The title of the thread itself is patronizing, the opening of the thread is patronizing, ERT has set out to be patronizing not only in this thread but in the Vanity Fair thread and Hostel Playa, 'all South Americans are rude'. I'm wondering,...and it seems to me that it's not the nature of these threads that bothers you MadridMan but the defensive responses from myself and people like myself.

I don't wish to apologise.

I suppose my question is this, why stop this thread now when many people have given their valid arguments to show the problem with such a statement as 'Almost all the pickpockets and...'?.
Why have you waited for s... to hit the fan? Or did you not count on any Ecuadorian participants coming on this board?

I understand things a lot clearer now, about Spain and I have to thank ERT for that, I understand more about this board and the participants better now. Por lo bueno y por lo malo.
I've made a few good friends in the time I have joined this board- I can't ask or expect for more, since this board could represent a microcosm of society itself, racists, non racist, tthose who have been assaulted by Spaniards and those by non Spaniards.

Though I disagree with many of you, and that's ok, I would still go so far as to say this board represents a fair balance of people in society. But it is fmiketheman's post which I would say represents the board as a 'whole' and believes this board should represent the utopia Spain- ignoring all it's problems.

My apology would be to Taravb with regards to the gypsy thread, I didn't have much sympathy for Taravb or the Gypsies but now as a result of that discussion have started to read up about them and feel the richer for it.

Michelle.