spain goes soft

Fasninating piece in today's New York Times about how Spain has transformed into a business powerhouse where people are working too much to have their siestas, and stress has affected men's ability to perform. Thus, Viagra sales are booming. Here are some quotes from the article:

“There has been a Viagra explosion in Spain,” says Dr. Carlos San Martín, the country’s leading sexologist, who counsels couples and has tried Viagra himself. “For me, it has become impossible during the week,” he said. “I talk about sex all day long, and when I come home at 11 p.m., it is very difficult to perform.”

Dr. Fernández recalled that a woman recently urged her husband to seek Viagra but that the husband later begged him to stop writing prescriptions. “My equipment works fine with my mistress,” the man said. “It’s my wife that’s the problem.”

“Viagra is not the solution many Spaniards think it is,” said Carmen, who declined to use her last name. “I came to realize that the problem wasn’t my boyfriend’s sexual prowess. The problem was him. Now, she added, “I have sex six times a day, but I do miss going to the opera.”

Nacho Vidal, Spain’s most famous porn star and something of an icon of Spanish male virility, complains that the widespread use of Viagra is destroying rather than strengthening Spanish male sexuality. “Everyone is taking Viagra,” he said. “It is the new drug, and this is undermining Spanish men’s credibility. Before, you used to have to perform, but now all you need is a pill.”