I was truly a man too honest to live and be a politician. [Socrates]

Why don't you argue a bit?

After the pantomime for the election of the president...no comment

But instead we comment... It's nice to see so many young people wandering around while these people are fighting over seats to stick up their asses. And they appoint a president who is 90 years old and maybe in 3 months he becomes senile and there's nothing more we can do. What a beautiful Italy, the mirror of youth.

lory wrote:

But instead, let's comment... It's nice to see so many young people wandering around while these people are fighting over the seats to stick to their asses. And they appoint a president who is 90 years old and maybe in 3 months becomes senile and we can't do anything about it anymore. What a beautiful Italy, the mirror of youth.

I should preface: there is much truth in what you say. However, to be fair, he is "only" 88, and, all things considered, there isn't much difference between these people and the 80-year-olds like a Rodotà or a Marini! Or is there? In reality, the discussion should be much more complex and articulated; otherwise, as always unfortunately, we only make slogans that appeal to the gut and not to the brain.

I don't like talking about politics, but the reflection I want to make is of a more general nature (at least I hope). I am only saying that someone who contributes to deciding the future of a country must be able to live it.

The calculation of retirement age, insurance premiums and reimbursements are all based on statistics, and one of the most widely accepted factors is life expectancy, in short, how long someone lives.

Let's say that in the previous and current mandates, we are talking about an ultra-eighty-year-old person, far beyond any statistic, and regardless of political color or ideas, they are against the statistics; therefore, it could be that they have little probability of living through the consequences of their choices, whether they be for better or for worse.

Without offending anyone's sensibilities, in my opinion, this does not work in general.

I think that, beyond whether or not one enjoys talking about politics, there is an inescapable fact: if I (we, you, they) do not take an interest in politics, it is politics that takes an interest in me.

That being said, I largely agree with the statistical data, but the fact remains that we would do well to ask ourselves why this blessed Country needs people over eighty to keep going. If we ask ourselves this question and try to provide an objective answer, we would probably discover that everything that has happened in Italy from 1992 onwards—and even before—has clear responsibilities that concern all of us! Whether we like it or not

In fact, this country not only doesn't need eighty-year-olds, but these eighty-year-olds need to get the hell out of the way! Forgive me if I am so direct, but things have changed too much in recent years; technology has moved forward and these Methuselahs find themselves making laws on things they don't even know how they work. Young people don't participate because they are overshadowed by these shady individuals who take control of television and the media. It is not my fault, forgive me if I have the audacity to say this, the fault lies with the morons who spend all day in front of the television and swallow everything they are told. The fault lies with the multinationals that hold onto eighty-year-old politicians because they probably have shady agreements—and I don't want to make a complete list—but the fault lies with all those people who commit illegal acts or injustices with the help of politicians who take their share on the backs of poor people. And there are those who say Grillo is not right?? From television, it emerges that the reason there is no government is Grillo's fault; well done Bersani instead. Grillo said from the beginning that he would not ally himself with anyone because he had to send home all these old people in politics who have eaten everything, everyone! No one excluded, on the backs of Italians. It is time to change and make a clean break from it all. With the public debt we have accumulated, an Italy that is part of the European Union can no longer exist. But who are we trying to fool? We pay millions of euros a day in interest on the debt, companies are closing, and the GDP decreases day after day. Where do we think we are going? Are we still supposed to believe Uncle Tom's fairy tales? I refuse!

Just because Italy is a republic BASED on work!

Forgive the outburst.

Hi Lory, first of all, it's a pleasure to meet you! I completely understand your vent, and I would be a hypocrite if I didn't tell you that you are also right!

Without wanting to be one of my usual pedantic lecturers, I take the liberty of asking you to meditate only on a few things:

1) Are you so sure that all the blame lies with television, but rather that the reason why we have reached this point is due, first and foremost, to something congenital and historical inherent in our country that comes from far away?

2) Are you so sure that Grillo does not bear responsibility for how things turned out? No one says "well done Bersani," since he got everything wrong, but I repeat: how much did Grillo get wrong? Or do you want to plug your eyes and ears too?

.

3) Lory, the person writing to you lived through the "fabulous" 70s firsthand and knows well how murky there is in this Italy, and also knows well how little memory there is in all Italians. We are the country of "who had it, had it, let's sweep the past under the rug" [chi ha avuto ha avuto scurdammuce il passato] and we are all complicit in this, whether we like it or not. How many hundreds of people have died in this country without anyone knowing why - at least officially, or with a shared truth - but we have all forgotten it and no one gives importance to it, apart from the emeritus associations.

4) Finally, I envy people who, like you, have absolute certainties. I have had them too, and they have all shipwrecked. Despite this, I continue to think, amidst my millions of doubts, that perhaps things truly can change... But of one thing I am certain: it won't be by continuing to talk about GDP that things will change: but by talking about justice and injustice, about honesty - the real kind - and dishonesty. By talking and taking responsibility for all the people who, in this country, are second-rate, third-rate, fourth-rate... By talking and facing the crucial problem of the environment!

And since we talk about music and culture, school, in this forum: by truly worrying ourselves enough to ask who truly cares about all this and who does not?

I'll stop here, and I say to you, as I say to everyone: feed yourselves on doubt and not on certainties, because the truth lies more in doubt than in certainties!

Bye and good work!

Daniele

Dear Daniele, I share your view, but I don't think talking about what has already happened serves any purpose anymore. Italy is giving its last death throes. Default is at the doorstep and politicians are merely stalling and delaying as much as possible the moment when Italy will be forced to leave Europe by declaring bankruptcy. What I mean is that I don't think an economics expert is needed to understand that if money becomes increasingly scarce and expenses increase, one moves towards bankruptcy.

I have no absolute certainties, so do not envy me, also because I hope I am wrong; I am basing this only on what I can observe, and I will respond to your statements.

1) It may be so, but television was certainly a medium that contributed to decentralizing attention from certain objectives to shift it onto others, often partisan ones. In some American documentaries about Berlusconi, many recognize his brilliant idea of having understood how important it was to own TV stations to manipulate the people. There are certainly other motivations as well, but today TV seems to me to be the heaviest instrument in terms of culpability for the society surrounding us.

2) I am not plugging my ears. Grillo respected what he said to the voters. He said from the very beginning that he would not ally himself with anyone and he maintained his position. There were those who then took the opportunity to attribute the blame for the country's ruin to his firmness in not wanting to form a coalition with the PD for a government of trust, of course, as if he were the one who brought us to this point. The economic crisis we are experiencing—to link back to your first discussion—that one indeed comes from far away, from years of government where billions upon billions were consumed, but clearly when it is said on TV, it is easy to believe that those responsible for this financial catastrophe have suddenly all found the solution to get out of it. In 30 years, what would they have done to solve it? Let's see: Berlusconi lied until the pre-Monti era, telling all Italians, and, in an appalling way, even Merkel, that Italy had no financial crisis, it was just a media invention, of course! Bersani smoked his cigar and did not carry forward a government program; he practiced anti-Berlusconism. Now I wonder, do we really want to stand here judging Grillo, when they have done everything to cast him in a bad light? Now it turns out that Grillo is like the others because "he too is rich." I would like to see: he has done years of television, performs shows all over the world, and they criticize him because he is rich. Okay, he is rich, but at least he earned the money honestly. What should be the problem? Why doesn't Berlusconi also explain how he went from being a pianist on cruise ships to becoming an entrepreneur who invested billions of lire to build a city (Milano 2)? I believe we all know in here that a pianist cannot afford to build a city even if his name is Pollini.

3) Perhaps you are ALL complicit in this; in the 70s, I wasn't around yet, I wasn't even a project, and imagine that I even had to wash dishes in a reception villa to be able to afford my studies because my dad and my mom didn't have the means to let me study the piano. I did not experience any 'fabulous' years.

4) I have no certainties, and in fact, I sincerely hope I am completely wrong when I say that, on the contrary, in my opinion, nothing will change unless something truly serious happens. Violence is in the air and it is useless for politicians to pretend to be indignant if bomb parcels arrive from Equitalia, but what did they expect? It is not fair that poor workers must pay the price, like the two carabinieri from the attack in Rome. Many people can no longer make ends meet this way, and even young people are tired of moving forward without ever seeing the security of a future.

By my nature, I never take what I say for granted, because I have no qualification that allows me to say that what I say has any cultural foundation; in fact, I am always interested when the floor passes to experts because I always hope to be able to learn a lot.

Ciao, good luck with your work too.

lory wrote:

Dear Daniele, I share your view, but I don't think talking about what has happened serves any purpose anymore. Italy is giving its last death throes. Default is at the doorstep and politicians are merely stalling and delaying as much as possible the moment when Italy will be forced to leave Europe by declaring bankruptcy. I mean that I don't think an economics expert is needed to understand that if money becomes increasingly scarce and expenses increase, one moves towards bankruptcy.

Hi Lory....what can I say? We can only hope that you are wrong!

1) It may be so, but television has certainly been a medium that contributed to decentralizing attention from certain objectives to shift it onto others, often partisan ones. In some American documentaries about Berlusconi, many recognize his brilliant idea of having understood how important it was to own TV stations to manipulate the people. There are certainly other motivations as well, but today TV seems to me to be the heaviest instrument in terms of blame for the society surrounding us.

TV certainly has its faults but, I repeat, the problem must be sought in the past. Italian history has always been characterized by a strong split and TV, in itself, has essentially ratified this. The Italian population is substantially right-wing in its majority and even those who are left-wing are often... right-wing!

We are a country that needs strong people and we have demonstrated this from Mussolini onwards... and even before!

In our country, whoever screams the loudest wins; whether they do it through a megaphone, a TV, or the internet, it doesn't matter: the important thing is that they scream and hit people in their gut.

My mother used to say that "he who screams is never right"; in Italy, only those who scream win!

2) I am not plugging my ears. Grillo respected what he said to the voters. He said from the very beginning that he would not ally himself with anyone and he maintained his position. There was then someone who took the opportunity to attribute the blame for the country's ruin to his firmness in not wanting to form a coalition with the PD for a government of confidence, sure, as if he were the one who brought us to this point. The economic crisis we are experiencing—to go back to your first point—that one indeed comes from far away, from years of government where billions upon billions were eaten up, but clearly when it is said on TV, it is easy to believe that those responsible for this financial catastrophe have suddenly all found the solution to get out of it. In 30 years, what would they have done to solve it? Let's see: Berlusconi lied until the pre-Monti era, telling all Italians, and in an hallucinatory way even Merkel, that Italy had no financial crisis, it was just a media invention, sure! Bersani smoked his cigar and did not carry forward a government program; he practiced anti-Berlusconism. Now I wonder, do we really want to stay here judging Grillo when they have done everything to cast him in a bad light? Now it comes out that Grillo is like the others because "he too is rich". I would like to see: he did years of television, performs shows all over the world, and they criticize him because he is rich. Okay, he is rich, but at least he earned the money honestly. What should be the problem? Why doesn't Berlusconi also explain how he went from being a pianist on cruise ships to becoming an entrepreneur who invested billions of lire to build a city (Milano 2)? I believe we all know in here that a pianist cannot afford to build a city even if his name is Pollini.

I feel your anger, Lory, which I understand and also share from many points of view, but I also feel your intelligence, which is great. Do not let yourself be dominated by the former, but use the latter well: if one wants to change the status quo, one can only get one's hands dirty in that sludge while trying not to throw the baby out with the large amount of dirty water. Getting one's hands dirty without dirtying one's brain and heart: this, and only this, can truly change things. We had the chance to try to change Italy and... pffffff, like air, it went to the wind. The fault is ours all, and once again we have ensured that "the life members of power, huddled together in a downward slide in defense of their celebration" — as Fabrizio De Andrè used to say — have triumphed.

All is not lost, but if the best of this Italy does not unite, we will never make it!

Bye Lory!