Podcast Summary: Hoy por Hoy – El rincón y la esquina | Los ascensores

Host: SER Podcast (Àngels Barceló)
Guests: Manuel Delgado, Marta Sanz
Date: October 8, 2025

Overview

This vibrant and engaging episode of Hoy por Hoy centers on “ascensores” (elevators) as both a literal and metaphorical device, exploring themes of social mobility, daily encounters, psychological experiences, and cultural representation. Through intellectual banter, personal anecdotes, and cinematic references, Manuel Delgado and Marta Sanz dissect the symbolism of elevators in our society and everyday life, engaging the audience in a witty, critical, and sometimes nostalgic journey—up and down.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

What’s in an Elevator? Definitions & First Metaphors

• [02:20] Manuel Delgado opens by defining the elevator as "un medio de transporte, en este caso vertical... para traslados más bien cortos entre diferentes niveles," highlighting it as a space for brief journeys and potential sites of anxiety (getting trapped) but also of social interaction and metaphorical meaning.
• [03:32] Marta Sanz ponders language: why “ascensor” and not “descensor”, noting our cultural bias for ‘up’ over ‘down’ and jokingly lamenting the stigma around going down, “desprestigiar actividades y lugares tan estupendas como la espeleología, el submarinismo o el mismísimo infierno.”
• Both agree elevators serve well as metaphor—social ascent and descent, life transitions, the imagined journey to heaven or hell.

Elevators as Metaphor: Culture, Society, and Cinema

• [05:45] Manuel Delgado reflects on metaphors in film, referencing “El manantial” (“The Fountainhead”) and star architects who believe themselves godlike—linking vertical ascent to megalomania and hubris.
  • Quotes the movie:
    "El creador se mantiene firme en sus convicciones. El parásito sigue las opiniones de los demás..." [07:37]
• [09:45] Marta Sanz deeply explores the “ascensor social” (social elevator/metaphor for mobility) and laments how it’s stopped or stuck in Spain and globally:
  • References American monuments and the myth of the American Dream versus harsh realities:
    "El ascensor social se ha parado... mis posibilidades de trabajo eran muchísimo peores que las que tuvieron mis padres." [12:17]
  • Brings in social critique, referencing policies, inequality, and the “sweet mediocrity” for a fairer society vs. current models idolized by “Trump, Belón, Mas, Milei, Ayuso”.

Personal and Historical Relationships with Elevators

• [16:13] Manuel Delgado shares biographical stories:
  • His own discomfort and necessity ("Ahora... los tengo que coger más para bajar al estudio de la radio") and recounts his grandson's humorous experiences getting trapped [17:02].
  • Recalls political fear in Francoist Spain: "cuando el ascensor se paraba en tu piso de noche... era la policía". [17:00]
• [18:49] Marta Sanz:
  • Sensitive to elevator noise (“me puede llegar a volver un poco tarumba”), equates elevator to “cápsula espacial” and “ataúd,” and recalls literary terrors (e.g., Madeleine Usher, Poe).
  • Connects modern anxieties like blackouts to elevator-related fears.

Elevators in Social Practice: Urban Micro-Sociology

• [23:09] Manuel Delgado:
  • Uses elevators in his microsociology classes to illustrate fleeting, significant urban encounters and rituals.
  • Discusses how people arrange themselves—preferably facing the door—as both social norm and defense mechanism.
  • Refers to famous elevator scenes in films for analysis: “El apartamento,” “Con la muerte en los talones” [24:51].

The Elevator as Site for Intimacy and Awkwardness

• [26:59] Marta Sanz investigates micro-interactions:
  • Details anxiety around elevator conversations, small talk, and the negotiation of social proximity.
  • Cites “El apartamento” as an example of both forced and chosen intimacy.
  • Quote:
    "En realidad, el retrato de Wilder es muy agridulce porque está hablando todo el rato de bajada. Está hablando de perdedores, de cómo los de arriba acaban manejando a los de abajo, creando falsas expectativas respecto a las posibilidades de subir al cielo." [27:53]
  • Recalls her own mock-epic hotel experiences—navigating technical elevator quirks and cross-cultural encounters, e.g., weather-appropriate dress leading to "choque cultural, choque térmico evidente." [30:58]

On Elevator Etiquette and Social Codes

• [31:25] Manuel Delgado embraces the “negociación mínima” in elevator encounters—deciding what (if anything) to say:
  • "Cuando tú vas con un vecino en el ascensor tienes que calcular quién es esa persona para ti y hasta qué punto merece algo más que esa negociación mínima: no mirarle a los ojos, mirarse los pies..." [31:36]
  • Recalls comedic sketches (Faimino y Cansado) about the banality of elevator talk. [34:10]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• [03:32] Marta Sanz:
  “¿Por qué llamamos ascensores a los ascensores y no los llamamos descensores? Porque también bajan. [...] Esa obsesión por lo ascendente lo que hace es desprestigiar actividades y lugares tan estupendos como la espeleología, el submarinismo o el mismísimo infierno.”

• [05:06] Manuel Delgado (singing Led Zeppelin):
  “And she's buying a stairway…”

• [09:45] Marta Sanz:
  “El ascensor social se ha parado... mis abuelos vivieron mejor que mis bisabuelos, mis padres mejor que mis abuelos, puede que yo viva mejor que mis padres, pero mis hijos iban a vivir infinitamente peor que yo.”

• [17:00] Manuel Delgado:
  “Había una cosa que daba pavor tremendo, que era escuchar al ascensor cuando se paraba en tu piso de noche, de madrugada... era la policía.”

• [27:53] Radio Host/Marta Sanz:
  “Cómo Jack Lemmon en un ascensor repleto solo tiene ojos para ella… a veces la proximidad física y la intimidad no son exactamente lo mismo.”

• [31:25] Manuel Delgado:
  “Donde tú vas en el ascensor con alguien tienes que calcular… negociar quién es esa persona para ti y hasta qué punto merece algo más que esa negociación mínima…”

Cultural References & Filmography

• "El apartamento" (Billy Wilder) – love and disappointment in elevators
• "El manantial" (“The Fountainhead”, King Vidor) – the hubris of the architect as demiurge
• "Con la muerte en los talones" – suspenseful interactions in confined spaces
• "El ascensor" (1983, Dutch horror) – elevator as malevolent presence
• "El coloso en llamas", "Ascensor para el cadalso", "Drive", "La jungla de cristal”, “Vestida para matar”—various uses of elevators as sites of action, suspense, and crime
• Literary references: "Rojo y negro" (Stendhal), "Bel-Ami" (Maupassant), "La caída de la casa Usher" (Poe)

Listener Stories Segment

[34:45 – 37:58] Noteworthy Calls

• Rafa, Valencia:
  Tells a humorous story about gossiping with a colleague in the elevator—unaware that the subject of their critiques (an art specialist) was with them, silently hidden by a large painting. [36:31]

• Ana, Barcelona:
  Shares a harrowing experience—getting trapped alone in a gym pool elevator for 40 minutes, dressed only in swimming gear, which confirmed her aversion to gyms. [37:02]

Closing Thoughts & Memorable Moments

• Elevators are a microcosm: a place for fleeting encounters, social codes, ambitions, fears, and human stories.
• The hosts and guests blend personal narrative with sharp cultural critique, humor, and a treasure trove of literary and cinematic references.
• The elevator serves as a powerful metaphor for social mobility—one whose mechanisms (literal and societal) deserve scrutiny when they stop working, trapping people in place.

Timestamps for Reference

• [02:20] Defining elevators, first metaphors – Manuel Delgado
• [03:32] Language and the cultural “direction” of elevators – Marta Sanz
• [09:45] – [13:52] In-depth on the “ascensor social”; American/Spanish context – Marta Sanz
• [14:16] Films as metaphor: descent and the diabolical – Manuel Delgado
• [16:13] Personal anecdotes of elevator anxiety and history – Manuel Delgado
• [18:49] Elevator as existential/psychological space – Marta Sanz
• [23:09] Elevator social dynamics; movie scenes – Manuel Delgado
• [26:59] Intimacy and discomfort, elevators in film – Marta Sanz
• [31:25] Small talk and etiquette – Manuel Delgado
• [34:45 – 38:01] Listener stories: from accidental eavesdropping to elevator panic

For anyone who’s never listened: this episode is a witty, thoughtful reflection on how the structures (literal and symbolic) that move us—elevators—also reveal us. Packed with cultural allusions and human insight, it’s perfect both for deep thinkers and for those just looking to smile at the quirky realities of everyday life.