I am back in Italy for a few days, before going to the United States: in my country, things here are really turning to the worse.
A few days ago, a manager from a very well known state owned company was shot in Genova by terrorists. On Saturday, a bomb killed a young schoolgirl in Brindisi. On Sunday, local elections have shown the collapse of the political parties who are currently represented in the Parliament. North and south are almost at war, with the unprecedented episode of football supporters booing the national anthem.
Italy has had a rough time with terrorists since the ‘70s and in the ‘80s, when exacerbating political tensions resulted in bombings and killings. Terrorists hit in the nineties as well, killing two high-level bureaucrats that were drafting the labour market reform. But what's going on today is something different.
The country is currently experimenting economic hardship and social unrest. As the wealth that was accumulated by a generation of hard workers is rapidly vanishing, Italians feel everyday more tempted by political shortcuts (“a wise man that can take us out of this”) and by extreme solutions (“a revolution is what it takes”).
Monti’s government, though being the only possible way to save the country from bankruptcy, has upset the people by raising taxes and cutting public expenses that were used as a social safety net in regions where private economy was not strong enough. Political parties who support the government in the Parliament have failed the local election test while a powerful populist movement (“5 stars”), led by a former comedian, has gathered a vast consensus amongst the citizens.
Economic forecast show no sign of growth for the next two years and a very feeble one in 2014. Unemployment will stay stable at best: most likely, it will dramatically increase. A new economic austerity plan will have to be approved soon.
Old ideologies that seemed to have been forgotten and prejudices that were buried long ago are coming back into life: people are upset against Europe, against the international Jewish plot, against the banks and against the politicians who live in their ivory towers and do not care about the country.
The north and the south of the nation are tearing apart, with huge economic and social inequalities. Northern rage is now matched by southern rage in a potentially explosive mix. During the Italian Cup final, on Sunday, supporters from Napoli whistled and booed against the Italian national anthem. An unprecedented, unbelievable episode that deeply shocked me.
Whose fault is it? How did we get to this point?
I asked these questions to my father and I got no response. When people are living through turbolent times, they are often unable to perceive what's happening.
As someone who left the country four years ago, I am deeply scared.
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