Huelga General, my ass!

Today, November 14th, 2012, marks the second "Huelga General" in Spain this year.

"Huelga General" can be roughly translated as a "General Strike," which makes absolutely no sense in the English language, so I'll explain. Every once in a while when Spanish people get fed up enough with any political situation or change, they plan a huelga general. These have been going on for few decades in Spanish history, and have, on certain occasions, sparked changes in politics, law and/or society. Horray for striking and protesting! Horray! Sometimes it works. I don't know what they did in the past, but I'll tell you what they did today.

This "general" strike consists of people all over the country, regardless of where they work or what kind of business they run, going on strike for the day. Jobs don't penalize for participating, but they, of course, don't pay their politically active employees for the day. If people are feeling really passionate, they join a protest in the center of the city, which usually consists of a march, some vandalism and a couple of arrests. Shouting, chanting, drum banging, and fire-cracker throwing are all a must.

It's organized, mostly, by the unions (which work totally different than in America, hard to explain). The unions spread the word by littering propaganda on the street (they literally throw it in the street and cover all the sidewalks with flyers), and by vandalizing... yes, they spray paint the streets and buildings to advertise the huelga general. Okay, I suppose the unions don't directly spray paint the streets, but I guess their members and supporters do, which is too much negativity for my liking.

It's a strange concept. No one goes to work, small businesses close, kids don't go to school, and it sends a big fat message to the government that people aren't happy. Now, it's not a bad idea, considering that: that day the government won't make any tax money on items sold because almost everything is closed and therefore nothing will be sold (which totally makes sense for businesses during an economic recession). I guess it takes a big hit on giant electricity companies (because none of the closed stores have their lights on). It shows that lots o' people don't go to work in protest (although, c'mon, what Spanish person wouldn't take off a day of work just for the hell of it?). And that small businesses also act out in solidarity by closing.

I mean, this strike is not totally uncalled for. Actually, it's not uncalled for at all. I suppose you all know that Spain's economy is super far down the shitter right now. And what a better way to fix that problem than by closing all the stores and make the economy come to a complete standstill for an entire day!!! Okay, a part from the fact that I think the entire strike is a kinda bad idea...

This strike doesn't realistically demonstrate how many businesses want to close during an economic recession to support a huelga general because of one important thing...

An important activity that forms part of the many marches and protests that are taking place all over Spain today is the forcible closure of businesses! Yup, you heard right. Your right to stay open and choose not to participate doesn't exist at all! If you refuse to close your business today, expect broken windows and vandalism. If you have a cafe, don't worry, the terrace with all your chairs and tables will be destroyed by the protesters (this was one of the many videos on the daytime news today). Today, I saw small business owners being threatened, "If you don't close now, you know what's coming later..."

So, those small shops (and big shops!) who wanted to stay open this morning were closed by force or threat today. I talked with three small business owners today, all of which said they closed their doors for two reasons: 1. for fear of vandalism and 2. because insurance companies in Spain don't cover damage due to a huelga general. If conditions were normal, if this were at all a democratic kind of strike, they would have happily stayed open and tried to make some money today. So, you wanna stay open? Risk a few hundred or thousand euros in damages and then pay out of pocket. And those unions who protect workers rights? They only seem to protect them if you agree with them...

And, as I have understood, when these protesters come and forcibly close your business, they stick this lovely red sticker on your front window (which probably never ever comes off), which reads: "Closed by the huelga general."




Today, I'm angry. I swear I've had this burning sensation in my chest all day. To see all these small business closed by force! Businesses that I know are struggling to survive this recession by any means possible! It makes me sick. And sad. Our right to protest and to strike is sacred, as is our right not to protest and strike!

This is the least democratic form of democracy I have ever seen.

THE Crisis

Here in Spain they refer to the economic recession as "la crisis," or "the crisis."

It's a big f-ing crisis. And it just keeps getting worse.

When I graduated from college in 2009, I was told I was a part of the most unlucky graduating class ever. Job openings had never been less open, and the recession was in full force. I was lucky enough to "get out" of the states and end up in Spain, teaching English, where "the crisis" was present, but at least I had a job. Everyone at home was talking about how they couldn't find jobs, how they were all disgracefully living with their parents and how they could see no money-light at the end of the tunnel except for AmeriCore and Starbucks. The daily conversation was the downfall of the economy and how it was all going to the crapper.

Here we are, in 2012, and all those same friends who were jobless and living at home are now working and independent. No one talks about how bad the economy is and things are looking much more up than down. Everyone knows the housing market will take a while to get back on its feet, but at least people are working. And people are buying houses!

Here in Spain, every day things get worse. And the recently elected president doesn't seem to be helping much. The new administration has made it easier for a company to lay you off, has cut civil servant pay a lot (I'm keeping it simple) and has just increased VAT (value added tax) to 21%. National unemployment is hoovering around 25%. Every single day I take part in at least three conversations about how bad things are right now. Just about everyone I know is unemployed or holding onto their jobs with dear life.

Pelayo owns a bar here called "Rocket Rock Club," an American rock n' roll style joint that has quite a following here. It's unique in the sense that it plays good music and is decorated in it's own special way (complete with a MN license plate of course). I can't really explain how bad things have gotten here except by example. When I started working at Rocket in March of 2011, there were six bartenders working on a Saturday night from midnight to 6am. We would be running up and down the bar making drinks and tapping beers all night long. A number of times in the night we'd run out of glasses and have to open new boxes of them to re-stock the shelves. Five hours would pass without even a second to look at your watch to see the time. Around 5am, someone would announce that it was almost closing time. Cut off is at 5:30am, and we were outta there by 6. Now, a year and a bit later, on a Saturday night there are three bartenders, four when we hope it will be a busy night. I now wear a long sleeve shirt to work because I know I most likely won't work up a sweat. The six hours til closing won't pass. Ever. Nights are eternal. Boring. Empty. On average we sell 30-40% less than we did last year. And the worst part is that Rocket bar is known for being successful in comparison to other bars in town. It still has a following and still has some patrons during the weekend. So, I can only imagine how bad it is for our liquor-vending neighbors.

So, you walk around Oviedo on a Saturday night two years ago. It's packed. Full of ambiance and life. Everyone's drunk and having a gay old time. Bars are packed- all of them... even the crappy ones. You walk around Oviedo on a Saturday night now and the streets are more than half empty, along with all the bars and restaurants. No one goes out to dinner anymore, and going out for a drink frequently involves four friends sharing a bottle of the cheapest beer on the menu.

The downside is the prices won't drop. Bars can't drop prices because beer, liquor, rent and electricity prices just keep going up. But, bars also can't raise prices to compensate for rising costs because it will lose patrons.

So, a couple of times a month a bar or restaurant or family-owned business closes. Even big-time businesses close. And as you see this happening all around, and all you hear on the street is whispers about "the crisis" and how there's no money to do anything anymore... you get sad. Real sad. Because the ambiance here is full of fear. It's scary. It feels like something has to be on the brink of changing. Something drastic. I can't fathom what it may be, but I do think something radical has got to happen, because people here are no longer the happy-go-lucky Spaniards who are always out and about having a coffee or a beer, celebrating at all hours of the morning with no shame and simply enjoying themselves.

The American way is "live to work." The Spanish way has always been "work to live." And so, here we are. In the country where there is no work to be able to live freely and carelessly as they always did. And here I am, living in a country that is completely fucked economically and watching it all fall apart, piece by piece. Is there hope? I can say that last year there was a lot of hope that it couldn't get worse- that a change in president and policy could give a new jump-start to this country. But, here we are, starting a new school year in September 2012 and watching how it is, to everyone's fear, getting worse.

And I have to say it's a bit surreal, and a bit scary. And I'm quite anxious to see what happens next. All I can say is that it's times like these that I'm happy to have an American passport.