Are Valencia users the forum's elite?

Are we Valencians Burbuja's ELITE??

There's a question that has circulated around Spanish economics forums for years and that, this week, exploded in a subforum called Guardería: are the Valencians the forum's intellectual elite? The answer, according to the most repeated consensus, is a resounding "no" with caveats. But there's more to it. Because behind the joke lies a sociological reality: the Valencian Community concentrates a critical mass of participants who, between jokes, have built a kind of parallel social club. The opening post made it clear: "There is NOTHING else as TOP right now". And from there, 35 replies ranging from praise to insults, taking in nostalgia and territorial score-settling along the way.

Why do Valencians dominate the forum?

The first answer to the question is demographic. The forum has Valencians, Galicians, Catalans, Madrileños and even the odd Murcian who, according to one participant, "can't even say bon dia". The Valencian concentration is such that one post claims "the whole comunitat valensiana is on the forum". It's no exaggeration: the names of towns abound —Quatretonda, Torrevieja, Alicante, Valencia— and some distinguish between dyed-in-the-wool Valencians and people from Alicante, whom one participant doesn't consider Valencians "and says so as a compliment".

The phenomenon has an explanation nobody states but everyone senses: the Valencian Community is a region with a deeply rooted tradition of economics forums and public debate. The property bubble that devastated the Levante coast in 2008 left an entire generation of victims who sought refuge in spaces like this one. The irony is that now, years later, those same victims have become the forum's most active user base.

The "TOP" club: from Kowski to Sota de bitcoins

The opening post pulls no punches: it mentions a property speculator, a bitcoin whale and the founder of a fictitious company. These are the names that, according to the author, form the forum's aristocracy. The comparison is ambitious: "If we ever meet up it'll be like that time the owner of Facebook, the Napster guy and Amazon got together". The hyperbole is obvious, but it reveals an internal hierarchy that participants acknowledge without embarrassment.

The response was not long in coming. One participant replied: "Short answer: no. Argued answer: no, ninet". Another added: "You guys are the best, I have all the photos". And a third declared: "You are the elite of the whole Umanity Hunibersal! At least". Sarcasm is the common currency. But beneath the joke there's a recognition: there are names that, within the community, serve as reference points.

Galicians, Catalans and the territorial wars

The original question soon turned into a territorial inventory. "Are you from QUATRE SENCILLA?", someone asked. "The Valencians and Galicians of Burbuja would fill seven mental hospitals and there still wouldn't be room", another replied. The comparison with Galicia is no accident: the forum has a notable Galician presence, something one participant confirms: "It's true there are loads of Galicians on the forum, it's always surprised me".

Things get complicated when the Catalans come in. A message in Valencian declares: "VALENCIÀ I HOME DE BÉ, NO POT SER". And another rounds it off: "Català si no te l'ha fet, te la farà". The territorial tension, always latent, is resolved here through humour. Nobody takes themselves too seriously, but nobody gives up their share of the spotlight either.

The day they all meet up: reality or fantasy?

The opening post floated an idea: "If we ever meet up it'll be like that time the owner of Facebook, the Napster guy and Amazon got together". The proposal of a meetup runs through the thread. "Give us the day, time and place so we can come by and say hello in a friendly, polite manner", one participant asks. Another replies: "I'm not going out there into the jungle while the invaders are around". For now, the meetup hasn't been arranged.

The closing note is a disorienting fact: in a forum where economics, bubbles and crises are discussed, the most active thread of the day is a question about whether Valencians are the elite. The answer, according to the consensus, is no. But the question is still there, and with it the realisation that, deep down, nobody really cares about the answer.