When is pride racism? - ¿Cuándo es el orgullo racismo?

Asturian cultural identity, Spanish nationality, & return to Asturias: legal, social, & personal aspects.<br>
Identidad cultural asturiana, nacionalidad española, y regreso a Asturias: cuestiones legales, sociales, y personales.

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Art
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When is pride racism? - ¿Cuándo es el orgullo racismo?

Post by Art »

Ethnic or cultural pride can lead to xenophobia and racism if taken to an extreme. None of us are exempt from this risk of shameful intolerance. It's a human propensity that can engulf us if we forget all that we have in common with the rest of humanity.

Thanks to one of our members, I've learned that Xosé María "Chema" Vega has published a book, "Desencantu." The publisher is Nueva Celtia, which appears to be a project of the gaitero Bras Rodrigo, who is also a member of the forum.

I have met Chema and found him to be a very likeable person.

Some critics have complained that Chema's book is markedly racist:
Link to Infoasturies article
Link to the blog of Inaciu Galán y González

I haven't read the book, but the excerpts which appear below do seem to be racist without other possible explanation. If so, it's shameful and a sad moment for Asturianistas, among whom I count myself.

Here's a portion of the text his critics have used to illustrate the claim of racism:
Arios. Que guapo sería qu’una raza de guapos y de guapes, rubies de güeyos azules y cuerpos atléticos, nos sublimare. Que guapo sería qu’una raza de mentes pures, étiques, serenes y castes, nos llibraren de la fame, del odiu […] Y coles otres races un poco más escures, obtuses y malgoliente ¿qué facemos…?”

“¿Porqué nun diba dicilo? Préstame una Europa blanca, cuasi tresparente, racionalista y romántica al empar […] Diréisme qu’hai miseries inconfensables nel corazón d’esa Europa blanca. Pero yo quiérola asina ¿qué hai, qué hebo n’otros llugares prietos o mariellos?: ¿hutsis y hutus? ¿xudíos y moros?. ¡Qué grandes civilizaciones!. ¿Por qué nun diba dicilo? Préstame Europa, una Europa blanca.”

“Yo soi entá más racista que los negros de Harlem o que los moros”

“Nun me presta la piel prieto ¡qué voi facer!, a otros nun-yos presta lo morao o incluso lo verde. La canela peme bien nel arroz con llechi.”

“Yo soi blancu, raza blanca y sumiréme contigo cola murnia de la señaldá poles bones coses algamaes y un fondu desenfotu nes bondaes de la uniformidá del mestizaxe”

“Nun me presten los musulmanes, danme aquello, tan prietos, foscos, fanáticos, irracionales, la misoxinia mesma. Fálten-yos una o dos civilizaciones. Polo menos”

“Nun me presten les belleces morenes o prietes. Paécenme vulgares, amás hai abondo, cada vez más col puñeteru cuentu del mestizaxe”

“Mores: Nin putes nin sumises, pidís protección al Gobiernu francés de los vuestros propios machos. ¿Porqué nun pidís protección de vosotres mesmes?”
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El orguloo étnica o cultural puede hacernos caer en la zenophobia y el racismo si se sigue al extremo. Ninguno de nosotros estamos exentos de este riesgo de intolerancia vergonzosa. Es una propensión humana que nos puede afectar si nos olvidamos de todo lo que tenemos en común con el resto de la humanidad.

Gracias a uno de nuestros miembros, me he enterado de que Xosé María "Chema" Vega ha publicado un libro, "Desencantu". La editorial es Nueva Celtia, que parece ser un proyecto del gaitero Bras Rodrigo, quien también es miembro del foro.

He conocido a Chema y lo encontré a ser muy amable.

Algunos críticos se han quejado de que el libro de Chema es marcadamente racista:
Infoasturies enlace
Eslabón al blog de Inaciu Galán y González

No he leído el libro, pero los pasajes que aparecen a continuación parecen ser racista sin otra explicación posible. Si es así, es una vergüenza y un momento triste para Asturianistas, entre los cuales Me cuento.

Aquí está una parte del texto que sus críticos han utilizado para ilustrar la afirmación de racismo:
Arios. Que guapo sería qu’una raza de guapos y de guapes, rubies de güeyos azules y cuerpos atléticos, nos sublimare. Que guapo sería qu’una raza de mentes pures, étiques, serenes y castes, nos llibraren de la fame, del odiu […] Y coles otres races un poco más escures, obtuses y malgoliente ¿qué facemos…?”

“¿Porqué nun diba dicilo? Préstame una Europa blanca, cuasi tresparente, racionalista y romántica al empar […] Diréisme qu’hai miseries inconfensables nel corazón d’esa Europa blanca. Pero yo quiérola asina ¿qué hai, qué hebo n’otros llugares prietos o mariellos?: ¿hutsis y hutus? ¿xudíos y moros?. ¡Qué grandes civilizaciones!. ¿Por qué nun diba dicilo? Préstame Europa, una Europa blanca.”

“Yo soi entá más racista que los negros de Harlem o que los moros”

“Nun me presta la piel prieto ¡qué voi facer!, a otros nun-yos presta lo morao o incluso lo verde. La canela peme bien nel arroz con llechi.”

“Yo soi blancu, raza blanca y sumiréme contigo cola murnia de la señaldá poles bones coses algamaes y un fondu desenfotu nes bondaes de la uniformidá del mestizaxe”

“Nun me presten los musulmanes, danme aquello, tan prietos, foscos, fanáticos, irracionales, la misoxinia mesma. Fálten-yos una o dos civilizaciones. Polo menos”

“Nun me presten les belleces morenes o prietes. Paécenme vulgares, amás hai abondo, cada vez más col puñeteru cuentu del mestizaxe”

“Mores: Nin putes nin sumises, pidís protección al Gobiernu francés de los vuestros propios machos. ¿Porqué nun pidís protección de vosotres mesmes?”
Ayandés
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Post by Ayandés »

Habría que ver el contexto, si el libro tiene un personaje racista que dice eso (es una suposición nada más) pues estaría justificado. Vamos, que no tiene porque ser la ideología del propio autor y puede que el libro, en su conjunto, critique esas ideas. No lo leí y no puedo opinar, y ante la duda prefiero tener en cuenta todas las posibilidades. Si realmente promueve esas ideas, pues qué queréis que os diga... yo me quedo con aquella pegatina (creo que era de la INA -Izquierda Nacionaliega d'Asturies-) que con un humor muy asturiano ponía "Nesti pueblu estrapayamos nazis" y salía una madreña pisando una esvástica.
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Post by Art »

Tienes razón que es importante saber el contexto, Ayandés. ¿Puedes averiguarlo por ver el libro?

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You're right that it's important to know the context, Ayandés. Could you check this out in the book?
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Post by ayalgueru »

it sounds like pure cheap provocation ... wether he was serious about it or not all that nasty stuff is just a pathetic attempt to gain some notoriety ... bad bad bad ...

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suena comu pura provocacion barata ... dame igual que lo dixera en serio o non , toes eses coses tan desagradables solo son un intentu pateticu de ganar una notorieda que d'ótra manera-y diba tar negada.

muy mal ...
splish-splash
the cat washes in the river...
spring rain
Isaa Kobayashi (1816)
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Art
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Post by Art »

Ayalgueru, yeah, I briefly wondered whether it could be an attempt to get some publicity, or maybe it's pandering to the baser interests of his audience. It'd be sad either way.

I'd like to hear otherwise!

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Ayalgueru, sí, me he preguntado si podría ser un intento de obtener alguna publicidad, o tal vez sea condescender a los intereses más bajos de su audiencia. Sería triste in cualquier sentido.

¡Me gustaría oír otra cosa!
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Post by is »

ayalgueru wrote:it sounds like pure cheap provocation ... wether he was serious about it or not all that nasty stuff is just a pathetic attempt to gain some notoriety...
From the book cover, where Chema appears next to an office plant in the buff (minus the loincloth), it seems to scream of taboo-breaking and of shocking the staid/boring/unimaginative Asturian middle class.

But the sentences quoted by Inaciu Galan (and Art) are certainly hurtful and hateful on many levels, odd to fit into the public persona that we met in New York City last year. How crude and sophomoric.

Like Ayalgueru put it, 'bad, bad, bad'.
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Post by Art »

Is is right. In person Chema appeared to be a charming man, so this is a bit surprising. When we last saw Chema, he was wearing an Asturian costume, not a loincloth!

Some artists and politicians are successful with shock and awe techniques in the short-term. Long-term it seems like a sure-fire recipe for failure.

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Is tiene razón. Cara a cara Chema parece ser un hombre encantador, por lo que esta es un poco sorprendente. ¡La última vez que vimos a Chema, llevó un traje asturiano, no un taparrabos!

Algunos artistas y políticos tienen éxito con las técnicas de conmoción y pavor a corto plazo. A largo plazo me parece una receta garantizado a fracasar.
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Post by Ayandés »

Comentáronme que'l llibru yera bien claro, que nun hai ironía nin nada d'eso. Paez ser qu'eso qu'escribe ye lo que de verdá piensa. En fin, nesti mundu tien d'haber de too :shock:

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transl. Is

I've been told that the book left little room for doubt, that there was little irony involved. It looks like what he writes is what he really believes. I guess there are people for everything in this world.
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Post by is »

This is from today’s (July 8, 2008) El Comercio, the pro-FSA/PSOE (Socialist) newspaper published in Xixon/Gijon. Enrique Carballeira interviews Chema Vega on his controversial book ‘Desencantu’ [Disenchantment].

Read the original Q&A at:
link/enlace

Here go a few abstracts translated into English from the original Asturian. They might explain the nature of the racist comments quoted by Inaciu Galan and Art.

El Comercio, like other mainstream media in Asturias, gets token money from the regional government to publish a few pages in the Asturian language each week. It has done so, as far as I remember, since the late 1980s.

Keep in mind this is a selection of questions and answers. Refer to the Asturian-language original for the whole transcript. If you have queries, post them and I will translate.

“Nueva Celtia publishing house has recently published the latest book by the writer and reporter Jose Maria [Chema] Vega, a collection of texts and poems that go beyond the politically correct. The book has proven highly controversial and the author has even been accused of being a racist and a misogynist. Vega defines his book as one of emotions and not a collection of essays.

Q: The book already stands out because of its cover.
A: The cover is the result of a picture that Jesus Diaz (from El Comercio) shot. I decided that I had to appear with only a loincloth. The picture was taken during ‘antroxu’ [carnival in Asturias]. The point was to dress up as an endangered species, the ‘Asturianista’ [those who defend home rule]. We had a good time and we laughed a lot that day.
Q: What about the accusations of racism?
A: Completely unrelated. I have friends of different ethnic backgrounds [literally translated, ‘of different colors and scents’]. This is a book by someone who is fed up. I’m literally unable to kill a fly. When I write about a ‘white, almost transparent Europe’ I’m not referring to a color, but to a Europe that arose from a tradition of Enlightenment and that cast light on the rest of the world. I’m referring to a tradition of rationalism. And this same Europe was often a source of punishment for the rest of the world, admittedly. However, I prefer to stick to the positive.
Q: ‘Desencantu’ is controversial because of some of your comments. Much of the criticism comes from people that would otherwise be sympathetic to your cause, especially the pro-Asturian sectors.
A: All of that is unjust. I think those people didn’t even bother to read the book. They only read small excerpts that appeared in different web sites or outlets. If they had read the book, they would realize that it’s about anti-globalization. I’m profoundly anti-globalization and anti-neo-capitalism. I talk about fanatics and fanaticism in general. I believe there was ill will in the excerpts that were taken, mostly in the blogosphere. I do speak about Muslims, but also about Cheney [translator’s note: a.k.a., Angler] and of a homely, ultra-conservative Spain. The only good thing from this whole controversy is that it’s taking place in the Asturian language and at least we’re infusing it with life. It’s a discussion that’s taking place in a codified language.
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Post by Art »

That's interesting, but hard to believe. He's a respected writer and a good writer thinks about how his words wil be interpreted.

But he's right that most of us haven't read the book!

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Eso es interesante, pero me cuesta creerlo. Es un respetado escritor y un buen escritor piensa en sus palabras cómo será interpretada.

¡Pero tiene razón que la mayoría de nosotros no hemos leído el libro!
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Post by is »

Art wrote:That's interesting, but hard to believe. He's a respected writer and a good writer thinks about how his words wil be interpreted.
Yes, a good writer or thinker validates his/her text/philosophy after sleeping on it. So the possibility of ambivalence in his portrayal of an 'enlightened' Europe as a 'white/transparent' Europe is not only trite, but also far-fetched and borderline. I would say that, considering how gracious he was with us in New York, it is a bizarre outcome.
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Post by Art »

Yes, it's disappointing. I have a book on Asturian costumes that he gave to me through another friend. I really appreciate that.

But I'm reminded that we all harbor miserable ideas and sometimes carry them out. We're all guilty. None of us escapes from this kind of craziness.

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Sí, es decepcionante. Tengo un libro sobre los trajes asturianos que él me ha dado a través de otro amigo. Lo agradezco mucho.

Pero me recuerdo que todos albergamos ideas desgraciados y a veces llevarlas a cabo. Estamos todos los culpables. Ninguno de nosotros escapa a esta especie de locura.
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