Sunday 3 June 2012



We are supossed to be in an economical crisis and Europe is forcing our country to apply some austerity measurements. Money is a constant source of debate and today some villages of the region of Cáceres (south west Spain) voted if they should use 15.000€  for creating tempory employment or to promote bull-runnings.

Which one do you think that won?

Links to the news articles related to this strip:
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/noticias/toros-ganan-empleo-referendum-tres-poblaciones-caceres/1427134/
http://www.europapress.es/sociedad/noticia-guijo-galisteo-prefiere-mas-empleo-menos-toros-20120604102347.html
http://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20120604/54303228763/toros-ganan-empleo-referendum-pueblo-caceres.html
http://www.larazon.es/noticia/2904-los-toros-ganan-a-la-creacion-de-empleo

40 comments:

  1. Good luck with your new webcomic and good luck with your country! (we will need a lot of it)

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  2. Incredible... >_> But what could we expect? Finally the logical choice is not the choice for so many people...

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  3. Como dicen, el sentido común es el menos común de los sentidos.
    Un abrazo!

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  4. This deserves to go to Meneame and reddit. Let's see what happens. Spain is different indeed.

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  5. I live in Sydney but i was borned in the region this comic speaks about... sad, very sad, specially because this is TRUE and does not surprise me.

    I am from Spain, that country were bullfighting is considered culture, the country were research is only done for soccer, the country of corrupted politicians, stupid citizens...

    Sometimes I truly think that there is no hope for my country...

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    2. "The country were research is only done for soccer", "stupid citizens"... You have no f**** idea. I'm a researcher, I know a lot of researches, and none of them research for soccer. We research for health care, communications, materials, and so on.

      Do you know the 15M movement? The student strikes? All the demonstrations against politicians? "Stupid citizens". No, the problem here is people like you, no intelligence, but fast at criticisms.

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    3. Amigo, no te enciendas, que todos entendemos lo que ha querido decir xram. No habla de ti ni de tus compañeros de trabajo. Habla de la evolución de todos los ciudadanos españoles a lo largo de estos últimos años.

      Y todos sabemos que tiene razón.

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  6. I dont think is fear, u have to live in that town to be able to understand the situation. It will get more benefit the town from the festivity which will make people come on holidays to that town, that the money that our "politics" will use to create employment, or will they stole it?. If our politics were worried about the situation i will agree, but they dont give a fuck so i say i rather to spend the money in the festivity, than that money end's in some politician pocket.

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    1. Well done friend... that's the way. This will show those arrogant Germans that Spain is not that country full of lazy people.

      It is so fucking sad, every time my region is on the news its make me feel ashamed.

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  7. A nuance: with 15,000 euros, you can't create employment beyond a few months. And if you choose few employers, the money spends faster. It's a bad economic solution.

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    1. In a region like Caceres, with 15000 Euros you may create 1 employment (1 year), yes, i know, not a lot, still the most scary thing is how people will choose "panen et ciercense" before trying to fix the economy

      And remember, prices in Caceres' towns are WAY different than prices on a big city

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    2. If you choose bull runnings, it's implied that you agree with it (and I know you don't).

      It's not about economics, given the choice, you /have to/ say "no" to bull runnings (although I agree, 15000€ to employment is not a solution).

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  8. Mientras otras regiones -léase Catalunya- son expoliadas en sus finanzas para subencionar Comunidades ayutónomas má spobres, éstas se gastan el dinero en los toros. ¡Maldita sea!

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    1. Totally right (and said from someone born and raised in Extremadura)

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    2. Cataluña probablemente sea de las comunidades peor paradas en la actualidad, económicamente, junto con La Comunidad Valencia, Madrid y Andalucía.

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  9. For all of you who want to learn spanish: People is the plural form of stupid

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  10. It is not so illogical from their point of view. Bulls will attract people from near villages and give money to the town through the village carnival (pubs, restaurants..everybody knows how is a summer village carnival in Spain and how full of people the village can be those days).
    Temporal employment, as they said, no one knows for what or to whom. They are afraid the temporal work candidate may be hand-picked. Even the major in a TV interview admitted he did not think about that.

    In this context, bulls and village carnival may be the best profits/costs option for the village. (I would prefer carnival without bulls, but the options were bulls or employment, nothing else)

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    1. Could you tell me exactly if the surroundings towns are in such a good shape that they will go there to see the bullfighting and spend money?? We are talking about a country that has 25% unemployment... and in Caceres area is probably even more.

      How can we expect to be taken seriously if this is what appears on the press? how do I expect this tomorrow to my work colleagues (Russians, Brazilians, Americans, Germans) without my country looking like a bunch of stupid rednecks?

      Really? doing a bullfighting is "the best" profit/costs option? Really?

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    2. Do you really don't understand that empowering this kind of act is better that giving job to a single person? Restaurants, people that will be hired straigth to work at the events, the name of the town and people that travel to it... (yeah, when there's this kind of town events people of the surroundings towns go there)

      It's very easy to do demagogia, and really hard to think a little.

      By the way, in addition to all of this, this is direct democracy. Tell that to your colleagues from Russia or America.

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    3. Firstly: I do not share that point of view, I am just trying to find a logical explanation for that.

      Secondly: I do not think people is stupid by itself, but circumstances may turn the vote to bulls. Perhaps, they see how in previous years the town increased incomes during the village carnival, and may be, in the surroundings the bullfighting really attracts people. I do not know, I do not live there. But they should know why they voted that.

      They reallity or the way they see the life can not be coincident with yours or mine. And we should accept this fact and accept they voted about what to do with their money, even if we like the result or not.

      25% of unemployment, but, belive me, during the weekends the restaurants around here are full of people (may be because the other 75% that has a job, or part of the 25% that is paid in "B money"?, I do not know). For sure in that area the town will be full for the carnival.

      Also, the story is very populist "employment or bulls", ok, bulls may mean employment, is not it?, and employment, as I said, they do not even know what employment or to whom. I repeat, I do not share they point of view, but they live there, not me or you, and they know if it will attract people, or not.

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  11. Keep making these. People from all around the world should be aware of how ridiculous the situation is in Spain.

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  12. Ok, lets put the things clear. 2 towns voted bulls and 1 voted employ. Every town will do what they voted.
    And this cant be extrapolated to the rest of the country 'cause 15.000 is a ridiculous amount to create jobs.
    Whatever I hate bull-runnings.

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  13. A webcomic about my bizarre and unbelievable homeland <<< Go out and never come back please. All the spanish will be grateful

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  14. No puedo estar más de acuerdo con la idea de este blog. Este país es de coña y como tal ha de ser tomado. Muchísima suerte en esta andadura.

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  15. And clearly the best choice of all is to speak bad of the country to foreigners without being even informed of the facts. Awesome!

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  16. There's an error in your blog. Spain as a country doesn't exist. This is hispanistán, also called Land of fiestas, siestas, paella y olé.

    Good webcomic though!

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    1. And you're just a stupid... saying crap. :S Spain is a great country ;) And all of you are welcome ;)

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  17. I'm Spanish (Barcelona). I hate bullfighters :P And here, Citizens normally hate them. Don't let anyone fool you. Conservatives are our cancer (PP gov) just that. Because they use that as a politic strategy. To start saying about the two spains, nationalisms, racism, repression, violence etc... In brief, We need to get them off ;) (I wouldn't voted them).

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    1. I'm Spanish (Murcia) and I also hate bullfights. Nowadays I consider myself apolitical because of the incompetent politics we have in Spain, so don't misunderstand my opinion, I am not a conservative supporter. Let me ask you a question. Bullfights have been forbidden in Catalunya by a non-conservative party. At the same time, some other exclusively-catalan 'celebrations' such as 'correbous' (in which the bull usually becomes blind or drowned) are still on. My question is quite simple: Who is using that as a political strategy?

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  18. In Spain there are too many people fighting for bullfighting disappear !!! : ) If it have not already disappeared, it's just because of the politics... not the people ofc. ;)

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    1. What do you believe? We live in a democratic system (yeah, a representative system, I know). The politicians reply the popular demand in part (incentives, prejudices and beliefs). They sometimes doesn't have the guts to execute impopular decisions. In most of Spain, bullfighting is a popular tradition. A proof? The results in these Extremadura's referendums. And many politicians doesn't want pay the election's toll.

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  19. Great initiative, and I'm sure you will get people talking! I tried to start a multi-lingual discussion site at chatparla.com (English, Castellano and Deutsch) but no-one took it up :( So perhaps this is the site for good discussion. Good luck!

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  20. I think the blog it is a great initiative, but also I think you have not taken some points into consideration:

    1) You should asses the economical impact of the bull event. It well might be the case that with the event they are creating more job positions than the other alternative. The company providing the animals will create employment, and apparently this event isd popular in the region and attracts lots of visitors that spend money in the town in bars, restaurants,etc. It is well possible that the 15.000 eur investment brings more revenue and jobs to the area than the direct investment in temporary employment.

    2) Some inhabitants of the town are commenting that his mayor has a history of corruption and they fear that, if tehy used the money for "job Creation", this money would not reach emp[loyment creation at all or if it does it will be to people close to the mayor and therefore be used to encourage clientelism.

    Please, if you anlize the issues more and do not jump into the easy and more evident conclussion, you will have a good blog in time.

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  21. I really love the drawing style and blog in general.

    Regarding the decission these citizens made I can only say: It's called "democracy".
    What if the inhabitants of that village prefer bull running to "employment"? I use quotes because with that money you could hardly afford the salary of one "mileurista" person for a year, coulnd't you?
    I don't see the point, frankly.

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  22. Desde luego, cuánto tonto junto. Sobre todo los que se dicen nacidos en España, que reniegan de su condición y ponen a parir a sus conciudadanos en un inglés macarrónico de Apache de las pelis. Esos me dan a mí vergüenza.

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  23. RT @cuentista4

    "Desde luego, cuánto tonto junto. Sobre todo los que se dicen nacidos en España, que reniegan de su condición y ponen a parir a sus conciudadanos en un inglés macarrónico de Apache de las pelis. Esos me dan a mí vergüenza."

    ...
    No quiero añadir nada más, yo también estoy cansado de oir a niñatos poner a parir su ascendencia y su cultura mientras llevan banderas yankees y británicas estampadas en la camiseta y se comen lo que la MTV les pone en el plato.
    Otro blog que grita sin cabeza, demagogia sin reflexión.

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  24. Darling, you better get properly informed before judging without knowing. Don't be an ignorant: http://www.nofunciona.es/el-referendum-era-toros-o-nada/

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