David Brunat – 02/07/2020 13:38
Jesús Ángel Prieto and Rosa Botella wanted to see if in Catalonia there has been a social fracture because of ‘procés’ and the answer is clear: the break exists and it will cost a lot to amend it. This conclusion has been reached after intimately interviewing 29 Catalans in the documentary “Ferida oberta” (“Open wound”), which premiered last week and is in the distribution phase. Elderly men, young girls, trade unionists, former councilors, teachers. Some in favor of ‘procés’, others against. The aim of the filmmakers was to find a point of empathy to overcome this emotional crisis, and it does not seem the Catalans, at least the interviewees, are close to finding it. In part because half of society, that 47% pro-independence, refuses to admit that the other half is suffering (“they are stigmatized as overdoing”, say the filmmakers), while non-independence are almost losing the relationship that they had with friends, cousins or fellow coworkers before everything blew up.
Pro-Independence people interviewed asked us, surprised, if there really are people from the other side suffering
There is a huge emotional fracture, and yet several pro-independence interviewees asked us, surprised, if there really are people opposed to the ‘procés’ who suffer. They don’t know that there are people who have a terrible time, who have even had tachycardias, because they don’t mix with those circles”, Prieto explains.
“It is normal that if your illusion is to take your country to a place that you think is fantastic, it costs you a lot to understand that it causes very deep wounds in half of the population. In their mental framework, independence is a perfect ideal, it cannot be something that causes pain. This leads them to be somewhat away from social reality compared to non-independence, without going into valuing political arguments of either side”, continues the author.
This explains that while those opposed to ‘procés’ are sincere in the documentary and sadly admit that they have lost very important personal relationships, the ‘procesits’, also sincere, focus all their empathy on the political prisoners’. It is disturbing to see how they feel closer to a group of politicians whom they do not know personally than to the cousin with whom they discussed or the friend with whom they no longer drink beers”. Many do not believe that they have lost anyone in their environment, and if someone has disappeared, it should not be so close. They think that political prisoners are the most important thing, they suffer for them, but they do not realize that the neighbor who does not coincide with their ideas is also having a bad time”, says Botella, a professional psychologist.
The authors of “Ferida Oberta” consider that this rejection of the pro-sovereignty side to look the other way is one of the big problems when it comes to addressing social reconstruction in Catalonia. Another factor that does not contribute to repair the broken bridges is the overexposure of the ‘procés’ in television, radio and the media, which “inflames the emotions” of those affected.
Shouting in the family
Here are some pearls of the documentary, which far from being an anecdote have been the sad reality in thousands of homes, groups of friends and work environments in Catalonia: “In the birthday of my cousin, my uncle, who is pro-independence, shouting at me the day before September 11 and not letting me argue, just accusing me and saying I was a Francoist and things like that. He hurt me a lot because I am his niece. I loved him very much but I no longer feel the same affection”, says Bruna, one of the youngest respondents. Another young woman also regrets that in opposing the process, her friends “take offense as if she were criticizing their family” and call her Falangist.
On the other side, the opposite view. “I could not have a relationship with a person who did not think like me. Because it’s about ideals”, says a twenty-year-old convinced. “The ‘procés’ has not caused me any emotional problems. On the contrary, it has stimulated me and helped me explain some things to my children”, explains Lluís, a school teacher, who downplays disputes between friends.
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