My day started out with a forwarded email which included only the following link:
Grant for porn in Catalan

I was cc’d on this email, and now find more than 7 Reply Alls in my inbox about it. Since it drew so much interest from them I thought y’all might find it interesting too.

If you’re paying taxes in Catalonia then you’re funding Catalan porn.

Catalan “pride” is a sad thing, really.
Anything gets used to proclaim the superiority of the catalan people.

But as i may quote:

Catalunya triomfant,
tornar? a ser rica i plena.
Endarrera aquesta gent
tan ufana i tan superba.
 

Catalonia triumphant
Will once again be rich and bountiful,
Drive them back, these people
So conceited and so arrogant.

Bon cop de fal?,
Bon cop de fal?,
Defensors de la terra!
Bon cop de fal?!
 

A good blow with the sickle,
A good blow with the sickle,
Defenders of the land!
A good blow with the sickle!

Ara ?s hora, segadors.
Ara ?s hora d’estar alerta.
Per quan vingui un altre juny
esmolem ben b? les eines.
 

Now is the time, reapers,
Now is the time to be alert.
For when another June comes,
Let us sharpen our tools well.

Bon cop de fal?,
Bon cop de fal?,
Defensors de la terra!
Bon cop de fal?!
 

A good blow with the sickle,
A good blow with the sickle,
Defenders of the land!
A good blow with the sickle!

Que tremoli l’enemic
en veient la nostra ensenya.
Com fem caure espigues d’or,
quan conv? seguem cadenes.
 

Let the enemy tremble
On seeing our banner.
Just as we cut down golden stalks of wheat,
When the time is right, we can hack chains.[1]

Bon cop de fal?,
Bon cop de fal?,
Defensors de la terra!
Bon cop de fal?!
 

A good blow with the sickle,
A good blow with the sickle,
Defenders of the land!
A good blow with the sickle!

The catalan anthem…

(from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Els_Segadors )

Guess it tells you enough

True, and that’s awesome that you’ve got the anthem here, but aren’t most anthems full of gross self-aggrandizement?

Surely not this obvious?

It just suprised me to see it in writing like that. in a funny way, it does add up (in my book).

Edit:
The longer I live here, the more I see a catalan need to shout their self importance. To me this is used as a (or only) way to gather political support. As in any society where the political atmosphere is pre occupied with only one subjects the dangers are present that not always the best solution is chosen. Hearing about education in school where hours spent on catalan are twice as much as maths, surely that doesn’t add up to good education…

I mean, how trivial is it if the moans and groans are with or without a ? ?

Please understand me right, i am in no way against catalan in anyway, But guys, c’mon get your priorities straight…

For dodgy national anthems, you need look no further than the UK.  God Save the Queen contains the following verse, which is usually (and diplomatically) dropped these days.

Lord grant that Marshal Wade
May by thy mighty aid
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
And like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the Queen!

And this is the anthem for Britain, not just England, so we “rebellious Scots” technically share it.  I understand the Spanish national anthem doesn’t have any lyrics, which is a wise choice in my opinion.

As for Catalan liguistic politics, good luck to them. More people speak Catalan than many of the national Scandinavian and Baltic languages, for example, and I don’t see why it shouldn’t enjoy a similar level of respect and status.  And surely it can’t be holding back the economy, as Catalonia is amongst the richest and most successful areas in Iberia.