National character of Candelaria And Marquez
Modern Candelaria And Marquez is a difficult country to pigeonhole on its social attitudes. Since its earliest settlement, prior even to its time as an official Dominion, the people of the islands have lent strongly towards a socialist ideal. Early Candelariasians tended to distrust the mentality of aspiration of other British colonies; valuing modesty and disliking those who are deemed to consider themselves "better" or more deserving than others based on their talents or achievements. The country was among the first to adopt a welfare-state system whole-heartedly, its population feeling entirely comfortable to entrust their high taxes to the (usually Liberal Party) government. As a predominately rural economy up until the mid-20th century, most Candelariasians had little time for suggestions of dramatic social upheaval.
Politics
That said, the country's population has generally been ambivalent to the idea of the "working man's paradise" espoused by the otherwise wildly popular National Unionist movement of the early 20th century. If C&M can be said to be an innately socialist country, it is today in a thoroughly bourgeois way. C&M is, after all, today a country of small cities and large towns, rather than the agricultural and mining communities that once dominated. The country has long maintained only a small variation of financial well-being and notion of class, and has never been characterised by extremes of wealth or poverty. The media and general public alike can be extraordinarily sharp towards the country's small moneyed classes as well as the urban and rural poor, particularly on Marquez where there exists greater extremes of relative wealth.
Though traumatic to the country's identity as well as the many millions directly affected; the horrors committed during the short Socialist Party dictatorship and the Civil War had relatively little effect on the populus' basic outlook on the world and politics, and did little to divide the country any further along socio-cultural lines. In the long-term, the events served only to strengthen the resolve towards gaining political consensus wherever possible; maintaining a few press; and hardening the people's hearts towards the military.
In contrast to all this however, C&M has always seen conservative social policies from successive governments matching the outlook of much of the country. Throughout the twentieth century, and particularly the latter period, the country has been characterised by a slowness of adopt the liberal attitudes of much of the rest of the Western world, and the subsequent zeal in which many of views are belatedly taken up. Certainly, it would now be fair to consider modern C&M to be a progressively liberal state, with a leftist consensus dominating the media and general public life. Left-leaning values have been in place in the country long enough for them to become considered "traditional", enshrined in Law; and therefore appropriated by many of those who might consider themselves "conservative".
The small right-wing media rails daily against the "wicked triplets" of "political correctness", "do-gooders", and the "ban-it brigade". This sector, dominated by the Albrecht Mercury tabloid and its regional, more upmarket, cousins as well as the TTO television network; wavers between what can be generally classified as conservative and libertarian outlooks. Though most are united in their demonisation of immigrants and condemnation of sexual impropriety (whilst printing endless, lurid stories of celebrity sex scandals in explicit detail); their influence is limited by the various media outlets' vastly differing attitude to capitalism, the worthiness of "our political elite", and, perhaps most crucially, the morality of excess.
Women
The socially restrained nature of general C&M society has never been explicitly religious in nature, and at no time has that been less the case than now. An obvious example surrounds the status of women in Candelarias society. Women were not given full suffrage until 1953, and though the part they played in the country's establishment (with figures such as April Langley and Lyra de Jong) was always acknowledged and valued; the image of the devoted housewife and mother as the female ideal lingered long into the second half of the twentieth century, in no doubt partly due to the relative lack of social upheaval caused by the Second World War in other western countries. This patronising attitude was equalled in the general public however by a disgust towards men who used prostitutes, and/or generally treated women as sex objects. The era of the sexual revolution coincided with a loosening of attitudes to this kind of morality, and the proliferation of lap-dancing clubs and similar establishments; but this quickly gave way to a new-found, thoroughly liberal, belief in the evils of misogyny. Seen by some to be an example of the political correctness that has supposedly gripped the nation in recent times; it is undoubted that modern society expects men to bend over backwards, as it were, in order to avoid causing offence to the weaker sex. In general, the concept of the macho "man's man" is not well regarded; with C&M men having adopted a thoroughly Scandinavian attitude to child-rearing, etc.
It should be noted that after recent decades in which the concept - and take-up - of the "career woman" has grown dramatically, and with a subsequent decline in children born to the professional middle classes and a vast increase in instances of divorce; there has been a recent swing in favour of "wedded bliss", with President Anderson's Unionist Party angering many on all sides of the political spectrum by formally promoting the idea of the "stay-at-home mum" as a valid career choice, emphasising its benefits to man, woman and children alike.
Social Views
The post-war success and popularity of the Unionist Party indeed best illustrates the dichotomy at the heart of Candelarias; being an at times highly authoritarian party with socially restrictive - though far from pro-Christian - attitudes to morality (especially drink and drugs), being combined with a commitment to the welfare state and a mixed economy; distrust of unregulated capitalism, and compassion towards the poor and the "criminal class". Of any major party, the Unionists are also the most supportive of "alternative" forms of government, backing undemocratic foreign regimes deemed to respect human rights in a way other states that proudly trumpet their "freedoms" and "liberties" do not. The Unionists reflect majority attitudes in not placing issues such as abortion and stem cell research high on their agenda - both being legal but subject to considerable regulation.
For all its liberalisation however, C&M still claims, in relation to other western nations, high rates of marriage (particularly involving under-25s), and low rates of teenage promiscuity, divorce, and extra-marital relations. The country's populous is generally tolerant - rather than fully excepting - of "out 'n' proud" homosexuals, though this is as much down to a general dislike in society of public expressions of a person's private sexual preferences and habits.
The islands are also marked for the entrenched opposition to drug use, with even the Social Democratic and Green Party opposing any major programme of de-criminalisation. Similarly, and despite the popularity of English-style pubs, the country has adopted a Latin-style attitude to taking of alcohol and the shamefulness of public drunkenness.
All of this, though largely unchanged since the islands' settlement, is attributed to an almost unnoticed shift in moral attitudes between the political right and left. One of the few thoroughly left-wing notions to become truly embedded in the national psyche is the immense dislike, verging on hatred, of animal cruelty. For a country so heavily influenced traditionally by its farming heritage this is remarkable; but polls none the less show deep opposition to most forms of hunting, and an unusually high degree of vegetarianism. Meat eating is considered highly unpleasant by many in the affluent middle class; though the industry that surrounds it is grudgingly tolerated since beef and dairy products are among C&M's most profitable exports.
Cynicism
Candelariasians consider themselves a sceptical - if not out-right cynical – people; believing they have learnt the lessons of the mid-twentieth century dictatorship of James McManus and the Socialist Party. As a people they are considered to show a disinclination to follow the "official" line on events; but are also suspicious of the agendas of the media, private companies, religious organisations, self-proclaimed "community leaders", and perhaps most importantly, the power of the "mob" that is "public opinion". Candelariasians tend, however, to trust "experts" in various fields, particularly medicine; and feel deeply cheated when such individuals’ proclamations turn out to be flawed.
There remains a particular suspicion of large companies, with many preferring to buy from small, family businesses - or at least what they see as such. This dislike extends into politics, where all parties are now largely state-funded; and sport, where most supporters fell deeply uneasy with the naming rights of stadia and competitions going to large and/or multinational companies.
General C&M culture maintains a fairly cynical attitude to politics and politicians, with most deeply uncomfortable with grandstanding, charismatic figures for their leaders. However, the apolitical background of many modern politicians has led to the country's people feeling closer to their representatives than in many nations; and as a consequence the general public and media outlets are generally relatively polite and respectful towards them.
Foreigners
C&M’s traditional political neutralism and geographical obscurity has led to a certain distrust of foreigners and, more accurately, foreign countries. The rise of the tourist industry – with Candelariasians increasingly opting to travel abroad for reasons other than business – has seen this attitude decrease somewhat; but C&M people, media and government remain often distrustful – nervous, even – towards the motives of “larger” nations.
The attitude towards any country that could justly be described as “extreme” is one of general tutting and headshaking; though left-leaning extreme nation such as Ariddia, Errinundera and Zwangzug are generally viewed more favourably. On the whole however, Candelariasians tend to feel they have wisely rejected such social systems. A popular TV1 sketch show sums this up with the characters of Percy and Rini Carpenter, a wealthy middle-aged couple who spend their early retirement travelling to, and cooing over, the “glorious cultures” of foreign nations; before inevitably deciding that “it’s not for the likes of us, dear” when faced with the harsher realities of their new cultural beau.
Despite the embracing of the realities of time dilation and the people’s attitude to vegetarianism etcetera; C&M is well known internationally for the state’s refusal to acknowledge the existence of non-human life forms worthy of the status of personhood. Generally considered a perhaps unfortunate by-product of the country’s nervousness towards ‘weirdness’, it was never considered a major issue prior to the country’s involvement in world sport. Since then; the government and media have attempted to ignore places such as Miceland and Ulzaxid, and would rather wish the nations of the Dreamed Realm likewise didn’t have to complicate the world by their existence. Similarly, the state claims that no contact has ever been made by humans with alien life forms, despite pretty overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Beings such as the gnomes of Az-cz and elves of the ESF, who can just about pass for ethnically interesting homo sapiens, are usually treated as self-indulgently deluded human beings, and their countries viewed in a similar manner to those with virulently nationalist, religious and/or mythological cultures.
Humour
In general, the Candelariasian sense of humour is considered a little dry by many foreigners, though it would be unfair to call them humourless. Many in C&M take great pride in their ability to treat the world, themselves, and other people with seriousness but irreverence, and their keen sense for the cliché. The country's television channels in particular provide many hours of comedy programming a week, from the coarse and slapstick to high satire. It must be said however that in 2006, almost three-quarters of this output from the four largest TV networks was of foreign origin, and the country is not renowned for its great humorists. Much of the country's own humour is derived from pop culture catchphrases repeated ad nauseam until they become funny. Foreigners should make no attempt to understand why, for example, strangled cries of "We're clean out of ham, Sarah!" or "Dungarees! Dungarees! By God, he's wearing dungarees!" will reduce many C&M natives to fits of laughter. On the whole however, Candelariasians are usually seen as being on the cheerful side of neutral in their outlook on life, and not especially given to angst and pessimism.
Social Etiquette
Be it at home or abroad, Candelariasians as a type are far from gregarious and tend to prefer their own company, within the context of the nuclear family. Whilst being fairly open and friendly, and finding stiff formality slightly risible; they are none the less not given to great shows of emotion, tending to be stoic in times of difficulty and appreciating others who remain defiantly so without locking away their personal problems entirely. Certainly, counsellors and similar late-20th century beings have made a relatively comfortable trade in the islands in recent years.
Social relations are generally casual, and most from the islands are seldom quick to take offence; but politeness, consideration and good manners are respected. C&M people also tend to shy away from physical intimacy with strangers, disliking the hand shake so common across the western world and preferring mutual acknowledgement through vague and variable hand signals. Between friends; a 'matey' slap on the back is the common greeting, regardless of gender: young Candelariasians in particular are uncomfortable with 'air kisses', never mind an actual kiss on the cheek or elsewhere, and the practise should generally be avoided. Female visitors in particular should refrain from offering a hand for a man to kiss. Similarly, men should give up seats on public transport only to the elderly, disabled or pregnant; while the swing doors that infest most public buildings should be held open for anyone immediately behind the initial opener; man, woman or child, in order to stop said door permanently damaging their nose.
While these socialization norms are common to most of the country, it should be noted that in Hispanic Marquez the conventions are somewhat different. Here, a handshake is deemed to show respect, while a brief embrace with a kiss on the cheek is also common between women, or a man and woman who are even remotely well acquainted. Like the Anglophone majority; eye contact in considered important, though Hispanic Marquezians also tend to touch each other or stand close during a conversation. Friends and neighbours have a habit of dropping in on each other unannounced, something not considered especially polite elsewhere in the country.
Locals, including officials of various sorts, expect to be greeted before conversation ensues. The rules as detailed above apply here, with a friendly "Mornin'!", "Arta-noon!" or "Evenin'!" the most common greetings, as appropriate. "¡Buenos días!" and its equivalents are similarly the most common greetings in Hispanic Marquez. Foreigners however are advised to talk in English, and use the terms "Mr" and "Mrs" rather than "Señor" and "Señora", for example; unless they are entirely sure as to the linguistic or cultural background of an individual – for as discussed earlier; physical appearance is seldom an accurate guide.
