Ignorance of certain writers and documentalist at the time of making a documentary, a movie or a television series, was once again reflected in the penultimate chapter of the eighth season of the American CBS television series, "How I Met Your Mother" titled "Something Old" and released Monday in the United States, showing that they have no idea of geography and culture of Spain.
Stunned, eyes wide, hands to the head of astonishment, mouths open and faces of fright to see on Monday night's new episode of "How I Met Your Mother" starring Josh Radnor, Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, Alyson Hannigan and Jason Segel, in which a sketch of the chapter, we saw the character of Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor, where he relived a trip to Spain that he made years ago.
We give some examples more, the city of Barcelona ceases to belong to the Mediterranean coast to include it in the middle of the region of Catalonia, Tarragona is also separated from the coast to situate a few miles from Barcelona. The city of Valencia, located within the region of the same name, to place it, again, inside that territory. Merida, located in the region of Extremadura, they place it in Portugal, of course is another country. And Pamplona, the city of San Fermin festival, the festival where you have to run in front of the bulls, yes, is located in the Basque Country (País Vasco), inside the province of Vizcaya.
Sevilla, much olé, lots of wine, many sevillanas and Feria de Abril for Americans, but the writers of "How I Met Your Mother", place it right on the border between Spain and Portugal, very close to the Spanish coast, when this city has no sea. The city of Granada is saved by inches, as in the map places it among the provinces of Cordoba, Malaga and Granada, but its geographic location is not correct.
For if their ignorance was not enough, the protagonist is acrossing with some mariachis who sing in the streets of Barcelona, we remember that they are originated in Mexico and not Spain. Continuing the story, Mosby dancing in the streets with a woman dancing sevillanas, the dress and the dance are in the region of Andalusia, but Ted is dancing, really, an Argentine tango.
The worst thing to remember trips have been made years ago, causes that you can forget certain names of places you've visited, misrepresent moments you've experienced during the trip or making that you have lived has become in your mind in pure science fiction as it has been by part of the series as CBS, at the level of Geography as at cultural and folklore level of a particular place.
We know that in certain states of the United States are copying some Spanish traditional festivals such as the San Fermin in Pamplona or La Tomatina in Buñol. If you want to explain certain customs of other countries to the americans, at least for documentalists should be well informed before writing anything.
Oh, yes! This map is a gift from writers of CBS and others broadcast television. Yes, I know this post is too long, but this way we wanted to give a little lesson in Geography and Culture of Spain that should not forget all those who want to flaunt wisdom and end up not having a clue nothing of any country.
When a category in any television or movie award that is named "The more ignorant"? It is a suggestion that we make from this blog. And we could not add this chapter, we upload another gem of Ted Mosby trying to speak Spanish.
It is a tv show, not a university lecture. Wait until you find out Barney, the woman chaser, is gay in real life. Ay, Caramba, as it were.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but "Ay, Caramba" it not spanish, is mexican. Thank you for your commment
ReplyDeleteAy Caramba is spanish phrase popularized by La Caramba a flamenco singer. Its not Mexican at all. Ah Chinga or No names is are more Mexican.
Deletethey don't know google maps, I bet they don't have internet
ReplyDeleteNice article. You made some good points. I won't defend the errors on the map, because they're ridiculous. It seems as if all the cities have been shifted westward, but they're not even consistently misplaced. I really can't explain it. And the spelling errors are just as difficult to explain. I can't imagine how this slipped through the cracks.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Ted is supposed to speak Spanish incorrectly; it's part of his character. He thinks he's better at Spanish than he really is, and he likes to think of himself as being more educated than his friends.
I have to wonder if the cultural "mistakes" in Ted's flashback to Spain (mariachis and Argentine dance) have more to do with a combination of his character's tendency to think he's more educated/cultured than he really is, and fuzzy memory. We know from other flashbacks that Ted (and Marshall and Lily) ate a lot of "sandwiches" in college, and I don't think those "sandwiches" are going to help him remember details accurately. College-Ted was also pretty pretentious, so I can imagine him going to Spain and acting like he knows more about the culture than he really does.
- an American currently studying in Spain
P.S.: You have a beautiful country.
Thanks a lot, Anna. Only, I think, it's a thought for these people could do much better for documenting. The producers spend millions of dollars on making that a film or television series is a success. I say this both on American television like any other television in the world. You can also learn of a television series.
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is that Ted's scene running in front of the bulls is actually in the streets of Pamplona, and being myself born there, I can tell you that it is from a long time ago. So... They can look up for this... And they can't check a map of Spain??????
ReplyDeleteMadre mía, pero tú donde has estudiado inglés? Vaya artículo. Y si, los americanos no tienen ni idea de geografía eespañola ni de ninguna ajena a su país. Nada nuevo bajo el sol
ReplyDeleteYou may think it's not important to the show, (and actually it isn't) but the problem is such huge cultural and geographical mistakes about Spain are as enervating to a Spaniard as a Cowboy in London, a Royal Canadian Mounted policeman in Sidney or depicting California as a Confederate State would be to the various peoples of the former British Empire. In another episode, the mountains of northern Spain were depicted as arid with a Moorish castle on top of them along with a handsome tanned Andalusian-like guitar player. I know, South, North... who cares? well, the thing is the mountains of northern Spain are foggy, green, cold and snowy; and home of the Basque, Galician and northern Castilian peoples such the Leonese, Asturian and Cantabrian, all them falling into the Celticsphere. What does that means? It means no guitars, but bagpipes and little flutes
ReplyDelete