Demographic replacement

Among some progressives, the term "demographic replacement" is frowned upon. As Vox states—in relation to immigration from Muslim-majority countries—they find the concept tainted. The same applies to immigration in general; they consider it inappropriate to call immigrants "immigrants" because that's what xenophobic neo-fascists call them. So they've decided that "migrant persons" or "migrants" is more palatable, even though the different words—logically—define different situations for a person: "a person is a 'partner' and an 'immigrant' wherever they arrive." However, whatever term they use, it doesn't change the nature of the phenomenon: demographic replacement is a reality. And it is a reality because the enormous number of immigrants who have arrived during the last half-century has transformed the pre-existing social structure. Population evolution expert Pere Salvà said—in an interview with me published in September—that the islanders who lived in the province in 1975 now represent—taking into account natural increase—25% of the total registered population. The influx of immigrants has been so enormous that reversing the situation is unrealistic, especially in the linguistic, cultural, and political spheres. Of course, among all those who arrived and their descendants, some must have embraced the language and historical cultures, and even voted for local parties. But one would have to be incredibly naive to think this is the norm. However, there are those who do consider this and argue that "there is a solution," that the linguistic and cultural situation can be reversed, and some even dream of the political situation. It's true that there has to be someone for everything, and if everyone thought the same, life would be very boring. But there's a fine line between too little and too much...

Faced with such a hostile reality, there's a temptation to take refuge in fantasy and denial. It's as psychologically and humanly understandable as it is useless; it serves no purpose. I remember that in the early 1980s, there was a figure in the local nationalist scene who wanted to convince anyone who would listen that, since—according to him—a good portion of the teachers were Catalan nationalists, the future of Mallorca would be Catalan and nationalist. It's one thing to be optimistic about the future of a cause, and another to be completely out of touch with reality.

This kind of ideological fever—calling it analysis would be excessive—is still noticeable. Those who suffer from it tend to despise others because they find them to be traitors, self-haters, defeatists, enemies, and so on. For them, reality must be distorted, even if the result is ridiculous.

Demographic replacement is very different. A couple of thousand people at a village festival are considered proof of the undeniable strength of local identity, while a concert by the Mallorcan singer Rels B, performing in Spanish and English, drawing over 25,000 registered residents means nothing. It's not incompatible to like Rels B and—let's say—be a member of the Cultural Association, but—subject to the possible biased and outdated perspective of a boomer As a public servant, it's reasonable to think that not many people have that 'dual membership''Nor is any importance given to the most important popular festival of the year, which is, by far, the already traditional one. Halloween... And so many other similar examples that could be discussed at length, which are nothing more than concrete cases of how the global phenomenon that has been brewing for decades is now emerging on the surface: demographic replacement.

One of the most significant is the political sphere, a prime example of this same population shift. Among other examples, the rise of Podemos and Vox is explained precisely by this. It happened amidst the astonishment of the existing political establishment, who were initially unable to react and then, now, are trying to blend in with the newcomer on the left, or even depend on the newcomer on the right. The reason is that they accepted that, after having previously refused to acknowledge it, the national vote is so intense that it determines election results and forces them to make decisions they would rather not make. In short, demographic replacement is so momentous that we are facing the most significant social phenomenon in Balearic history since the massacre of the Moors and the Christian occupation of their territory, which began in 1229. Its effects are already being felt by everyone. Things are as they are, not as we would like them to be. A person's maturity lies in accepting that not everything can be fixed. The same is true for a society.