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Old Nov 13th, 2006 | 08:55 PM
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Racism in Spain?

I'm scheduled to travel to Costa Del Sol in Spain next year. I was recently told that the locals aren't too friendly to people of color in Southern Spain. Is this true?
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Old Nov 13th, 2006 | 09:39 PM
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No.
degas is offline  
Old Nov 13th, 2006 | 10:04 PM
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So. Caligirl43. Your first ever post to this forum is a racial snag? Guess how I know.
You are going to be verry disapointeted about your trolling abilities.
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Old Nov 13th, 2006 | 10:07 PM
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I'm willing to be a little forgiving, so I'll answer the question. But first, CaliGirl43, where in the world did you hear of this "news" that locals aren't too friendly to people of color?
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Old Nov 13th, 2006 | 10:13 PM
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mync.
Why are you willing to be forgiving?
You have a posting history. caligirl43 signed on only to post this thread.
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 12:59 AM
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Yes it's true. They don't like purple or green people. They will however, tolerate magenta or turquoise tourists.
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 01:19 AM
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Has anyone considered the possibility that the OP is actually trying to get accurate information and not trolling?

Everybody has to have a first post sometime and just because this one may seem somewhat "controversial" doesn't mean it requires anything more than a civil answer.
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 01:35 AM
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To answer OP's question - the locals don't care for certain kinds of people, for example (illegal) immigrants from North Africa. No use beating around the PC bush. Or is there?
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 02:31 AM
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I agree Princess - no use beating about the bush

In my opinion racism is still an issue in Spain

Note that black players in the English football (soccer) team suffered monkey chants and general abuse from sections of the crowd in an international match against Spain a couple of years ago - plus the Spanish national team coach was caught calling an oppostion player 'a black shit' last year

i find it unbelievable that such public and openly racist attitudes still exist but unfortunately they do - thankfully they are an ignorant minority - although i would not worry about it too much in the Costa Del Sol as it is a heavy tourist area where they are used to seeing people from all over the world
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 02:38 AM
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Excellent reply, Dukey.
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 03:58 AM
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People of color????....boy, that means there are transparent people out there?....WOW, news for me!#-o
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 04:38 AM
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There certainly is racism in Spain - as mentioned black footballers regularly get taunted for their race. There is also a great deal of prejudice towrds gypsies, but that is far from unique to spain (see Borat for further examples).

However in the tourist areas they are more used to seeing people of differeing races, and really the only colour they're really interested in is green.
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 04:43 AM
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>...the only colour they're really interested in is green.<

It's not easy being Green.

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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 05:00 AM
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I'm African American and have who traveled to the Costa del Sol and several Spanish cities - Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Granada - without any trouble. There was the occasional curious, but not in a threatening way, stare in Granada, but that's about as eventful as it got.
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 05:01 AM
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Sorry about the "have who" in my above post. The keyboard did it!
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 05:09 AM
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And some people wonder why post volume has supposedly dropped off!
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 05:47 AM
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What happened to callgirl45?
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 06:10 AM
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there's racism here as anywhere else. given the high number of immigrants both legal and illegal its amazing there is not more.
please do not judge a country by its football supportes. if the mark of character of a country was that, we 'd all be pretty much doomed. another point :
"plus the Spanish national team coach was caught calling an oppostion player 'a black shit' last year"
you have to live in spain to understand that aragones was merely ( excuse the pun) calling a spade a spade, which could easily be transalted as a racist insult, but he could have just as easily said, "ingles de mierda", or "catalan de mierda" or "andalus de mierda". the point is this, spain is less PC maybe than other countries, but the word for a " person of colour" is "negro" he wasnt making an racial attack on the ethnicity of the player. of course, if you dont live here, its hard to understand.
anyways, i still places link the united kingdom and the united states are probably more racist than spain.
 
Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 06:20 AM
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You may be interested in this:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index...amp;of=ENG-ESP

Spain is definitely less PC than the UK or the US. Newspapers refer to the IDF as the "Jewish Army".
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Old Nov 14th, 2006 | 06:27 AM
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Wheras in the UK the "Jewish Army*" is the nickname of supporters of a football team

*a much less polite form of the word "jew" is actually used.
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