This is a new segment of Guiri Guia that I want to start now. It's called Yo soy americana, sue me.
Coming from a lawsuit-happy society, I often walk through Spain (and other places of Europe) saying to myself or whoever is around me, "Surely that's not legal! Is it??" As is the case most time in Murcia, the answer is usually, "No it's not legal, but people get away with it."
After living abroad as an American, you start to realize how much civil lawsuits influence our daily activity. They affect the way we drive and park our cars, buy basic allergy medicine, purchase raw food products, walk down uneven sidewalks. And of course, they affect the temperature of our coffee from McDonalds. But there are so many details of life that you don't even realize are impacted by some lawsuit in the past until you live in another country.
Suing is a part of our culture. So it's hard for me not to pause every once in a while in Spain and say, "That's a lawsuit waiting to happen."
It's just the way my American mind works.
So here is one "lawsuit waiting to happen" for this week. I cycle on a bike path to campus when the weather is good. But unlike in many US cities, it's not illegal or frowned upon to stroll, stand, or empty your dog's bladder in the middle of the path. Nor is it illegal to park, apparently.
Coming from a lawsuit-happy society, I often walk through Spain (and other places of Europe) saying to myself or whoever is around me, "Surely that's not legal! Is it??" As is the case most time in Murcia, the answer is usually, "No it's not legal, but people get away with it."
After living abroad as an American, you start to realize how much civil lawsuits influence our daily activity. They affect the way we drive and park our cars, buy basic allergy medicine, purchase raw food products, walk down uneven sidewalks. And of course, they affect the temperature of our coffee from McDonalds. But there are so many details of life that you don't even realize are impacted by some lawsuit in the past until you live in another country.
Suing is a part of our culture. So it's hard for me not to pause every once in a while in Spain and say, "That's a lawsuit waiting to happen."
It's just the way my American mind works.
So here is one "lawsuit waiting to happen" for this week. I cycle on a bike path to campus when the weather is good. But unlike in many US cities, it's not illegal or frowned upon to stroll, stand, or empty your dog's bladder in the middle of the path. Nor is it illegal to park, apparently.
My advice to a guiri: If you use bike paths (with an actual bici), watch out for large obstructions like cars and trucks.
1 comment:
What a fascinating post, Ashley...as much as I complain about our litigious culture, I've never thought about how that shapes my perception of, well, everything!
Post a Comment