Possibly retiring to Spain from the U.S.

Crazy and unbelievable political behavior is international. 

If you spend some time following politics in Spain via Spanish newspapers (El País Newspaper, for example, has versions in Spanish and English) you will see that politics is the same throughout the world . . . simply because human beings are the same throughout the world.  Pick up a copy of "Le Monde" and see the French version of political madness, as another example.

True, politics in the US have unfortunately greatly deteriorated these past 6 years but there's nothing much different here (unfortunately) than there is in a great number of countries (such as, for example, Nicholas Maduro's winning "99%").  Threats from political opponents, disgracefully unfair and dishonest media, etc., censorship by the "powerful" media are all part and parcel of the human condition going back centuries.

Anywhere one goes, and pays attention to the politics, one will encounter the same measure of disappointment in our fellow man.

My husband and I have been planning these past many years to retire to Andalusia and hopefully have a much simpler, quieter life.  We will attain that goal as soon as we are both of retirement age.  Of course, we intend to stay informed there, just as we do here, of world politics and happenings, but our goal is to not allow it to affect our daily lives.

We wish you the best on your upcoming life changes.

Yes, thank you I’m quite aware that politics are everywhere and it’s inherently corrupt. But maybe I should have been more specific with that question. Let me talk about the experience I had a few weeks ago. I was in Tampa, Fl for a few days for work a few weeks ago. Yes, I am still required to travel sometimes for what I do.  At leas 4 times while I was in a store people yelled at me calling me a F’n Democrat because I was wearing a mask, which is a state mandate where I live, which is Texas. On one other occasion while I was in Tampa I was at at a grocery store and in the middle of the store a guy pulled out a bullhorn and started saying that the coronavirus is a lie and that Trump won the election and the courts will overturn the corrupted results.
I have other not as blatant in your face examples I could give from here in Houston but I’ve said enough. So what I should have asked is do you have experiences like this in Spain/Portugal or really anywhere outside the US for that matter?

Thank you for clarifying your concern. 

It does not, in my view, change the facts that people are people everywhere.  I live in Jacksonville, Florida, just a few hours' drive from Tampa.  The state where we live does not have a "mandate," thank the Good Lord!  The state where you are, apparently does have a "mandate." Many other states in the country are on one or the other side of the issue which is to be expected, considering that people's opinions differ on every issue -- again, thank the Good Lord!

There have been many stories regarding incidents in the country in which one side of the issue "attacks" an individual expressing the other side of the issue. It's gone both ways.

There have been stories just like the ones you recount, just from the other side of the opinion issue: people choosing *not* to wear masks being insulted and yelled at in just the same manner you describe.

We chose *not* to wear masks unless forced to in situations we cannot avoid.  We have been fortunate (so far, I must add) that we have not personally experienced the ire of one or the other side . . . though who knows when we'll be "honored" by being the recipients of such "opinions!"

I would say, "yes, it's quite possible that there have been such reactions in Europe in general."  People are people everywhere -- good ones, bad ones, strange ones, "normal" ones.

No sense worrying about it, as far as we're concerned.  No matter where one lives, there will be people who react nicely, badly, or not react at all.

That's humanity.  That's life!

I bought a home 5 years ago north of Barcelona, just next to Mataro. Easy access to a barcelona by train, gorgeous beaches all Along the coast, real estate very inexpensive.
If you go inland from Tarragona, south of barcelona, you can buy a home with pool, furnished and 1000-5000m2 of land for less than €70000....yes, seventy thousand euros....many places are within A 30 minute drive to the coast by car.

Hi Mikey,
As others have responded about the political ramifications and similarities in all countries, what sets the US apart is gun violence. In Spain and in most of Western Europe you don't have the flow of guns in circulation that you do in the US. This makes a random incident you mentioned in regards to masks far more dangerous in the US, never sure whether someone is armed or not. In a state like Florida, you are legally allowed to carry a gun almost anywhere. This is horrifying to this New Yorker, which has strict gun laws. Of course, criminals always find a way to get them everywhere. But you can be safe in most parts of Spain taking a midnight stroll.

In regards to relocating, I have been living in Barcelona and NYC and Barcelona is an amazing place. It has much of the culture of NYC without most of the drawbacks. Still, as you want to avoid tourist cities it's probably not the place for you. But maybe in one of the villages up the Costa Brava, where you can easily access by train is a nice option. They are quaint, beautiful and have sprawling beaches and good climate. Best of luck to you.

Hi
I bought a home next to Mataro and it is the best investment I ever made.  I’m 55 minutes by train to downtown barcelona, but can enjoy the small village, beaches, restaurants, walking paths, etc. Cost of living is very low and the real estate is very reasonable !  Anywhere between Badalona and Calella is quaint and affordable.  Best Regards, Lex

Spain is Under lockdown and confinement, not allowed to travel outside of their residing cities, can only go out twice a day and masks are
Mandatory as it should be. Nothing to do with politics, it has everything to do with health and well being. One must be smart
Enough to know the difference.

[Post under review]

@unity100

Your post is off topic.

Not at all. He asked a very specific question - whether he would experience the same kind of social/political environment. It doesnt get any precise than that.

Especially for those who are from US, where there is a very peculiar social/political environment, it is hard to understand other countries' environments before getting exposed to them. Therefore i provided a generic template for translating US concepts to European or other developed countries' contexts.

Nothing off topic with that. That's what he asked.

Hello unity100,

Thanks for being willing to respond to Mikey9. Your reply is quite lengthy and detailed but it unfortunately goes off on multiple tangents where you are expressing your opinions on a few political issues. Our code of conduct does not allow that.

Maybe focusing more on the situation in Spain from the viewpoint of an expat living there would have helped steering away from US/world politics slightly?

Thanks for your understanding.

Diksha
Team Expat.com

I understand your  concern in respect to forum's conduct which likely wants to avoid hot political topics. However i very much doubt that at this stage and in these times, it is possible  to explain how someone would not get screamed at in the face for wearing a mask anywhere in the world but US, without going into some details of the anti-intellectualism in US. That is a unique phenomenon and is a specific topic of study in social and political sciences and it is not seen anywhere else in the world - which is the cause of the phenomenon in the original topic and many more others.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-inte … ted_States

If the original post is too much a hot topic (shouldnt have been, because politics is something that directly affects all expats as recent events including Brexit showed), then you could delete that and leave this particular post with the below, much shorter and safe but non-explanatory summary:

"That kind of anti-intellectualism is an endemic US phenomenon and it is not seen anywhere else in the world. So you wouldnt get screamed in the face or harassed for wearing a mask practically anywhere else in the world, leave aside developed world, including Spain."