Psycho-geography in Madrid - a picture story - in parts

Thank you collectively for your kind words - I'm grateful.

it was a derogatory term as all other languages were deemed gibberish, barbarbarbar, much like rhubarb,rhubarb in the theatre or blah,blah in the Peanuts cartoon.

K. I always liked the explanation - as to the etymology of barbarian - that it was onomatopoeic and came from the noise sheep make.

have you noticed that all reprobates get foreign labels, vandals, thugs, hooligans etc.

Indeed - as you say - pretty much all nations, societies and self-identifying groups do this - they define themselves as much by what they are not - as by what they are. This process is generally called 'othering' - it's a vital filter is you are trying assess the historical veracity of sources academically. A trivial - but illustrative - example of 'othering' - I was in Spain in a bar and 'Fawlty Towers' dubbed into Spanish came on the TV. Interesting - there is no way that the hapless waiter Manuel - the object of derision and mockery - is going to remain Spanish and from Barcelona surely?. Lo and behold - he's Portuguese and from Lisbon in the Spanish version. The reference to Franco was just expunged completely. Ha ha - cheers - I.
 
K. I always liked the explanation - as to the etymology of barbarian - that it was onomatopoeic and came from the noise sheep make.
That's a new one to me Iain, I always thought it was from the verb to babble or the onomatopoeia for background chatter.
Indeed - as you say - pretty much all nations, societies and self-identifying groups do this - they define themselves as much by what they are not - as by what they are.....
A very dangerous practice especially when you combine it with nostalgia....
... everything was better before those babbling vandals/thugs/hooligans came here.
Lo and behold - he's Portuguese and from Lisbon in the Spanish version. The reference to Franco was just expunged completely. Ha ha - cheers - I.
There's nowt as queer as folk.
 
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A very dangerous practice especially when you combine it with nostalgia....

Wise words K. - as long as humans have written down their thoughts about faith - belief - and we can broaden it out to include tribal, linguistic or technologically discrete groups, ethnicity and latterly notions of nationality - this has been the case. So - from the Mesopotamian city states on-wards - the key give away is the use of concepts like 'reform' or 'radical' - which actually in context means quite the opposite - any group self-identifying as this - generally - historically - is looking backwards not forwards - a return to some Halcyon day - before things became corrupted by the 'other,' the 'out' group - be that on a macro or micro scale. Plus ca change?

Oh - I wasn't saying the sheep thing was right - just that I thought it was a lovely idea. It could equally be an ancient precursor of the start of my favourite Beach Boys song..... - yours - I.
 
Wise words K. - as long as humans have written down their thoughts about faith - belief - and we can broaden it out to include tribal, linguistic or technologically discrete groups, ethnicity and latterly notions of nationality - this has been the case. So - from the Mesopotamian city states on-wards - the key give away is the use of concepts like 'reform' or 'radical' - which actually in context means quite the opposite - any group self-identifying as this - generally - historically - is looking backwards not forwards - a return to some Halcyon day - before things became corrupted by the 'other,' the 'out' group - be that on a macro or micro scale. Plus ca change?

Oh - I wasn't saying the sheep thing was right - just that I thought it was a lovely idea. It could equally be an ancient precursor of the start of my favourite Beach Boys song..... - yours - I.
Unfortunately Iain, there's always someone ready to exaggerate and take advantage of inherent fears, xenophobia being an obvious example.
And like you say, looking back has its pitfalls especially if you're wearing rose tinted glasses whilst doing so.
Maybe things would've turned out better if the ancient Greeks had The Beach Boys.
 
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