Posts Tagged ‘Der Spiegel’

Il giornale, Italian paper right wing, owned by Berlusconi – hence more right to say Berlusconi wing– publishes this morning this shameful first page, against Germany – (not it’s not the 1939, it’s 2012).

Apparently, the German paper Der Spiegel has recently attacked Italy for the ‘cruise case’: Der Spiegel, in the pen of Jan Fleischauer,  suggests that it’s not for chance that the Concordia cruise sank in Italian territory, and the captain, Schettino, was Italian. He adds also that is not for chance that Schettino was a man. Better to be a woman! This editorial is full of good angles: a “cultural” angle and also a gender angle.

Michele Valensise, the Italian ambassador in Germany, offended by this article, answered back. He suggested to come to Italy (it bitterly reminds me this), to visit  the country, to meet single individuals and to see how special we are and blabla. Yes. It is true. (I am so special, studying in UK….)

But Naples “monnezza” stays a reality, and we have to deal with it; our crisis stays a reality, and we have to deal with it; unemployment or underemployment stays a reality, and we have to deal with it; an abuse of internships, corruption, tax evasion. So on.

The article is offensive: it’s provocative, above the tones of a politically correct speech.

The reality, however, is that there are cultural differences, and there are gender differences, but those are not the cause of anything. They must be first a richness, second, a way to create jokes in the pubs.

Stereotyping is not a good angle to write an editorial content, especially considering that the auctoritas of the Der Spiegel is not the same level of a speech held in a pub – yes, with beers.

The ethic in Kant (German philosopher, unbelievable??) teaches us: if others misbehave, continue to behave correctly. Jesus Christ, jewish, says, : “turn the other chick”.

What a surprise!

If Der Spiegel can write a sort of racist article, we can do better, as usual!! The Holocaust Memorial day, instead of an opportunity to reflect, instead of  an opportunity to talk about actuality, discrimination, history. Instead of humanity, poetry, witness. Instead of all thousand possibilities that the rhetoric craft can offer,  this is the answer of Il Giornale: “We might have Schettino, you (German) have Auschwitz”.

Cool.

Humanity

Every Holocaust Memorial day I publish a poem written by one of my favorite Italian writers, Primo Levi, jewish, who was imprisoned in Auschwitz. He ‘s most known for If this is a man, his account of the year he spent as a prisoner in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. His first line is taken from Coleridge, “Since then, at an uncertain hour/ the agony returns” (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner). I can’t translate the rest, unfortunately, because it’s poetry, but the first lines have enough to say – the poem was written in 1984, he was imprisoned in 1943.

Since then, at an uncertain hour 
Dopo di allora, ad ora incerta,
Quella pena ritorna,
E se non trova chi lo ascolti
Gli brucia in petto il cuore.
Rivede i visi dei suoi compagni
Lividi nella prima luce,
Grigi di polvere di cemento,
Indistinti per nebbia,
Tinti di morte nei sonni inquieti:
Sotto la mora greve dei sogni
Masticando una rapa che non c’è.
”Indietro, via di qui, gente sommersa,
Andate. Non ho soppiantato nessuno,
Non ho usurpato il pane di nessuno,
Nessuno è morto in vece mia. Nessuno.
Ritornate alla vostra nebbia.
Non è colpa mia se vivo e respiro
E mangio e bevo e dormo e vesto panni”.
Il superstite P. Levi,  1984