Italy Under Scrutiny

[Letizia]

Italians all over the world are discussing Italy's "funk" in the aftermath of Ian Fisher's now famous NYT article. What do you think about it?

[Rod]

It is quite clear, as well described in the article published by the NYT, that the overall situation in Italy is quite bad. The biggest problem with Italy is that is became an extremely old country. Everything is so old that it gets quite scary sometimes. Our political leadership is old, the whole establishment should have retired a long time ago, leaving room for the young generations, but they didn’t, and most people don’t even consider retiring yet!
There is a whole generation, those that today are between 40 and 50 years old, that were completely cut off any kind of power position in every possible field of human activity, from politics to business, from academia to all other professions. This generation is now just getting into some kind of relevant position, since yes, the previous generation may have “fatto radici” (get stuck in their place as if they had roots, just like plants), but they don’t live forever. It is only fair that these people take over and stay “in power” for some years, but they are already (no offence!) quite old and their ideas are quite out-of-date!
Speaking to a top U.S. government officer in Italy not a long time ago, while Italian politicians were about to chose the President of the Italian Senate, and one of the top candidates was Giulio Andreotti, I was told that putting Andreotti in such an important position, would be just as if the Democratic Party nominated Harry Truman as it’s Presidential candidate for 2008, if only he were still alive! Well folks, that’s Italy... We’re still stuck with Harry Truman, and John Kennedy just got so old waiting to have an opportunity that his inaugural address will start with “The torch was finally given to the next generation of Italians, born almost a century ago, tempered by years and years waiting to implement their ideas, that these ideas grew old with them”... It’s sad, but it’s true...

[ToNY]

I think that all this story about Italy's funk is a little bit too rough... Come on, Itly is still one of the most developed countries, one of the 7 richest in the world! We must be proud of being Italians, and keep with all this pointless critic. Italians like to take it easy and live enjoying their lives, so what!! Whan can we say about it?? It's normal in Europe, even Michael Moore in his last movie said that in France they take it easy and live better! t's amazing, but they even smoke much more than Americans and have less problems with cancer...
Well, I really think that this artcle was a little bit too rough, and probably the situation there is not that bad, after all!

[Rod]

well, ToNY... I guess this interpretation is a little bit too naive.... Italy is actually a country where people tend to take it easy and enjoy life, but in my opinion there is a difference between enjoying life and just watch passively while the whole contry turns into dust and parts of it (see Naples and the Campania area) drown in its own trash...
There is a lot to do and we should work together as Italians that are proud to be Italians to solve a number of fundamental problems that must be addressed as soon as possible, or we will become an old country runned by old folks and their old ideas.....

[roger Schmid]

Italians dont enjoy life the way foreigners believe. Enjoying life also means to have services that work ,institutions you can count on and the possibilty to fully take advantage of your free time. It also means to have, yes, some family obligations, but not to always depend on the power of the "mamma'. Life for young Italian modern women is extremely difficult for instance, and a career the way women enjoy it in America, the UK or even France and Spain these days, is just impossible.
The majority of Italians are under enormous stress, always trying to find a creative solution to day-to-day problems that should not exist anymore. They are overworked, but not because they accomplish more, just because it takes much more time to accomplish anything. Just call any office at 7.30-8.00 pm at night and the majority of serious people will still be at work.
Of course, surrounded by so much beauty and history, the mediterranean sun, some moments of great happyness
are still to be found, but it remains a country with great difficulty to embrace todays new global, more "open" society. This is certainly linked to historic reasons I am not capable to judge, by politics, that even an italian speaking person has difficulties to follow, by a lack of leadership in many areas.
I think that one handicap that is not understood is the lack of Italian global institutions, Italian multinationals. Multinational headquarters educate, cannot think parrochial, require what is probably a very important word today: "transparency", in order to work and communicate correctly between various countries and cultures.
Compaired to Germany, the UK, France, but even Holland and Switwerland, Italy has very few multinationals. Of course we all know that its wealth and success is linked to its accumulated family businesses, but the mistrust that family owners traditionally show to non-family members just re-inforces the general lack of trust of the other.
Italy is the most beautiful country in the world, by far. If happyness is nevertheless measured in terms of things like security, space, silence and opportunity, it still has a long way to go and all this beauty becomes may be an handicap, an excuse not to take action and just keep going.

[lisa g.]

Tony,
I have friends that live in Naples and another near Rome....
All Italians,...and they all say the same thing...and that is that it IS bad. And they are not just referring to "trash" that
citizens throw out, but waste from factories etc...so all this was dumped outside of Naples and they have even started to effect their watertable. So, it really is not a very good situation. They even make fun of it there.

I am very proud to be Italian American, but I am really bummed out that the city my Grandparents came from is turning into a trash heap. Guess who the trash is run by? All over Italy?

[Rosemary Petracca Cappello]

Lisa, I'm really surprised that since February 10, no one has responded to your message, regarding the trash situation in Naples. Here it is, May 9, 2008, and it continues to be a problem, as of an item I saw in yesterday's "Philadelphia Inquirer." I wish a solution could be found. I'm concerned about the people living there -- how can they continue to be healthy in such an unhealthy situation? You say your grandparents came from Naples; my father came from the comune of Teano, not far from Naples. I understand that the entire Campania area is affected by this situation. Yes, we know who runs the trash companies, and I understand they even take the trash from northern Italian cities and add it to the overload in the Naples area. I guess those who are doing this are not concerned about their own health and wellbeing; "something else" is their priority. I take great pride in my Neapolitan heritage and I wish I knew what could be done to solve this problem. Saying that Italians live well is no answer. Yes, they do have the secret of loving life and enjoying it, as I learned it from my father, no matter what their tribulations might be; but how can one live well when surrounded by trash? I'm as concerned as you are. I'm wondering how this is affecting tourism. From a selfish viewpoint, I love the city of Naples and have been there twice; I'd love to go again someday, but am certainly not doing so as long as this trash situation continues. The lack of response to your comment makes me think that Italian Americans like to be related to Italy for its outstanding culture, but when it comes to things like the trash situation, they seem to be saying, "Let's sweep it under the rug."

[lisa g.]

Rosemary so sorry for the delay in responding.
It is funny because yesterday I spoke to my friend in Italy..he lives a bit north of Naples (the city) and says it is just getting ridiculous. I have some photos I found on Flikr from a native of Naples~ just probably a college student...and it is amazing how deep this trash is in parts of the city. I had an arguement (oops) with a friend from Parma..he lives there and he and many others blame it on the mindset of the Southern Italians., lazy etc! This is what infuriates me. He thinks they should "pick up the trash" and take it themselves. What I heard yesterday is that the "trash haulers" do not want and the citizens do not want to have to seperate the trash as we do...plastic, green waste etc...so they simply dont pick it up. They will however destroy the surrounding area dumping and burying trash and industrial waste because the large companies want it done cheaply and guess who does that for them? So they are probably ruining the water table, the surrounding countryside. I asked why they dont send the military in to help and basically it depends on who is in charge in the government at any given time. Gi also told me that Italy used to me #1 in tourism and they are now like # 3 or 4 behind China! behind France and Spain. He said sometimes it is like living in a third world country. Said they should move Italy to so. america....and he lives there! I wished we could help but.....I find myself defending a place I havent been to yet, but it is where my Grandfather was born, Grandma was born in Calabria..they were all 4 from southern Italy....but defending them for being poor and being held down etc etc...still doesnt pick up the trash!

[Rosemary Petracca Cappello]

Lisa, I just wrote a long reply to your letter, but it disappeared! Ohime! But to repeat briefly what I said, I read in today's "Philadelphia Inquirer" that the trash that has accumulated in Naples is being sent, by train, to Hamburg, Germany, as the officials there agreed to help out temporarily with this problem. That's a relief, although Italy still has to find a longterm solution to this problem. Thanks for your response -- I have more to say so will get back later.

[lisa g.]

Oh forgive me for not replying sooner~look at the time june 11 to july 26 27!
I just saw last week that Berlusconi had the military go in a they have started to move it. They did not say where. I hope that it wasn't just an opportunity to "plug" himself, but I really do not think that is the case. I hope it gets better soon.
thanks for responding!
Lisa
buona domenica

[Alfonso Cevola]

I have also posted three pieces about this on my blog if you'd care to read.
The Italian Affliction
http://acevola.blogspot.com/2007/12/italian-affliction.html
The American Deliverance
http://acevola.blogspot.com/2007/12/american-deliverance.html
and
Let Us Praise the Farmer
http://acevola.blogspot.com/2007/12/let-us-praise-farmer.html

I have gotten tremendous response and good traffic over these posts.

Ciao



- Alfonso

On the Wine Trail in Italy
http://acevola.blogspot.com/

[Alberto]

Ciao a tutti vi scrivo in italiano che faccio prima.
La sistuazione qui non è delle più rosee. Abbiamo una classe politica con età media piuttosto alta che piuttosto di risolvere i problemi del paese pensa solo alle logiche di partito e piuttosto che trovare soluzioni, incolpa gli avversari di averli creati. Ho 34, un buon lavoro che mi porta ad essere in contatto con moltissima gente della mia età e vi garantisco che il disagio è ormai diffuso. I prezzi continuano ad aumentare, gli stipendi invece no.....o meglio i nostri no, quelli dei parlamentari si..........guarda caso la casta politica è unita quando si tratta di trarre benefici. Oggi un 1 LT di benzina oggi è a 1,399€,............. e nessuno dice niente.......... le banche si fanno pagare per costudire i tuoi voldi, gli interessi sono una chimera...... sapete cosa vi dico: della bella italia è rimasto solo il nome......... i miei progetti per il futuro......... comperare una casa in sudamerica e vivere la mia vecchiaia in un posto dove que pochi spiccioli che prenderò di pensione varranno ancora qualcosa.
Scusate lo sfogo.
alberto da brescia

[Patricia Rubino Sandler]

It's funny that you bring this up again. I was at a presentation at Casa Zerilli-Marimo` at NYU, and there was a lot of talk about this (I think it was in April). I didn't get a chance to be heard, but I wanted to say that among the members of my family in Italy (Roma, Napoli, Calabria, Catania), they are not so "down." Yes, they still talk about the price increases since the introduction of the euro, and they tend to be very careful with their spending, but they are not down on Italy at all. Now, I guess, with the higher prices for fuel and some food products, there may be more complaints. One of the things that I wanted to relate at this meeting is that Italians vote in their elections. If they felt that "everything stays the same," they wouldn't participate in such great numbers. Here, we complain, but only half the population votes. So, from my observation, there are many things that trouble Italians, but generally, they are proud to be what they are.