Cultural Context versus Personal Interest

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After a few days in Granada, we took some time to explore the nearby city of Seville. During our time there we explored a multitude of different sights but there were a few things that occurred in our time there that sparked conversation in our group about the line between actions that are cultural and actions that are individual.

Personal Perceptions:

During our time in Seville we ate a few meals at a restaurant called La Barandilla - the interactions with the waiter, who often made borderline flirtatious gestures at the women in group, made a few people uncomfortable. While there was plenty of debate about his intentions, it did spark an important conversation about the lines between cultural and individual action. It also pushed me to think about the many discussions I’d had in my ethics courses throughout my college career about the “rights and wrongs” of another culture because their practices may seem harmful from my view.

While some of his comments may have seemed inappropriate, it was emphasized that, that behavior is not uncommon and is rooted in views and practices and do not mimic our own. I felt that contextualizing the issue was helpful, but it caused an internal conflict. The actions of the waiter could be explained as cultural, but because of our many other interactions with people here in Spain we know that it may be cultural for some people - not all men align with this way of thinking. On the other hand, to say that it is an act of an individual does not get to the root of where someone may learn this behavior and may feel that it is okay or correct. I was uncertain about contributing to this conversation because how do we as outsiders address an issue that is not within a community that is not our own?

Relationally Recognized

One of the main ways we have been encouraged to address issues that make us uncomfortable in the context of our stay in Spain, is to address it directly. Spanish people are blunt and direct and while we may be used to a more passive approach to conflict (at least in my own personal contexts in the United States) it is helpful to address the matter in a way that is clear and concise (Livermore, page 174).

One evening I was invited to meet some friends if my host sister. While she was explaining something to me in English, a group of men mocked her and it said something inaudible afterward. Instead of ignoring them, something that is often what we would do in the United States, she turned around and firmly responded to them in Spanish... much to their surprise and amusement. They were not angry that she bluntly and assertively responded to them but continued about their day. Though it did seem that it went from making fun when they assumed she was a tourist to flirting when she fired back at them.

She explained to me that that’s just how she addressed the people who did things to upset her and that there was no offense on either party... also that there was no issue being “rude” because there was no intention to offend, just to clarify and convey how she was feeling.

Social Order:

That same evening that my host sister, Isabel, had to fire back at the group of men it was in the middle of a conversation about her being a lesbian. I was asking her about her experiences with family and the overall social structure of how people viewed the LGBTQ community in Spain. She explained that her parents were very accepting, that they had loved her previous girlfriend and she proudly decreed that Spain was one of the first countries to legalize gay marriage in Europe! She admitted that like anywhere, there were incidents, but that overall she felt safe and had little doubts about being or feeling accepted.

I had seen the Pride parade earlier that evening and it did appear that the vast majority of people were accepting and excited about the celebration. It really contextualized what I viewed as “traditional” in our American context versus what a more traditional southern city like Granada accepted.

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