and don't have a lot of room for crazy foreigners.
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December 24th, 2009 - 03:10
I totally agree. The problem is with Catalans switching too easily to Spanish, not the other way round. It can be very frustrating to be speaking in Catalan, not catch a word (maybe through not even hearing it), ask for it to be repeated, and have the speaker instinctively change to Spanish. Catalans, speak more Catalan to foreigners! Especially to the ones who speak it….
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December 6th, 2010 - 23:10
I know this is an old post, but the title caught my attention because I still hear the same statements today. Not often, but still too often. It takes my breath away when I hear people sitting in a bar in Barcelona and loudly complaining about the Catalans.
If I overheard someone talking about these 'horrible Indians' while sitting in a bar in Bombay, they would be getting a knuckle sandwich served up double quick.
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December 7th, 2010 - 16:43
I really didn't get the gist of this entry. Certainly, I've heard my share of stupid sterotyping.
On the other hand, sometimes stereotyping is based on experiences. I have to be confronted with the single case to make a distinction.
My advice to the Catalan reader, it would be good to take such bashing with an ounce of self-criticism. Maybe the outside view opens new perspectives.
However, self-defence should apply where it is due.
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December 7th, 2010 - 17:13
What's not to get? Read the post again and see if you can understand it.
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December 7th, 2010 - 17:45
Yeeesss… I know and loathe the know-it-alls and their double standards, no question. So if we're on that level, I cannot but totally agree with you.
But I am not so sure if by turning this feeling into a post you are not getting close to stereotyping yourself. And just in case I wanted to point out that every case has to be seen in its context.
The larger context is that cricicism in Spain (not only in Catalonia) is never well accepted. The usual "y tú más" comes around immediately. And it is in that context of lack of debate culture that I dared to point at the possible reasons behind what I, too, identify as "bashing".
The lack of any self-critical attitude is most vexing, and that, rather than the gist of your entry, and rather than sticking to its wording, the attempt to look for a bigger picture, is what I was getting at.
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