Are Spanish People Rude?

[Ibericus]

I wonder if that Northern/South mentality exists in every country. A lazy laid-back underdeveloped but more open South vs a working serious North. I know it exists in Spain, Italy and France, although not really in Portugal.

In Germany is the contrary. The South is the richest and most developed, and the North is the poorest region, and the dirtiest, ehem.

[Raikaswinþs]

Don't you mean "less freezing"?

south of England has actually a very similar weather to Atlantic France and Spain. Damp and temperate, with rather small thermal amplitude. My friend from Santander lives in Brighton and says that the weather is about the same than in his home town. Have heard the same from English friends, and have enjoyed myself holidays in Bath and Bristol and both places felt very much the same to my childhood holidays at Zarautz (guipuzcoa)


This said, I want to point out that for me, this kind of weather is the ideal: Not too windy, not too rainy, not to cold in winter, not too hot in summer, but rainy enough to keep things green and breatheable, and cool enough in winter and warm enough in summer to enjoy the seasonal changes.

@Jordi,

You can keep on thinking that Andalusians are nothing but Southern Castilians....but for my money that I felt much more at ease and "homey" at my aunt's in Benicasim or when I was in Vic with my ex gf that I ever did in Seville. IMO Andalusia is , by far, the most "out of place" corner of the Peninsula. And this comes from a guy tht partially grew up (every summer until I was 19) in a 90 inhab. village of the most remoted and wild area of Southern Extremadura

[Cato]

Hmm, I don't think a society with such thing as the thermae, the fora, those well-known games and so on, can be said to lack a vibrant social culture. Come on, they'd even come to agreements while squatting together in the public baths!

I was thinking of things like the theater, drama, etc. The only things that the Romans were rather well-known for were things like farce comedy and native Italic song and dance, which more or less died out with the arrival of Hellenism in Rome. Bathing, games, and so on, well.. Even that's a given.

[Bridie]

Perhaps, but the reason that I mentioned the Romans lays in the fact that the Romans were far more industrious and organized than any people in Europe prior to the Industrial Revolution, and they were of a southern extraction (unless the Prisci Latini were, as some fools claim, of Nordic background).

Compared to the Greeks, the Romans lacked a vibrant social culture; they were a people, to me, very closely akin to the northern ideal: robust, sober, hard-working, perhaps lacking creativity, dour, but far more likely to achieve practical results.

I'm not sure that they were so much sober and hard-working as they were cunning and intelligent. They certainly knew how to get others to do the hard work for them!

And how you can suggest that they were lacking in creativity is beyond me!

[Cato]

I'm not sure that they were so much sober and hard-working as they were cunning and intelligent. They certainly knew how to get others to do the hard work for them!

And how you can suggest that they were lacking in creativity is beyond me!

By their own admission, i.e. Cicero and Seneca more or less admitted as much in their writings that a greater portion of Roman literature is largely inspired by what the Greeks wrote down.

The Romans were creative, politically, administratively, militarily and so on.

[Bridie]

I wonder if that Northern/South mentality exists in every country. A lazy laid-back underdeveloped but more open South vs a working serious North. I know it exists in Spain, Italy and France, although not really in Portugal.

In Germany is the contrary. The South is the richest and most developed, and the North is the poorest region, and the dirtiest, ehem.

Yet the Southern Germans are known for being more laid-back, sociable, open and friendly than the Northern Germans, I believe... perhaps it just goes to show that being uptight, closed-minded, serious and aloof is not related to success in terms of civilisation and economic prosperity.

[Bridie]

By their own admission, i.e. Cicero and Seneca more or less admitted as much in their writings that a greater portion of Roman literature is largely inspired by what the Greeks wrote down.

The Romans were creative, politically, administratively, militarily and so on.

Inspiration does not negate creativity. To the contrary, all creativity derives from inspiration!

[Breedingvariety]

I think South- West is supported by Rhein- Ruhrgebiet, as is all Germany. But I may be wrong.

[Rouxinol]

I wonder if that Northern/South mentality exists in every country. A lazy laid-back underdeveloped but more open South vs a working serious North. I know it exists in Spain, Italy and France, although not really in Portugal.

Such a division also exists in Portugal. As opposed to the much more industrialised and developed northwest part of the country (Beira Litoral, Douro Litoral e Minho), Alentejo is one of the least industrialised regions. This sort of mentality comes from long ago; Alentejo was mainly an agricultural region consisting of several large farms - its workers were known for their daily sesta hour under the corktrees after lunch. Like this:



So, the stereotypes of a lazy south/southerners as opposed to a hard-working north/northeners has survived up to these days. It kinda reminds me of the everlasting debate at an European scale.

[Comte Arnau]

Such a division also exists in Portugal. As opposed to the much more industrialised and developed northwest part of the country (Beira Litora, Douro Litoral e Minho), Alentejo is one of the least industrialised regions. This sort of mentality comes from long ago; Alentejo was mainly an agricultural region consisting of several large farms - its workers were known for their daily sesta hour under the corktrees after lunch. Like this:



So, the stereotypes of a lazy south/southerners as opposed to a hard-working north/northeners has survived up to these days. It kinda reminds me of the everlasting debate at an European scale.

Don't Lisbonites, though, regard Porto people as lazy? I was basing myself on that preconception.