Hell exists, and it lies between Madrid and Toledo
Southern Madrid and northern Toledo as hell: a discussion mixing geography, cycling and xenophobia. An ironic answer with a bitter twist.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Hell exists, and it is in the south of the Madrid region
Hell is not an otherworldly promise: it is a specific place on the Spanish map. Or so think those who answer the eschatological question with irony. While some place it in the country as a whole, others confine it to the southern part of the Madrid region and northern Toledo. The La Sagra district, with towns such as Chozas de Canales, becomes the epicentre of a recurring joke about quality of life.
La Sagra as cursed territory
The extreme climate feeds the legend: unbearable heat in summer and unbearable cold in winter. The story even takes on literary overtones with a night-time encounter at a petrol station, where an old man describes the district as an astonishingly different place. But territorial satire does not hold up well when it meets social reality: part of the conversation drifted into xenophobic remarks about the area's migrant population, which the rest pushed back against. When a geographical joke turns into rejection of the people who live there, hell stops being a metaphor.
Hell can also be cycled
It is not all geography. For cycling fans, eternal damnation takes the form of a mountain climb: riding up the Angliru out of the saddle, using only the seatpost, is an image that needs no demons. The brutality of the Asturian climb becomes the secular definition of prolonged suffering.
To the question of whether hell exists, the most common answer is yes, with a name of its own and exorbitant rent on the outskirts. But hell also lies in how easily a joke about a place becomes an attack on the people who live there. There, not even the devil himself wins.
Hell is not an otherworldly promise: it is a specific place on the Spanish map. Or so think those who answer the eschatological question with irony. While some place it in the country as a whole, others confine it to the southern part of the Madrid region and northern Toledo. The La Sagra district, with towns such as Chozas de Canales, becomes the epicentre of a recurring joke about quality of life.
La Sagra as cursed territory
The extreme climate feeds the legend: unbearable heat in summer and unbearable cold in winter. The story even takes on literary overtones with a night-time encounter at a petrol station, where an old man describes the district as an astonishingly different place. But territorial satire does not hold up well when it meets social reality: part of the conversation drifted into xenophobic remarks about the area's migrant population, which the rest pushed back against. When a geographical joke turns into rejection of the people who live there, hell stops being a metaphor.
Hell can also be cycled
It is not all geography. For cycling fans, eternal damnation takes the form of a mountain climb: riding up the Angliru out of the saddle, using only the seatpost, is an image that needs no demons. The brutality of the Asturian climb becomes the secular definition of prolonged suffering.
To the question of whether hell exists, the most common answer is yes, with a name of its own and exorbitant rent on the outskirts. But hell also lies in how easily a joke about a place becomes an attack on the people who live there. There, not even the devil himself wins.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (14 replies).
More summaries
-
Renaming Madrid: 16 variants and no real alternative
Sixteen hybrids, more than twenty suggestions and not one real alternative: the game of renaming Madrid shows that the root of the name withstands everything.
-
Jonah from Tonga: the series that only exists on a hard drive
Two months searching for 'Jonah from Tonga' in Spanish with no luck. The solution was on a broken external hard drive. The story of a series that is nearly impossible to watch.
-
Elon Musk’s appearance sparks debate: does the founder’s body matter?
Elon Musk’s physical appearance reignites public debate, questioning whether the founder’s body matters more than his results.
-
How to Clean Off Cement and Plaster Without Ruining Your Pipes
Forget the tap: using a rubber tub and a settling bucket prevents clogs and extends the life of your containers. Practical tips for home DIY.
-
Contact lenses: the silent damage to your cornea after decades
Long-term contact lens users report dry eye, visible veins and suspicions of material changes. Is corneal neovascularization a real risk?
-
Izan, the Alicante viral sensation dividing opinion between praise and criticism
A Euro Cup celebration video in Alicante, Spain sparks controversy: is it the euphoria of victory or an unnecessary excess? An analysis of both sides of the phenomenon.