It’s been awhile and no updates. Yet, in the US we’ve had the midterms, which happened pretty much as predicted, and here in Italy Berlusconi again dominates the headlines with another sex scandal. At this point I’m so fatigued by his scandals that I’m withholding comment until I figure out just how much of a survivor he is. Needless to say it’s hard for me to imagine a gulf of power any greater than that between the Prime Minister of a G7 nation and an undocumented 17-year old immigrant. It remaines whether Italians will let this distract them from the many economic and domestic crises that threaten the bel paese or whether this will galvanize them into action. Of course my weariness is probably not atypical. American writers often assume that the next scandal will be the last straw — wouldn’t it be at home? — but only a few seem to understand the lack of clear alternatives and the cynicism that has permeated Italian politics for the last twenty years. British writers, however, often do. The Telegraph has all you really need to know to understand the events of the last week. And if reading an Anglo-Saxon male writing about the Italian politics seems odd to you, then the Guardian weighs in as well with the powerful voice of Maria Laura Rodotà of the Corriere.
As a side note, I’m thrilled to hear that the unctuous Lele Mora is under investigation. No one who has seen the scenes in Videocracy in which Mora, puffy and dressed all in white, in an all-white room in an all-white house, celebrates Mussolini with a fascist cellphone ringtone and introduces his young musclebound brainless tronisti proteges, would disagree.
Of course, as a longtime Italian-observing friend of mine quipped, if Berlusca had sprung for the quick release of a Moroccan man from jail, then his popularity might really flag. But the PM is hasty to admit that hey, at least he didn’t do that. His exhortation that loving “pretty girls [is] better than being gay!” got the headlines and got people out to protest as well. And produced a spew of plays on words: “better gay than Berlusconi,” “better gay than fake daddy” (playing on the nickname that the previous sex scandalizer Noemi had for the PM).
On the upside for happenings meneghine, I was pleased to see on a recent walk down via Manzoni that La Scala is doing Lulu this season. Now how can I get to it?
And in happenings Venete… wear your rainboots, avoid back roads, and keep your livestock on high ground. Rural areas experienced terrible flooding this week, not as far south as Rovigo, but around Padova and Vincenza. Bertolaso, seeming to be in both Naples and the Veneto at the same time, is on the scene.
“unctuous “. Need I say more??
You should watch this and then say ‘vomit,’ which is what you will want to do. The song he’s playing is ‘faccetta nera’ — google it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYiEQUaCE9s
Whoops, Adam, that’s the one to watch.