Welcome everyone (except for wifebeaters, rapists, murderers and the kind)!
Well...what's this?
This is The Bull Skin, a new project that sets sail today towards the immense abyss of the Internet- and beyond, hopefully. Actually it was founded yesterday -sunday- but then I thought it would be a genuine thing to leave it for monday.
What's TBS about?
Basically, the aim of this blog is to bring about some topics inherently related to the country I come from -Spain- and try to explain/discuss them entirely in English, and so make them accessible for non-spanish speakers.
Ongoing events will be a natural source of many of my posts, but mostly everything related to Spain and its people and culture might fit in the blog's content.
About me.
I was born and raised in a small town called Motril (Granada province) around 24 years ago. Since then I've travelled and lived in several places, such as Granada, Madrid, Utrecht (The Netherlands) and London (UK). I studied Biology and Physical Anthropology, and today I pursue a researching career, wherever it takes me to. Besides the scientific stuff, I always liked learning new languages, and that's one of the reasons to start this blog, as it will force me to read and write in English.
Since I've been living abroad for some time, I've become rather critical about certain aspects of Spain's mentality and political system, but with time I'm trying really hard to see beyond the crap and spot some good aspects that sometimes the spaniards ourselves overlook.
Why 'The Bull Skin'?
I first came up with this idea one night some years ago in which I was talking with a German friend of mine about the vision that countries in Europe have of each other. At some point, he stated that, while Italy seems the crazy, reckless and not-giving-a-fuck guy in the class, and the English look like the serious, stingy and self-righteous guys, Spain plays the silent-guy role. At the beginning I was a little shocked, as I had never seen it that way, but after thinking about it I realized that it had a fair amount of truth.
There are many reasons for this, and our well-known language skills should be one of them, but in the 21st Century Spain seems to live at a great extent giving its back to its neighbours.
Therefore, I approach this project as an attempt to make Spain more accessible for most people around the world, and show you what hides beyond the footie, sun umbrelas, bullrings, tapas, flamenco dresses and more well-known clichés. I consider this of a certain importance especially in these days, when thousands of spaniards have to flee the country while the international media projects a poor to downright false image of Spain.
My goal at TBS will be to contribute promoting a better understanding between Spain and abroad, tearing down some walls and wiping out as much bullsh*t as I can.
Can I participate?
Please do! Although initially I'm planning to write it on my own, any collaboration, ideas, remarks, or any topic would you might be interested in and would like me to go into a greater detail will be very welcomed. Any constructive critisize will also be taken into account.
...And here it comes the DISCLAIMER!
- English is not my mother tongue, so there may be some spelling or grammar mistakes! If you spot any of them, mea culpa.
- As I'm only one guy with a life, and since I'm doing this for free, I can't guarantee a regular post frequency. Patience will take us a long way toghether ;)
- I may use other's pictures to illustrate my posts. I'll try to take only those under a Creative Commons licence, or ask permission to use it. If you own one of them and don't want me to use it, just let me know.
- TBS is not a serious nor official blog whatsoever. It will reflect my personal views, which may differ from others as Spanish as me. Sometimes I will ask other, better-informed people for information, in order to add some robustness to particular topics. There's still a lot out there for me to learn.
- If you are Spanish (or live/have lived in Spain) and think differently to what I state here, please share your views!
- If you're Canarian or Balearic and are upset because I forgot to include your island in the logo...well, what do you want me to say, shit happens bro!
So now, please serve yourself a caña (small glass of beer) and feel the sun coming through the window!
Im from ceuta, where's my fcking place in the logo!
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm from the Basque Country and I wish that "my fucking place" wouldn't be in that logo or more generally in that imperialist political geography.
ReplyDeleteI guess that's a central problem to discuss when discussing "Spain", whatever it is beyond the Guardia Civil military corps: it's made up from barely connected pieces like a patch doll, often forced into it rather unlikely, and right now I'd say it's heading towards its unavoidable end. The first question about Spain should be: does it even exist?
My two cents... of euro.
Hello Maju,
ReplyDeleteFrom your words I grasp a fair amount of antypathy and disconformity with the term I use to put the blog into context. As you may know, I'm a scientist focused on the study of human populations from a genetic, rather than a political or cultural approach. However, since I'm also concerned about these issues, I wanted to go further into them by presenting them in an understandable way to anyone willing to learn more about it.
Let me tell you what I'm not: I'm not a proud Spanish nationalist nor a txakurra. I like to travel a lot and that enables me to meet people all over the "Bull Skin", and most importantly, to listen to them. In fact, I think that's one of the main problems of this so-called patch doll is the lack of understanding between their different, varied and culturally rich elements (well, you find everything "in the Lord's yard", don't you?).
The reason why I choose the term Spain to refer to the conglomerate composed by Galiza, Andalusia, Castille, Euskalherria, Catalunya and so on is simply because that's the best-known term around the world, and the simplest way to name the full thing. Sorry if it offends you, I don't mean to, you can always take it as an acronym.
Indeed, there's a lot of work to be done in the pursue of mutual understanding, acceptance and connection between the "connected pieces", and that's also a goal this blog is aimed to contribute to.
Cheers, and thanks for stopping by.
I just followed your profile and then found this introductory post and then saw the comment by the Ceutí person asking to be in the logo and made me laugh. And then I felt I had to say what I did said (which is what I think and feel anyhow).
DeleteBut I think you overread a bit into my comment anyhow Guillermo. I meant no disrespect nor I think I was misinterpreting what you attempt to. From Andalusia or Madrid things are seen and felt different than from Bilbao or Barcelona, I know that and I don't want to throw salt to the wounds, just point that they do exist and are deep and, as you say, need urgent attention. I'm just saying that I feel that "mutatis mutandi", Spain now is like Yugoslavia in the 80s (just that there are not guns in every home, as was the case there): faced with a deep economical, social and existential crisis in which identity and self-rule are bound to play a major role. And this does not just affect the Basque Country and Catalonia (which together, not counting Valencia and Balears, add up to more than 20% of the population of "Spain") but also all kind of other identities that feel growingly uncomfortable: Galicians, Andalusians, Aragonese, Canarians and even Castilians themselves.
I think that this is an issue that must be addressed in any kind of serious dispassionate and wannabe-scientific analysis of the Spanish reality today (and also historically). And therefore I decided to mention it, in the hope that you or others have it more present in the future.
I am or at least try to be markedly internationalist, without renouncing to anything in the ethnic-national aspect, and in my little corner of the World, Europe and Spain/France I try to impel, according to my modest means, proactive collaboration with other areas of Europe, including Spain. Not the less because I realize well that in the current globalized reality, there is no other option and looking only at our own issues, is ineffective and small-minded. But on the other hand I often feel frustrated because such necessary collaboration can only be based in mutual respect and that respect is often lacking. And nope: I am not pointing to you at all. Just saying in the hope to help change those attitudes.
Or as you say: talking of Spain without bullshit.
I am glad that you seem able to understand such concerns in fact. Salud.