What Europeans think of each other

[Hartford688]

Well, I think that it tells us more about the Dutch than about the Germans. Whining about their bikes 60 years ago, when their country didn't even try to resist German invasion (the Nazi were practically "welcomed" to both the Netherlands and Denmark). Neither Denmark nor the Netherlands suffered much from the German occupation, as they were considered German provinces, not enemies. Germany itself, and the countries it was actively at war with, suffered much more from WWII in terms of casualties and destruction. Frankly, it is petty minded of either the Dutch or Danes to resent the Germans for WWII. They were the luckiest in all Europe. Even other countries have mostly turned the page now. That was 3 generations ago, let's not linger on it !

The devastation of Rotterdam city suggests some slight attempt to resist, no? Odd kind of treatment to give to people who are "welcoming " you?

Otherwise the "hongerwinter" might be inclined to give the Dutch a reason to be a bit peevish (and while 3 generations ago is still within living memory).

Not sure having 10,000+ of your civilians starved to death and resent it is just "petty minded" .

Agreed that we of course need to move on in a spirit of hope for the future of course...no reason for modern Germans to be blamed for the past.

But we needn't completely gloss it over either.

Apologies for such a bolshy first post! At least here is one breach to the stereotype...an Englishman who has not grown to hate his host country!

 

[Minty]

We (in Sweden) have a cultural/blood-tie with France, well …. with the French. It’s a long story. Do want to hear the full version or the short one?

At the end of our war against Napoleon (the last time we fought ANY war) we ended up with a dead King and no crown prince to take his place. What to do!!! A French officer, in Napoleon’s Army, was never forgotten for his kindness and humanitarian character while he was commander of the forces holding Swedish captured officers during that war so it was suggested such a gentleman would be “the proper stuff” for the Swedish crown. And that is why our royal family is named Bernadotte ever since.

The older generation in Sweden think of themselves as Frenchman at heart (ha-ha!) and we hold a dear thought to France. As a matter of fact my oldest son is studying in Paris due to the Swedish/French exchange program........

Um I think you wrote a short version in the above explanation, can you give me long version. I wish to understand more...




........ on a more personal level I have had 2 relationships with French women ….. both were disasters! If I may be allowed to generalize (from my own experience) then I’d say that French women are so damned manipulative that I can’t imagine a Swedish man getting on well for any length of time with a French woman. That’s my opinion, anyway, so in the end I suppose that agree with you.

Hmmm yes if we had repeated poor experiences with the same ethnic after a while we don't really want to have anything private to do with that ethnic anymore. That, I agree.

 

[Eireannach]

The Irish ― A very small country, despite its exaggerated importance in Americans’ minds (just over 3 million) but considered polite and humble. They nominally dislike the English, but I have yet to meet an Irishman who really loathes the English. The sentiments towards the Irish and by the Irish seem to be positive, overall.

There is 6 million people in Ireland. And there are plenty of people who loathe the English.

 

[^ lynx ^]

However, God forbid you speak Spanish with a Latin American accent ?ۥ there is still a lot of snobbery among Spaniards towards Latin Americans.

Well, I don't want to generalize but some Latinamericans can be a pain in the ass. It has been 200 years since they won their independence, and still there are some people blaming Spain for almost all the problems their countries have... and while they blame on us they keep voting for corrupt bast*rds to rule them. :useless: And then you have people like Hugo Chavez, populists as*holes who don't know to talk about anything else but the evil USA and the evil Spain.

Spaniards consider themselves white and European, and would be deeply insulted if you suggested they were Latin American of any kind.

We are a nation with a strong personality, we care a lot about our own culture(s) and sometimes it's misled with other cultures like mexican's. I love Mexico, it's a beutiful country with a great past but this kind of things...

...can be annoying for us sometimes. And then you have these cheesy Latinamerican tv soap operas, which use to be misled as spanish tv soap operas in some East-European countries. Latinamerican soap operas use to make sexist or even homophobic remarks... they show a society that is far from being like the spanish society.

Spanish society is more advanced than latinamerican... yes I know this is snob, but it's the reality. Spain legalized same-sex marriage a few years ago, this is almost an utopia in Latinamerica.

So I wouldn't say this snobbery thing it's a racist thing.

 

[let`s talk]

The mystery about Russia is that many foreigners dislike Russia, the Russians and the Russian government. But they never dislike Mr.Ivanov or Mr.Smirnov or Ms.Petrova or Ms.Maleeva. If you got my drift.

 

[Wilhelm]

Most people in the world and even in Europe, have a very distorted image of Spain.
They only know about the gypsie culture, or confuse Spain with latin america.
However, the Real Spain, is very different : in Spain we have different cultures: Catalan, Basque, Galician, Asturian , Castilian, etc..and they are all indeed european cultures of Celtic, Iberian, Roman, Germanic origin .

The gypsy hollywood culture, it's just a myth, that goes back to Franco times, who promoted this MINORITY culture, because it's not true, it's not the reality, and people who like bulls are just a minority of old aged people.

 

[Cambrius (The Red)]

Most people in the world and even in Europe, have a very distorted image of Spain.
They only know about the gypsie culture, or confuse Spain with latin america.
However, the Real Spain, is very different : in Spain we have different cultures: Catalan, Basque, Galician, Asturian , Castilian, ..and they are all indeed european cultures of different background : Celtic, Iberian, Roman, Germanic, etc

The gypsy hollywood culture is only practiced by a minority of old aged gypsies in South Spain, and that's about it.

So very true... Much of the world is filled with ignorant, badly educated people. Quite sad.

 

[Wilhelm]

It's funny because tourists are more interested in bull riding than real spaniards lol, about 80% of people in bulls riding are tourists, the rest are old-aged people. It's more of a business thing than a reality. They don't want to burst people's bubbles, tourism here is a big business.

 

[Wilhelm]

Nobody listens to flamenco in Spain...that's the TRUTH

 

[Maciamo]

Nobody listens to flamenco in Spain...that's the TRUTH

No more than Austrians sing Tyrolean songs.

To be fair Flamenco isn't really Spanish, but a fusion of Arabic, Sephardic Jewish and Gypsy music/dance. Chicken Tikka Massala was invented in Britain by Indian immigrants, but that does not make it British for all that.

 

[LeBrok]

Nobody listens to flamenco in Spain...that's the TRUTH

Darn, it was my dream to live in Spain, and once a month go to local Taverna for Flamenco music. Thanks for ruining it.
I'm a ****** for a music that conveys lots of pain, like flamenco, morna or fado with Cesaria Evora, russian protest songs with Vladimir Visotzky, or piano music of Chopin.

 

[Dean]

Darn, it was my dream to live in Spain, and once a month go to local Taverna for Flamenco music. Thanks for ruining it.
I'm a ****** for a music that conveys lots of pain, like flamenco, morna or fado with Cesaria Evora, russian protest songs with Vladimir Visotzky, or piano music of Chopin.

The fact is that we spaniards dont listen to flamenco and we never "go to local Taverna for Flamenco music". Flamenco is mainly for turists.

 

[^ lynx ^]

Flamenco is like a tradition for gipsy families in Spain, in almost every family they teach their children to either dance flamenco or play the guitar... this doesn't happen with non-gipsy families in Spain. That's why most of flamenco artists are gipsies (Joaquin Cortes or maestro Paco de Lucia...).

When Franco's regime openned Spain to the world our tourism industry portrayed Spain as sun, beach, bullfighting and flamenco... that was a cultural suicide. Spain is much more than just that.

 

[Sirius2b]

Well, I don't want to generalize but some Latinamericans can be a pain in the ass.

Yes, some of us are quite obnoxious...

It has been 200 years since they won their independence, and still there are some people blaming Spain for almost all the problems their countries have... and while they blame on us they keep voting for corrupt bast*rds to rule them. :useless: And then you have people like Hugo Chavez, populists as*holes who don't know to talk about anything else but the evil USA and the evil Spain.

Hugo Chavez is my hero.

The most corrupt ¨bast*rds are those that betray Latin America because they feel attached to Spain.

Hugo Chavez and other leftist Presidents in Latin America, do not waste their time looking for ways to insult Spain. They use their time advancing their countries.

We are a nation with a strong personality,...

Don't tell me...

... we care a lot about our own culture(s) and sometimes it's misled with other cultures like mexican's. I love Mexico, it's a beutiful country with a great past but this kind of things...

(image)

...can be annoying for us sometimes.

Where did you get this image? And what is supposed to be wrong with it? That it somehow confound Spaniards with Mexicans, or something?

The hat is not a Mexican hat, and the moustache could be Italian... I think that you sould go to the shrink. Nobody is going to confound this with anything Mexican. Maybe it is your complex of dark-skinned South European, that is haunting you.

And then you have these cheesy Latinamerican tv soap operas, which use to be misled as spanish tv soap operas in some East-European countries. Latinamerican soap operas use to make sexist or even homophobic remarks... they show a society that is far from being like the spanish society.

There you are!!

Shurely the success of some Mexican soap-operas in the Russian TV in the 90s was for you some sort of nightmare!!!

:embarassed:

Spanish society is more advanced than latinamerican... yes I know this is snob, but it's the reality. Spain legalized same-sex marriage a few years ago, this is almost an utopia in Latinamerica.

So I wouldn't say this snobbery thing it's a racist thing.

For me, you could be as snob and racist as you like... well, I don't know if someone is going to counfound you with a Norwegean or Swede in the streets of Berlin, for example. :useless:

I am serious!!! 50 Million Spaniards do not take the sleep away from us, 500 million Latin Americans.

Adios.

 

[^ lynx ^]

See? This is what I was trying to explain. These people is too much sensitive and bitter, whenever we try to separate ourselves from them they take it as a personal insult... .

Hugo Chavez and other leftist Presidents in Latin America, do not waste their time looking for ways to insult Spain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqXJ6lDL1QQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdSE-lI6eEA

Sure, that's why he has his own weekly tv program "Alo, Presidente"... to spit on whoever he wants (including Spain).

That's why you'll never progress, you keep supporting 'politicians' that treat your countries like their Banana Republics and it's citizens like sheeps.

I am serious!!! 50 Million Spaniards do not take the sleep away from us, 500 million Latin Americans.

Sure. Check out youtube or any spanish websites, everything related to Spain or spaniards is always full of resentful latinamerican trolls making a joke of themselves with their irrational hate towards Spain. You can't say the same about spaniards in latinamericans websites.

Adios (Hopefully).

 

[Wilhelm]

Typical Mexican anger and jelousy towards Spaniards...Why can't you accept the fact that we have nothing to do with you Mexicans ?? That we are White Europeans with european culture and traditions....Why get angered when we say we don't want to be confused with mexicans !! That's not attacking anyone, it's just the truth, you are Indians and we Euroepans, it's not the difficult to comprehend ...

 

[^ lynx ^]

I hope to be wrong but I'm afraid this isn't going to end well. :36:

 

[Cambrius (The Red)]

I hope to be wrong but I'm afraid this isn't going to end well. :36:

I agree... :innocent:

 

[Maciamo]

Just a reminder that this thread is not the one about Spaniards being white, but about what Europeans think about each others. Why did we start talking about Latin America here ?

 

[Wilhelm]

Just a reminder that this thread is not the one about Spaniards being white, but about what Europeans think about each others. Why did we start talking about Latin America here ?

A meixcan guy entered in all the discussions related with spaniards..I wonder why :innocent: