Spain's es-alert for solar eclipse in Castilla-La Mancha sparks criticism
Castilla-La Mancha residents received an es-alert with eclipse safety tips. Critics compare it to the 2024 DANA flooding.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
An es-alert to watch an eclipse: protection or overreach?
Do you really need your phone to tell you not to look at the sun without protection? Residents of Castilla-La Mancha have in recent hours received an es-alert from Spain's Civil Protection service with basic instructions for observing the solar eclipse. The measure, unprecedented for an astronomical event, has triggered a wave of mixed reactions.
On one side is the safety argument. Every eclipse brings its share of eye injuries, not to mention drivers who slam on the brakes to look at the sky. And if the system saves lives, why not use it? It is also recalled that during the 2024 DANA flooding, the absence of an early warning left seven people dead.
On the other, there is criticism of a state that tells you even how to blink. The infantilization of society, some argue, is the price paid for depending on Daddy State to remind you that fire burns. The irony is easy: if we need an es-alert to avoid looking at the sun, we'll soon be asking for one to remind us to breathe.
The controversy, as usual, isn't really about the eclipse. It's about how much paternalism we're willing to swallow. Meanwhile, the official advice remains the same as ever: don't look directly at the sun. Even if you need a phone alert to be told so.
Do you really need your phone to tell you not to look at the sun without protection? Residents of Castilla-La Mancha have in recent hours received an es-alert from Spain's Civil Protection service with basic instructions for observing the solar eclipse. The measure, unprecedented for an astronomical event, has triggered a wave of mixed reactions.
On one side is the safety argument. Every eclipse brings its share of eye injuries, not to mention drivers who slam on the brakes to look at the sky. And if the system saves lives, why not use it? It is also recalled that during the 2024 DANA flooding, the absence of an early warning left seven people dead.
On the other, there is criticism of a state that tells you even how to blink. The infantilization of society, some argue, is the price paid for depending on Daddy State to remind you that fire burns. The irony is easy: if we need an es-alert to avoid looking at the sun, we'll soon be asking for one to remind us to breathe.
The controversy, as usual, isn't really about the eclipse. It's about how much paternalism we're willing to swallow. Meanwhile, the official advice remains the same as ever: don't look directly at the sun. Even if you need a phone alert to be told so.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (19 replies).
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