Rant: on Italy and being Italian.
Oct. 13th, 2004 05:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gothikmausAttention: vitriol galore.
The other day was Columbus Day. I saw the parade on tv and wondered: is being Italian something to be proud of? Well, let me answer with two simple letters: no.
I heard that Italian Americans, who had protested against the cliché portrayed in The Sopranos, protested again for Shark Tale. And that Robert De Niro, who had been promised honorary Italian citizenship, didn't receive it because he dubbed one of the sharks, thus contributing to the spread of said cliché.
Am I the only one who finds those protests ridiculous? Every country has its stereotypes and they reflect certain aspects of its culture. I don't particularly like being identified with pizza and Mafia, but those are two typical Italian products that have been exported everywhere since last century, so I'm not surprised. Do you think the Irish are happy to be considered inveterate boozers?
So, I was looking at this parade and thought that Italian Americans must be really proud of their origins, but do they know what it means to live in Italy today?
Just yesterday the European Justice Commission opposed to the candidacy of an Italian politician. Do you want to know what the Minister for Italians Abroad (yes, we really have a Minister for that) said about it? "Poor Europe, queers are a majority."
What. The. Hell. The politician in question is from a Catholic party, true, but his candidacy was contested simply because he's not suitable for the position, being merely Berlusconi's puppet, not because he's Catholic. There was another Italian politician in the European Commission until a few months ago, a very expert and respected economist, but he refused to obey Berlusconi's orders blindly, so he was removed. And now our Government wonders why Europe doesn't want him.
As for the Minister's comment, it caused a sea of protests, but he refuses to apologise. He says it's natural for him to call homosexuals "queers", that he will never accept "queer marriages" and that, obviously, it's their fault the Italian candidacy wasn't accepted, because they're against Catholics. Well, first of all, who's ever talked about homosexual marriages here? And even if that was the topic, it's not like homosexual marriages are legal in Europe. I think the Netherlands allow them and there's a contract for couples who can't or don't want to get married in France, but that's it. The whole thing is ridiculous, we're not in 16th century England, nobody cares it you're Catholic, Calvinist, Orthodox or whatever - as long as you're not Muslim, of course.
The truth is, every day our politicians make up something that will hit the headlines, so the media, which are mostly controlled by Berlusconi anyway, won't talk about real problems. Just today, for instance, one of the most important and powerful Mafia boss was put on probation. Because now he's such a good person, isn't he? It's Shark Tale and The Sopranos and The Godfather that make people think Italy means Mafia, not the fact that our Governments have always collaborated with it, ever since 1861.
Do you think this is a democratic country? Do you think it deserves to be in the European Community? Do you think I'm proud to be Italian? Do I even need to answer?
The other day was Columbus Day. I saw the parade on tv and wondered: is being Italian something to be proud of? Well, let me answer with two simple letters: no.
I heard that Italian Americans, who had protested against the cliché portrayed in The Sopranos, protested again for Shark Tale. And that Robert De Niro, who had been promised honorary Italian citizenship, didn't receive it because he dubbed one of the sharks, thus contributing to the spread of said cliché.
Am I the only one who finds those protests ridiculous? Every country has its stereotypes and they reflect certain aspects of its culture. I don't particularly like being identified with pizza and Mafia, but those are two typical Italian products that have been exported everywhere since last century, so I'm not surprised. Do you think the Irish are happy to be considered inveterate boozers?
So, I was looking at this parade and thought that Italian Americans must be really proud of their origins, but do they know what it means to live in Italy today?
Just yesterday the European Justice Commission opposed to the candidacy of an Italian politician. Do you want to know what the Minister for Italians Abroad (yes, we really have a Minister for that) said about it? "Poor Europe, queers are a majority."
What. The. Hell. The politician in question is from a Catholic party, true, but his candidacy was contested simply because he's not suitable for the position, being merely Berlusconi's puppet, not because he's Catholic. There was another Italian politician in the European Commission until a few months ago, a very expert and respected economist, but he refused to obey Berlusconi's orders blindly, so he was removed. And now our Government wonders why Europe doesn't want him.
As for the Minister's comment, it caused a sea of protests, but he refuses to apologise. He says it's natural for him to call homosexuals "queers", that he will never accept "queer marriages" and that, obviously, it's their fault the Italian candidacy wasn't accepted, because they're against Catholics. Well, first of all, who's ever talked about homosexual marriages here? And even if that was the topic, it's not like homosexual marriages are legal in Europe. I think the Netherlands allow them and there's a contract for couples who can't or don't want to get married in France, but that's it. The whole thing is ridiculous, we're not in 16th century England, nobody cares it you're Catholic, Calvinist, Orthodox or whatever - as long as you're not Muslim, of course.
The truth is, every day our politicians make up something that will hit the headlines, so the media, which are mostly controlled by Berlusconi anyway, won't talk about real problems. Just today, for instance, one of the most important and powerful Mafia boss was put on probation. Because now he's such a good person, isn't he? It's Shark Tale and The Sopranos and The Godfather that make people think Italy means Mafia, not the fact that our Governments have always collaborated with it, ever since 1861.
Do you think this is a democratic country? Do you think it deserves to be in the European Community? Do you think I'm proud to be Italian? Do I even need to answer?
