Hiya!!!
well, this is a general question to everyone, is just random..but it will be fun to know the replies.

RIght!! is monday morning....and I have already seen at least 5 verbal fights in a matter of 1 hour!!!!

First, in the bus this morning...a woman went mental at me cuase i "touched" her arm with the news-paper!!! She literally went mental....
saying stuff like..oye mira "BONITA" (to whih I reply, bonita, yo? si, es cierto ) ten mas cuidado eh? ..and since I sort of giggled and told her, chill out woman, Im hangover leave me alone, dont get histerical (WRONG!!! I shouldnt have said that) she went CRAZy.....

So that is the first one, the rest have al been , general verbal fights becasue of ...I REALLY DONT KNOW WHY... ..but anyway, I see more and more and more spaniards making a fuss over NOTHING! .......is this passion?? or just bad tempered?? how do people see us outside?? cause when I was in Scotland my friends used to say to me....Jesus Ana, U spaniards can get misserable over nothing! i thought this was an exageration..but Im starting to sort of agree with them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Have a great day all of use, and careful pissing off the spaniards,

Yo creo que es simplemente estupidez...

Lo mismo que cuando la gente coge el coche y se pone a insultar al primero que se le pasa por delante.

Por cierto, estos cuatro foros son para escribir en español y no en inglés

Fernando

En mi humilde opinión es simplemente el demonico calor! Aqui en la Florida pasa lo mismo en el verano! Gente quienes en invierno son cordiales y civilizadas se ponen como bestias! Y aún más en la carretera, ave maria!

Anitayole, I've moved your posting from the Spanish-Only category of "Discusión de España" to the English-language category of "About Spain". Hopefully you'll get some replies in English. One can only post questions in Spanish in the Spanish-Language cateogies. Best of luck!

Saludos, MadridMan

Anitayole, I think you first have to give us a frame of reference. Please tell us your own background, nationality, whatever. Are you Spanish? I'm guessing not - although you are in Madrid now.

Your term "going mental", "bad tempered", and "passionate" are all subjective terms to be sure and maybe your idea of "going mental" (which sounds like a term from the USA) may not be a Spaniard's or European's idea of "going mental".

I think Spaniards, Italians, maybe even Greeks are more likely to "tell you off" and be direct than, say, British or United Statesens who will likely just move out of the way and prefer to avoid confrontation. And who knows, maybe she didn't want to get newsprint/ink on her white shirt or something. And possibly your glib reaction to her did just make matters worse.

We were there to witness what happened but don't take it too much to heart or hold it against her/them. Spaniards tend NOT to "hold back" (as we repressed United Statesens tend to do) and for this I deeply respect them.

Saludos, MadridMan

Ive found that Spanish people are short fused sometimes,but dont mean to be.
On a few occasions ive had a bad comment/look or gesture,then 5 mins later a laugh and joke or similar with the same person.
Grudges arent held and most Spaniards are hot headed without it being personal.
If you doubt my word-try driving in Spain,all the drivers use the horn as a way of life.At first i thought it was a personal insult.One day when i got to a set of traffic lights,i asked the driver who was beeping at me "whats your prob".
He answered with "Traffic,LOCO"

Says it all.....

You have to realize that Spain has a totally diffent culture when compared to places like the United States. My first time in Spain I was convinced that everybody argued all of the time, but that´s not necessarily true. There is a simple fact to explain this---they simply talk louder and are much more animated than the average English speaker. A lot of people interpret the elevated voices (i.e. shouting) incorrectly. My boyfriend of 2.5 years is Spanish and I had some real problems when we first met because of this, but it is something you get used to and something that even becomes endearing. About the lady in the metro---have you ever been on the metro in New York City???? She´s tame---very tame.
ajg

Just say the magic word: Disculpe!

That means 'Pardon me,' or 'excuse me;' and it should get you out of those situations. But if the lady wanted un jaleo, I guess you just have to reply 'in kind.'

While on my trip last April, I did notice that people in Spain are overly defensive and at times may seem a little bipolar, you can see it on tv, in the metro, everywhere one second they'll be all smiles and the next they'll be the total opposite. I guess It's just the way the culture is. Saying "Disculpe" will save you a lot of trouble. I remember on my Iberia flight my seat was in the 1st row of Coach and there was no room nearby for my carry-on bag in the overhead bins so just 2 steps from me in the business class there was room in the bin.. that bin was half in coach, half in business divided by the curtain, so I put my bag there when I boarded.. later mid flight I went to get something and this male flight attendant was very nasty at me saying I shouldnt have my bag there, im a pacifist so I just said "disculpe" and didnt care a bit for what he said, he left and put my bag back where it was originally, whatever :p But most people in Spain are very nice if approached correctly and in a proper manner.

About the use of "diculpe". I used it in this situation like in the metro in madrid at 8 in the mornig but don't think it works everytime. Maybe you say "disculpe" and turn and looks at you as you have say "Eh, señora muévase que no me deja salir. A ver si adelgazamos" (Ey, Mrs. you move. You don't let me go off. Maybe you should be on diet. People (most in big cities) are like in a "defensive mood", but I think that this happens in every big areas all around the world.
Maybe it's true that Spanish we seem to be more angry because we speak loud, but maybe it's also because we are more direct when we have to say a thing.

I know you were just generalizing MM, but there are many parts of the U.S. (Massachusetts, New York, etc.) where we do NOT hold back and are NOT reserved.

For me, I find Spaniards to be way more "beat around the bush", and much more hesitant to just tell you the straight-up facts in whatever situation. But I also find this to be true in the U.S. Midwest.