Senselessland (chapter 2)

Impressions and images from a trip to Bel Paese

Let's go to Italy and watch a football match. Not a common one, but a very specific match where the home team has a sector of its stadium closed for public order reasons. I'm not going to enter into details, so I will not say who I'm referring to but I'll just say it happened that during a football match the home team supporters screamed racist slogans to the away team fans, and that's the reason why public authorities decided to impose sanctions not allowing to seat in the sectors where the slogans came from. Now, when we have such a situation theory wants tickets are not going to be sold. But theory is a thing, and practice is another one. So it happened to me to find tickets for the stadium sectors which were supposed to be banned. «They didn't say anything to us, so we sell tickets», the answer I received by the clerk of the box office. «They made tickets available, then if it will be possible to go in or not we don't know». Italians don't ask question. Never. They don't ask question neither to themselves nor to other people. Mind your business and you'll be ok: that's the only universal principle for Italians. No solidarity, no curiosity, no critic spirit, no responsibilities. Italians just care about their own interests. That is valid from the less important things to the more important affairs, from a ticket for a football match until to the political sphere. Looking at the Italian politicians is easy to observe the same approach. I was lucky to be in Italy right at the moment when Matteo Renzi - leader of the centre-left party Partito Democratico - decided to throw Enrico Letta out of the government. Believe me when I say Italians understand even less than foreigners. Nobody has clear in mind why Renzi, who serves in the same Letta's political party, decided to take him over. The answer is an easy one: for personal profits. In front of rising unemployment, young people leaving the country, economic crisis, credit crunch and poverty, Italian politicians pay attention just to personal power, prestige and chairs. The so called "decision makers" are those who are supposed to direct a country, setting policies up. If the path is egoism and defence of personal affairs rather than promotion of general interest, then it can't surprise if Italians are able to create paradoxical situations. Who cares if politicians don't work for the nation? Is not their problem. Similarly, who cares if box offices sell tickets to people who risk to be not allowed entering the stadium? Is not sellers' problem. It has already been said Italy is a curious country. Adding new brief considerations it could be said in Italy there situation is difficult to believe to. Please, be careful: I'm not saying Italy is not credible, I'm saying is incredible.