Intolerance

(The Spanish basketball team before their participation in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing China.)

The words “racist” and “intolerant” are sometimes used to describe a certain percentage of the Spanish population. Spain like many other Western European countries has seen the biggest influx of immigrants in its history in the past few decades. As with many other countries in the world, when there are increases of immigrants a negative perception can be created by the residents of the host country. Unfortunately for many immigrants this negative mentality seems to be widespread in Spain. We have seen charts and graphs showing us the amount of intolerance there is in Spain towards certain groups. Experiencing it first hand can be shocking. I have heard all the negative commentaries about how immigrants are poor or they are “just different”. They don’t want to be Spanish and they only bring crime and drugs to Spain. When the subject comes to race in Spain there are no politically correct answers. On more than one occasion I have been left with my eyes wide open and thinking; “did they just say that or am I dreaming”. But even in all this negativity there are lots of organizations and people that have devoted their lives here in Spain to combat these perceptions. These growing efforts will hopefully stifle the widespread intolerance I see today in Spanish society.