I can give you various examples.
1. Botellón. Botellón is basically just a term in Spanish to mean drinking in the streets. When I was studying abroad I obviously thought this was the greatest thing in the world. You save money by buying your own beer, wine or liquor and take to a plaza or park bench with friends and pipas and enjoy yourself without the smoke of the bars and the over priced drinks. I will admit that drinking is a big part of spanish culture, but not in the same way as in the United States. The legal drinking age is 18, even though many start much younger than that, but the majority of Spaniards don't abuse alcohol the way most American highschoolers and college students do. They drink and have a good time, but they aren't out of control wasted, throwing up and falling down all over the place. They are exposed to alcohol at a young age and never seem to get carried away with that priviledge.
Well, botellón seems like a wonderful idea, but the government did decide to do away with it to discourage underage drinking, and with hopes of making the streets cleaner and quiter on weekends. The main problem, they felt, was that people who went to the botellón left all their bottles, cups and bags on the ground and the noise of that many people concentrated into a small area was a nuisance to neighbours. So it, like smoking in bars and selling illegally in the streets, became illegal.
Low and behold, that didn't stop youngsters from getting together with a bottle of Brugal or La Negrita and a couple liters of beer in the same old hangouts as before. Llaw enforcement didn't take a stand against the offenders and the practice continues, albeit not as wide spread as before. Granada, for example, has a parking lot designated for botellón. It's near the highway far from the centre, there aren't a lot of apartment buildings in the immediate area and it's easier to control one botellón site than multiple ones throughout the city.
2. Smoking in public places. I lived in Sevilla in the fall of 2005, and although I had grown up in a family of smokers it has always been something I can't stand. The smell of it on your clothes and in your hair when you leave a restaurant or bar and
However, it was to my dismay to discover that this new law had some loop holes, which bar, pub and club owners used to their full advantage and when I returned in 2007 smoking continued to take place in many public areas. What a disappointment!! The majority of restaurants, bars and pubs allowed smoking, and now even boasted signs which read "Aquí se puede fumar" or Smoking is allowed here! Yippy! What a shock it was to go from the smoke free bars in New Hampshire to establishments which advertised the acceptance of this vice.
Even though the law had loop holes, the main reason why smoking continues in these places is because there is no one to enforce the law. There are no inspectors which make surprise visits or police officers who fine offenders, so everyone just assumes its socially acceptable to continue breaking the law if no one is going to act out against it.
The word on the street, now 4 years after
3. Street performers and vendors without city permits along with beggers are technically all practises which are illegal in Granada. This was made a law back in the spring to clean up the city streets and also earn a profit from the vendors' and performers' permit fees. There was a big to do when the law was passed, and street vendors of all kinds and performers good and bad gathered to protest at the town hall against the law.
It was passed regardless of the protest, and I expected to see a big difference in the types of characters I encountered on the streets on my way to work. Still, the very next day I saw the northern africans with their sheets of copied CDs and DVDs, immitation purses, belts, watches and sunglasses lined up on the sidewalks inciting passersby to take a look at what they had to offer. The man who plays the violin and his wife who sells flowers where still standing on the corner of my street doing business as usual. The middle-aged woman who sits on a cushion in front of the church on Gran Vía begging for change for her suppossed 3 children (although it's obvious she colours her hair and I doubt any money she makes goes towards a good cause) was still there with her basket and cardboard sign. The local cops continued on with their daily routines without even hesitating to fine or arrest these persons blatantly breaking the law. It seemed as though nothing had changed. In Mirador San Nicolas the hippies and gypsies continued selling their leather goods and playing flamenco on the guitar for the tourists who visisted.
Essentially, nothing had changed. And once again nothing will change until law makers and law enforcement agree to work together to follow the same set of rules. You can't just make a law to make a law because it looks good on the books, and then not expect people to obide by it. What sense does that make??
These are just some of the reasons why I don't really respect the law enforcement in Spain. Don't get me wrong, I obey (most) of the laws, but there's that time old saying "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." If Spaniards are going to drink in the streets, then so am I and I'm going throroughly enjoy myself! Besides, Spanish laws are just suggestions really, just guidelines, like the instructions for IKEA furniture. The instructions come with the package but we all know we're gonna put it together without even glancing at the directions. What does it matter? No one's going to make us do it.
