Are the Portuguese Sad? By Randy Ataide

The headline from the past few days of a recently completed EU survey seems compelling: The Portuguese are a fundamentally glum people, ranking only above a few eastern European countries. Such news only reinforces the existing notions of the Portuguese as a melancholic, somber, and negative people, manifested in its beloved fado and the culture of the sea. Here is a link to the a report of the survey: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/europe/090604/portuguese-unhappy

But are the Portuguese really sad? Is this something inherent in the DNA of the people, perhaps cultured and reinforced in both the public and private lives of the nation? I am not so sure of this conclusion that is often laid on the Portuguese and while I would not think of them as exuberant (perhaps think of Australians?), I think that there is some level of stereotype going on here.

My starting point is that happiness is difficult to define, and not easily captured in survey questions. A quick internet search indicates that many nations and people groups appear to have high levels of sadness or unhappiness. In the U.S., our penchant for prescription drugs to medicate us for any actual or perceived ailment is not what I would call a manifestation of national happiness. And while there is some evidence that economic prosperity and wealth does correlate with personal happiness, the message of history and experience is that this is not always so either, for there are many miserable weatlhy people as well.

I am not a citizen of Portugal but travel there frequently, and the photo above of a festival in the Alentejo does not look like a manifestation of an unduly sad people. I was raised in Fresno in a very close and extended Portuguese family, many of whom were first generation immigrants from Portugal (Porto and Aveiro). Most of my Sundays as a youth were spent with my aunts, uncles, grandparents and others who would enjoy a long day around the table following mass, and even through my young eyes I could see the interesting and peculiar dynamics of being Portuguese. Loud? Certainly. Opinionated? Absolutely? Sad? I am not so sure.

What I think the Portuguese do have is much sharper and deeper sense of history than most other citizens, certainly far more than most Americans. In our family, my great-grandmother's property in Aveiro was not sold until the late 1960's, even though she emigrated to the U.S. in 1916, following her husband who came to the U.S. in 1910. Why in the world would anyone keep property in a country in which you had not visited for over 45 years, and had no chance of ever returning to in your life? This is certainly not an American habit, but I think it gives us some insight into what others perceive to be the sadness in the Portuguese. There is something deep within all Portuguese, even those dispersed throughout the world, that the they have always been a people of history, and we cherish and long for those reminders of our past.

Are there formidable hurdles in front of the Portuguese in the 21st century? There certainly are, and it would be wise for the Portuguese to confront these challenges in an honest, direct and forceful way, which may not be what they are accustomed to. But there is nothing inherently in them that can or should prevent them from persevering and ultimately having a more positive future. So tune up the Mariza, enjoy the sun, embrace life and look to the future with joy, regardless of your nationality! Saude!