Why is productivity always the first concern?

There is an interesting article in the New York Times about how Spain is considering abandoning the afternoon siesta and working a "western-style" 9 to 5 day. How boring!

I spent a month in Barcelona in 1995, and one of the things I loved about the country was spending 3 hours on lunch. How about instead of Spain changing to meet our schedules, we all change our schedules and start having a daily siesta? I know it won't happen, but I can dream.

The New York Times > International > Europe > Letter From Europe: Spaniards Dare to Question the Way the Day Is Ordered: "'These Spanish lunches of two to three hours are very pleasant, but they are not very productive.'"