Podcast Summary: Un tema Al Día – “Desde la pandemia”: el mundo no cambió como esperábamos [R]

Host: Juanlu Sánchez
Guest: Luis Miller (Doctor en Sociología, CSIC)
Date: August 26, 2025
Episode originally aired: March 2025 (5th anniversary of pandemic lockdown in Spain)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode looks back at the five years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, challenging the collective expectation that such a profound crisis would make society kinder, more cohesive, and oriented towards progress. Host Juanlu Sánchez, together with sociologist Luis Miller, examines whether society has evolved as anticipated or if, in fact, the world has shifted in less hopeful directions—socially, politically, and existentially.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Collective Memory of the Lockdown

• Reminiscence of the unprecedented days in March 2020 when Spain shut down completely.
• Collective shock gave rise to new social routines—applause for healthcare workers, online classes for kids, and neighborly support through balconies.
• (01:53) “Lo dijo la ciencia, lo dijo el gobierno, lo decía el sentido común. Y España se quedó vacía.”
• Most Spaniards behaved responsibly, igniting hope for lasting positive social change.

2. The Missed Opportunity for Societal Transformation

• Despite early optimism, expectations around the improvement of public health, environmental policy, education, and work-life balance were not met.
• (03:52) Juanlu recounts anticipated reforms: “Pensamos que el teletrabajo era irreversible, que el capitalismo quizá entendería que la conciliación es la clave…pero no, nada de eso está ocurriendo.”
• The phrase “desde la pandemia” has come to frame many current negative developments rather than positive change.

3. A More Individualistic Society

• Pandemic further accelerated pre-existing trends toward individualism.
• Relationships and personal communities suffered abrupt severance, speeding up social atomization.
• (05:45) Luis Miller: “En un proceso que ya era de individualización, de repente se acelera de una forma brutal con el cambio en las relaciones sociales y la imposibilidad de mantener esos lazos.”

4. The Collective Brush with Death

• Society, especially in the West, was forced to confront large-scale mortality—something not experienced on this scale since mid-20th century.
• (06:53) Luis Miller: “Lo raro que nos había pasado en la segunda mitad del siglo XX […] es que en cierto modo nos habíamos olvidado de esas catástrofes naturales. Yo creo que […] ha sido un recordatorio de que estas cosas pasan.”
• (07:34) Juanlu observes a drift towards “darwinismo social,” with a growing narrative that some lives (the weak, elderly) are less worth saving, impacting public investment and attitudes.

5. Questioning of Science and Rise in Religiosity

• Paradox: while science provided lifesaving solutions, it also became an object of skepticism and politicization.
• Rise of vaccine criticism; in Spain, despite not matching US levels, religious practice increased after years of decline.
• (09:33) Luis Miller: “Desde la pandemia también ha habido un repunte religioso en España […]. Sí que creo que desde la pandemia tenemos un cuestionamiento […] del progreso científico.”

6. The Politics of ‘Liberty’

• Post-pandemic, “liberty” has been appropriated to mean individual non-interference, even when this risks collective well-being.
• (10:31) Luis Miller: “Se ha recuperado un sentido de la idea de libertad que creíamos que habíamos abandonado, que era la libertad negativa, es decir, la libertad como no intervención.”
• Politicians found resonance and electoral gain by promising to restore personal freedoms—sometimes irresponsibly.
• This encouraged a simplified, “infantilized” political style where leaders promise the impossible for popularity.

7. Tensions in Political Action

• The politicization of every public decision, especially those involving restrictions for public safety, has made politicians hesitant to act.
• (13:31) Luis Miller: “Creo que los políticos no hubieran temido tanto a tomar cualquier tipo de decisión, aunque te equivoques, como ha ocurrido […]. Ahora mismo, literalmente se tarda demasiado tiempo en tomar decisiones […].”
• Immediate backlash can paralyze action, especially fueled by the rapid mobilization possibilities of the radical right.

8. Is Change Only on the Right, or Transversal?

• New competitive strategies have helped the right gain ground, but Europe hasn’t seen the deep social divides of the US.
• (14:53) Luis Miller: “La derecha se ha encontrado o ha desarrollado nuevas estrategias de competición […]. Pero no creo que se está produciendo, o por lo menos todos los datos nos dicen que no se están produciendo transformaciones sociales todavía en los estados europeos como se han producido en Estados Unidos.”

9. Are We “Better” or “Worse” After the Pandemic?

• The hopeful mantra “¿Saldremos mejores?” has not come true; society is marked by unresolved grief, worsened mental health, and increased polarization.
• (15:46) Luis Miller: “No podemos decir que hemos salido mejores […]. Necesitamos abrir una reflexión social para ir cerrando heridas […] pero al mismo tiempo nos encontramos en un momento en el que directamente no hay conversaciones entre buenas partes de la sociedad y entonces pues eso agrava el problema.”
• Miller closes with cautious optimism, suggesting that at least the pandemic’s legacy is forcing a confrontation with uncomfortable truths.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On collective submission and hope:
  “Pensábamos que íbamos a aprender la lección, pensamos que después de aquello vendría la nueva edad dorada de la sanidad pública, pero no.”
  – Juanlu Sánchez (03:52)

• On the acceleration of individualism:
  “La sociedad ya estaba siendo individualista antes de la pandemia [...] en un proceso que ya era de individualización, de repente se acelera de una forma brutal...”
  – Luis Miller (05:45)

• On the return of social Darwinism:
  “Ha ido generando una especie de jerarquía de débiles, de fuertes, que yo no sé si antes teníamos patente.”
  – Juanlu Sánchez (07:34)

• On political paralysis:
  “Se tarda demasiado tiempo en tomar decisiones porque uno se ve directamente e inmediatamente expuesto a la contestación pública. [...] el bloqueo de los políticos a tomar decisiones porque tienen consecuencias inmediatas y son contestadas inmediatamente...”
  – Luis Miller (13:31)

• On the post-pandemic evaluation:
  “Necesitamos abrir una reflexión social […], pero al mismo tiempo nos encontramos en un momento en el que directamente no hay conversaciones entre buenas partes de la sociedad y entonces pues eso agrava el problema.”
  – Luis Miller (16:31)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:40–04:45: Introduction & collective memory of lockdown
• 04:45–06:31: Individualism and changing social bonds
• 06:31–08:06: Confronting death and the emergence of new social hierarchies
• 09:02–10:11: Crisis of science, rise in religiosity
• 10:11–13:04: The politics of freedom and shifts in public discourse
• 13:04–13:31: Policy paralysis and political consequences
• 14:37–15:38: Are the changes ideological or transversal?
• 15:38–17:11: Did we become “better” after the pandemic?
• 17:11: Episode close and acknowledgements

Tone & Style

The episode balances analytical detachment with moments of emotion and nostalgia. The tone is at times somber—highlighting grief and missed opportunities—yet maintains hope through critical reflection. Both speakers interweave statistics with personal and social observation, keeping the discourse accessible.

For listeners or readers, this episode serves as a candid, nuanced reflection on modern society’s response to crisis, emphasizing how profound global shocks may not always yield the positive transformations that were so ardently hoped for in those rare moments of unity and clarity.