Why the Protest Movement in Spain is Accomplishing Nothing

They are "...malcontents who offer no program for changing the undesirable conditions about which they complain." ~Carter G. Woodson

Dr. Woodson's words, written in The Mis-Education of the Negro in 1933, more than sum up what I believe is the root problem--and my greatest frustration--with the protests in Spain. 

I firmly believe in the right to peaceably assemble and participate in acts of civil disobedience. Indeed, it is one of the things that fascinates me about the Civil Rights Movement. I think that, too often in 21st century America, members of my homeland take that liberty for granted when there are a multiplicity of things in our society that should incite in us feelings of dissatisfaction and make us want assemble and voice our frustration. This is, in essence, what people are currently doing in Spain. 

Spaniards have more than their fare share of issues by which to be angered. This is the fifth year of the financial crisis in this country, in which the unemployment rate reached 26% during the last three months of 2012 and the rate for 16-24 year old people is a ridiculous 55%. The building market has crashed; major companies have gone bankrupt; and hundreds of thousands of homes have been foreclosed on, resulting in a surge in squatter settlements throughout the country, particularly Madrid. Any of these issues alone is enough to initiate feelings of anger and discontent. Add to that the severe austerity measures implemented by the conservative government of Prime Minister Rajoy, which include, but are not limited to, cuts in healthcare, education, and social services and you have a country full of pissed off people who are ready to storm the palace and raise hell. Instead of trying to overthrow King Juan Carlos II (and Rajoy, for that matter), Spaniards habitually protest and hold strikes. The metro will run at only 50% circulation; teachers will strike for a day and not work; and, at least once each year, there's the fabulous Hell that is the huelga general, in which no public servant works and the metro runs about once every hour...if you're lucky.

I've heard more than my fare share of complaints about El Crisis: it's taking away the rights of public servants, it's making people impoverished, teachers are having to work "slave" hours for "slave" wages, etc. These are, to an extent, very valid points. Public servants are seeing decreased wages, though they're still paid more than the average public servant in the United States. Teachers have seen an increase in working  hours; however, they still work less than American teachers. They didn't receive their bonuses this year; American teachers don't get bonuses. I'm certainly not a proponent of the shoddy way in which American public servants, especially teachers, are treated, but knowing the way in which my country's servants toil and receive less makes me slightly less empathetic to the Spanish situation.

I have no problem with hell-raising and letting the powers-that-be know that you're angry; none at all. What I do have a problem with is not offering a solution to fix the issue. In the midst of the constant soliloquy of tragic happenings because of El Crisis, I've never heard of an idea to rectify the situation. What are these protests and strikes supposed to accomplish? What do these angry Spaniards want? I've never heard their demands. Some people, I'm sure, will say that they want things to return to the way they used to be. FYI, reverting back to the ways of yesteryear is impractical and unrealistic. This is a globalizing, evolving world in which we live and Spain, whether it wants to or not, has to progress with the rest of us. So, again I question, what are their demands? 

The reason that different campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement were so successful was because people had an idea of what they wanted to accomplish. For instance, when students decided to assemble and engage in acts of civil disobedience during the Atlanta Student Movement, they first drafted a document that clearly outlined all the things against which they were protesting and which they wanted to see rectified. Their ultimate goal, their demand, was equality. 

When someone asked me why I dislike Madrid, I said that this city isn't Granada. The person remarked on how Granadinos were a lot freer and more open than Madrilenos, but followed that up with the comment that they were also extremely unrealistic about life because they didn't seem to be so worried about El Crisis. I contend that Madrilenos are unrealistic. It is preposterous to believe that protesting without direction, without pragmatic demands, will yield any type of change. I'd much rather be unrealistic and happy than an impractical martyr for a cause which currently has little hope of succeeding. 

If I knew what Spaniards wanted to accomplish through these protests and strikes, and if those stipulations were able to be steeped in the reality of today's society, I'd be more than open to changing the opinions stated in this post. However, until someone, anyone, can articulate what these protests are supposed to produce, I stand by Dr. Woodson's words and would only add to that the sentence that directly follows it, which states, "One should rely upon protest only when it is supported by a constructive program."