Catalonia: The future is another country

Conferència íntegra de Matthew Tree explicant Catalunya als estudiants americans, el seu descobriment de la nació catalana i les vivències que ha tingut d'ençà que és al nostre país. També repassa els principals fets de la història de Catalunya i els últims esdeveniments polítics, com les consultes sobre la independència, la manifestació del 10-J i el creixement general de l'independentisme.
En el torn de preguntes, també inclòs en el vídeo de la conferència, els estudiants nord-americans fan preguntes sobre el concert econòmic, les consultes populars o la posició del rei i de l'exèrcit espanyol en cas que el poble català declarés unilateralment la independència.

Agraïments al Col·lectiu Emma i Vilaweb.

Matthew Tree conference intended to explain Catalonia to a group of american students: how he discovered our country and the experiences he had while living with ours. He also reviews the main facts of our history and the very relevant political events of the latests times: the unofficial independence ballots organized in hundreds of municipalities all around the country, the 10-J demonstration triggered by the sentence of the spanish Contitutional Tribunal against the Catalan Statute, and in general the growing support of the population to the independence of Catalonia.

At question time, also included in the video, the american students ask about the economic agreement, about the independence ballots and about the spanish king and army positions in case the catalan people declare themselves unilaterally independent from Spain.

Thanks to Emma Collective and Vilaweb.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• independence
• of
• Catalonia
• ballots
• Catalunya
• llibertat
• consultes
• 10-J
• demonstration
• manifestacio
• Catalan
• freedom
• Statute
• independencia
• Spain
• Conflict

[fugamante]

Enriching. This has been really good at explain the superficial facts about the reality of the Catalans and their difficulties with their auto-detemination in relation with Spain`s centralized government. Thanks for posting this.

I`m from Puerto Rico, and I can honestly see the good that comes from having the guts to put the truth out there, about who you are in regards of what it might be thought of or wants to be thought of about your independence a country. Viva Catalunya libre!

[PIANOPHUNGUY]

Only citizens should be able to vote. If you are just a temporary worker you should not be able to vote. The democrat party in the USA is bringing in many immigrants to stuff the ballot box in order to bring the country to ruin. Don't let the Spanish government use foreigners as a scapegoat regarding Catalan independence.

[kiral999]

excuse my english im from catalonia bcn i'm agree with matthew say's in the video spain mistreats catalonia for along time i recomend to all of us to come to this beatiful place to enjoy our culture traditions and other catalan things

catalunya//*//

[viniciusb]

"It's not like Catalan people are better than anybody else..." I don't know, you're building a pretty strong case... Again with an isolated example... So, the Catalonians accepted an 8 year old Moroccan as their own? How noble of them! The fact that you are even mentioning this story as proof of how accepting Catalonians are, proves otherwise. At 19 you thought you knew everything about Europe? "The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt."

[viniciusb]

OK, here we go again! "I found it was often more the Catalunyan people I met who were the most internationalist, they were the ones who traveled all around Europe, they were the ones who traveled to Africa, to South America and Asia." Do you mean the world? If you have more contact with Catalunyans, guess which group is going to be more everything? So, you're saying the group who doesn't want to be part of the whole are the ones who are considerably less xenophobic? "

[viniciusb]

Catalan is not the 19th language used on the internet but Spanish, which you failed to mention, is the 5th at 4.6%. Catalan is 33rd at 0.1%. At one point you say after learning all the fabricated facts you pointed out you chose to go with Catalan and later you say it was because your friends spoke it. Which is it?

[viniciusb]

Your whole spiel on countries and passports is quite embarrassing, so, moving on... Paraphrasing, "I didn't know about Catalonia, I didn't care about Catalonia, I thought they were some kind of caterpillar..." Stop trying to convince your zombie students you don't have an agenda, you obviously do. Continuing, "It - Catalonia - has the most EXTRAORDINARY literature, way out of proportion in terms of quality and quantity." Compared to whom? To Spaniards? Do you have any stats or facts whatsoever?

[viniciusb]

I hate to use the quintessential example, but even Hitler could have come up with real separate incidents where Jews were being dicks to justify his cause. Saying some random dude shouted "Hijos de puta Catalanes." at a museum does nothing to building your case. Stating that you personally have never felt in Spain when in Catalunya is not an argument, regions within a country can be very different, even in a tiny country like Switzerland where they speak four distinct languages.

[viniciusb]

First of all, unlike you - the speaker - I'm one hundred impartial. Let's start with your three little anecdotes. Of course, at this point, people on both sides despise each other. Thus, asking someone who wants to have their own country to leave a bar or the cab because they're speaking a language that signifies an immediate affront to their sense of identity seems a natural response to me. Imagine if Londoners spoke some other language and were going around saying they weren't English...

[viniciusb]

@PIANOPHUNGUY What a croc of shit! As far as I'm concerned the republicans are the ones requiring a driver's license because it will hinder students and blacks from voting - democratic voters - when there hasn't been one single registered incident of voting fraud.

[alcalili]

Me parece sacar las cosas de quicio los ejemplos que pone 01:38 33:09 conozco a gente no Cat. que a sufrido los mismos insultos por hablar español o por llevar camisetas del Madrid/selección Española de viaje por Cataluña. Gente imbécil hay en todos lados pero no creo que se tengan que usar como argumento para defender una idea como hace Matthew. me sorprende que al final de la charla diga que por esta razón se siente mas seguro viajando a otro país, como si todos los españoles fuésemos igual.

[Skaxarrat]

@jasapa87 I doubt you saw more than 2 mins of this video. Or understand more than 2 words.