Recently the Spanish Government
started a new campaign to promote the country´s leading position in many
sectors (http://marca.espana.es/en/con-nombre-propio/otras-miradas/punto-de-vista-diferente.php)
and help changing the general perception that we are sinking rapidly like Kate
Winslett, sorry the Titanic in the movie.
Well although the video is excellent,
they forgot to mention one of the areas where our country excels like no other:
scandals!!!
Forget about Watergate or Monica
Lewinsky (by the way I still cannot believe that she has been not asked to do a
detergent commercial. She will be so believable in the role of devoted
housewife fighting against evil stains…Maybe she does not want to be considered
a spin-off of Carmen Maura in Almodovar´s movie “Women on the verge…”)
Well, coming back to the point. Our
scandals are simply better. Who can deny that the Rise and fall of our top folk
Singer, “la Pantoja” has more twists and dramatic moments than all seasons of
Dallas, Falcon Crest and Dynasty together.
This week, we learnt from the latest
scandal affecting the Government, the allegedly black money payments in envelopes
to several cabinet members including the Prime Minister.
Well, in this case I have to disappoint
all of you as this is not an scandal. Our honest politicians were just
celebrating the Chinese tradition of "hóngbāo”, which consist in giving red envelopes
with big sums of money to your relatives friends and co-workers mainly during
the Chinese New Year celebration but also during family gatherings ( that will
explains Miss Mato´s first communion payments etc)
Considering that Madrid has the
largest Chinese community in Europe, it only seems normal that our Government
adopted such a deeply rooted tradition in China trying to seem a message of
friendship between both countries and forget those misunderstandings like the
raid against the Chinese mafia in the capital.
Will Gao Ping be the one who taught
Mr. Barcenas about the red envelope tradition?
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