Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Alemanno, Elections, Elezioni, Roma, Rome, Rutelli
Well, this sucks. Fear-mongering and opportunistic xenophobia win the day.
Filed under: Rome | Tags: America's Next Top Model, ANTM, Italian, Language, Mispronunciation, Roma, Rome, Television, Televisione, Trya Banks
The last time I watched America’s Next Top Model, some girl named Naima was winning and Adrianne Curry wasn’t yet a fixture one VH1, but when my roommate told me the latest episode takes place in Rome and features some pretty blatant butchering of the Italian language, I figured I was obliged to watch.
First of all: I’m pretty sure Tyra Banks superimposed her face on the Mona Lisa. The woman’s vanity knows no bounds.
Moving on… they’ve got some good obligatory shots of all of Rome’s best tourists destinations. However, I’m pretty sure some of the girls wanted to do a photo shoot by the Vittorio Emanuele monument, so you’ve got to question their aesthetic judgment.
How much do I love Claudio Brassini and his halting English? So much! “In Italy, you have to stand out to fit in” – I suppose standing out includes riding around piazzas on segways. Also, here is his example of a “typical Italian woman”:
I’m somewhat concerned that full-on purple ensembles, complete with plum-colored fur stoles, have become “typical” in my absence.” Let’s hope not.
I’m kind of enjoying everything until they start trying to pronounce Italian. The phrase “Facile, Brezza, Bella” comes out “fasil, bressa, bella” and I know it’s going to be painful from here on out. Also, I’m pretty sure “brezza” means “breeze” not “breezy” – get your adjectives and nouns sorted out ANTM!
The challenged proved to be way more than what most of them could handle. It called on them to walk, interact with an Italian actor, apply lipstick, and speak Italian. Apparently models aren’t the greatest multitaskers. Some of their attempts were so bad that I’m just going to refer to screenshots of the commerical’s director, Piersandro Buzzanca.
Anya was first up and, well, she said it herself: “My Italian was horrible, I don’t think I said one correct word throughout that whole entire thing.” Maybe she was unduly harsh on herself though, I did definitely catch the word “labbra” and in a lipstick commercial that’s a pretty good start. Here’s Piersandro’s reaction:
Next up is Katarzyna and she actually does pretty well for herself. In fact, the biggest gaffe comes from Jay Manuel, who combines his normal blowhardness with the seeking of linguistic affirmation from Piersandro: “You have to be part of the scene, present. It has to feel together, insieme, right? Is that like a word? He’s just like whatever!” Oh Jay, you and your darling ability to insert random foreign words into banal, nonsensical sentences!
Then there was Dominique. As Piersandro said: “The Italian words really didn’t work for her. To me it was Chinese.”
He then shook his head a lot and tried to hide behind one of his assistant. Not that I really blame him. The only word I could understand was “Brasilia” – kind of a non sequitor/worst possible pronunciation of the word “brillante.”
Lauren was just kind of uncomfortable and awkward, even when not speaking, so that was awful.
Fatima, on the other hand, was pretty good. Her pronunciation was a little problematic at times, but she made a good attempt at getting the rhythm right, even if she did overdo it a bit.
Finally, there was Whitney. But Jay wanted to focus more on whether or not she was sucking in her cheeks than how sucky her Italian was. Whatever.
Then we get to the elimination room. Tyra and co. are sitting in some ornate hall, flanked by knock-off classical statues. And how does Tyra greet them? “Ciao bellas.” Congratulations Tyra, two words of Italian, a mere three syllables, and you manage to screw up.
Oh no! Nigel follows Tyra’s lead with the “ciao bellas” faux pas. Someone needs to step in here: either speak Italian correctly or don’t speak it on national television. Ugh.
Jay Alexander makes me pretty proud with a well-placed “come stai?” Technically it should be plural (“come state“) rather than singular, but still pretty good.
Also, the Italian accent stumbles in and out of is outrageously bad. It varies from a Mario Bros. imitation to serpentine, way over-exaggerated Rs (we get it, Tyra, you can roll your Rs. Congratulations) to awkward choppiness. I’m not too sure what she’s shooting for, but at no time does she sound even remotely Italian.
Any positive impression I had of Fatima’s commercial (actually, watching it back, it sounds distinctively more Spanish than Italian) is ruined by the memory of Tyra banks groping herself and repeating random romance-language phrases. Officially scarred for life:
Is there some rule that everyone must wear leopard print?
Tyra finishes up the judging with a very ominous “Now it is time for the judges to deliberate and when I call you back I will announce which one of you will be la prima regazza ritornare i America!” Despite the fact that she was obviously looking at her script the whole time, Tyra still managed to leave out a preposition or two and mispronounce ragazza. Why do TV shows feel the need to insert foreign words? If you can’t pronounce it properly, just speak English! No one wants to read subtitles anyway.
Fatima wins (Katarzyna was robbed!) and Lauren loses. Jay Alexander sends her off with a melodramatic “ciao” and rips her name off his jacket.
Maybe I’ll check in next week to see what further disrespect they heap on Rome and the Italian language. According to the commercials, it will feature lots of fur, Tyra taking pictures and gladiatorial combat – does not bode well.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Berlusconi, Homophobia, Italia, LGBT, Omofobia, Roma, Rome, Rutelli
Super depressing story on 365Gay.com about a group that attacked Rome’s LGBT center:
Rome police are searching for members of a mob of youths who burst into the city’s LGBT center, ransacking the building…
…As they attempted to confront the gang the youths yelled anti-gay and anti-Semitic slogans. As they ran off the gang yelled praises for Benito Mussolini, Italy’s wartime dictator.
“We fear that this situation is linked to the electoral climate,” the association said in a statement.
Good to see Berlusconi’s revitalizing an aspect of Italian life – too bad that aspect happens to be homophobia and anti-Semitism. Hopefully Rutelli will win in Rome and there will be some counter-balance the obviously prejudiced right-wing government. It’s disgusting to see a politician thrive by bringing out the worst impulses of his country…
Filed under: Italy | Tags: Berlusconi, Elections, Elezioni, Italia, Italy, Papa, Pope
Berlusconi wins, the Pope flees.
Just kidding, it’s not like I think Berlusconi is the Antichrist or anything…
You just keep coming back for more, don’t you, Italy?
Ah well, as if we didn’t all know this was going to happen. Google trends prediction record: 1 and 0.
Filed under: Italy | Tags: Anoressia, Anorexia, Eating Disorders, Gender, Genere, Italia, Italy, Sesso, Sex
Il Messaggero has a story about the new diversity of anorexics. Apparently, it’s not just for young girls anymore! They say the number of male anorexics has grown over the past 5-6 years and now males account for one in nine cases of anorexia. As for age, most cases of anorexics are between 15 and 28 years-old (shocker) but there are some incidents of early onset – kids as young as 7 or 8 with anorexia – and a few cases in the over-50 set. And here’s what they have to say about anorexia among immigrants:
With immigration, cases of anorexia in women who come from developing countries, where they have a different conception of food and the body, have become more frequent. These women find themselves in uncomfortable conditions in Italy and in Europe. “Many women from Maghreb or from the Indian subcontinent,” [Director of Health in Reggio Emilia] Umberto Nizzole concludes, “are more vulnerable because they do not have a relaxed relationship with food and the body. They are victims of the messages conveyed by mass media and try to imitate with do-it-yourself diets, which often create serious nueroendocrine problems.
Seems like they’re casting anorexia among immigrants as a side-effect of attempting to assimilate. It’s also interesting that they blame “mass media” – as if larger Italian society has nothing to do with it.
Also great is their recommendation, “according to experts” how to prevent anorexia: play a team sport. Given that anorexia (and eating disorders in general) is widely considered a female problem and that they focus a good deal on the increase of anorexia in guys, this reads like a not-so-subtle (‘man up and play a little soccer’) attempt to reinforce gender roles.
While on the subject, there’s something else “anorexic” about Italian men: their sex drive. ANSA’s got the story in English and there’s an Italian version on Il Messaggero – complete with porny picture and all. Basically, 40% of Italian couples are “anorexic” and aren’t having any sex at all. So much for the Italian Stallion myth:
”Comparing sex to eating habits, one could say that Italian couples fall into four basic categories: the anorexic, the bulemic, the satiated and those who are not hungry,” observed Chiara Simonelli, a sexologist at the University of Rome and Deputy Chairman of the European Federation of Sexology.
According to the report, 40% of ‘anorexic’ Italian couples are around 40 years of age, are in a solid or long-term relationship and often have children.
There is a growing trend, the report said, ”of men avoiding sex with their partners and preferring to go to a prostitute or, a sign of the times, engaging in virtual encounters on the Internet”.
The decline in the male sex drive, the study said, has tripled in the past ten years.
Only 30% of the Italian couples interviewed for the report said they were ’satiated’ and had sex with a frequency considered satisfactory to both partners.
So this is a weird story for a variety of reasons, but what’s most interesting to me is how they appropriate food terms to discuss sexual appetite. Are Italians really incapable of talking about anything without bringing food into the picture somehow? Is it some weird confluence of food and sex? I’m not sure, but it’s pretty amusing. Gives you something to laugh about while you’re not having sex, I guess.
Filed under: Italy, Rome | Tags: Cani, Dogs, Italia, Italy, Parchi, Parks, Poison, Roma, Rome, Villa Pamphili
Scary little story in Il Messaggero about the rat poisoning near the entrance of Villa Pamphili almost killing two dogs:
Risk of poisoning for children and dogs in Villa Pamphili. Monica Cirinna, ex-delegate of Animal Rights for the city of Rome recommends maximum attention after Friday morning when two dogs almost died after eating rat poisoning at the entrance of the park on via della Nocetta…
…The owner of the two animals realized what was happening in time and immediately took the dogs to the veterinarian. “It was a serious incident,” said Cirinna, “dangerous for children and for animals, I hope that the public will investigate…”
The Doria Pamphili, not as idyllic and innocent as you might think. Obviously this is pretty messed up. Not quiet as bad as Central Park at night, but still kind of frightening. Actually, my mother broke her shoulder while running in the Villa Pamphili, so I should have known it was a dangerous, bad-karma kind of place.
Filed under: Italy | Tags: Berlusconi, Elections, Elezioni, Google, Italia, Italy, Veltroni
Leading in the polls, the number of news references and the search volume, looks like it’s going to be a win for Silvio, unfortunately.
I don’t have much insight to add to what’s already been said about the elections Here’s the Times’ piece on it, and here’s what the International Herald Tribune has to say. Basically, no matter who wins, the structure of the Italian government makes it very unlikely that much will change, except if (and when) Berlusconi wins we can expect a return to unabashed cheating and corruption. Ah well.
The best part of it may be the campaign videos, via At Home In Rome. They may not know how to govern over in Italy, but boy do they make a good music video!
Here’s Veltroni’s, in case you ever wondered what YMCA would sound like in Italian and politically charged:
Filed under: Italy, Rome | Tags: Ambulanti, Immigration, Immigrazione, Italia, Italy, Racism, Razzismo, Roma, Rome, Street Vendors, Vatican, Vaticano
Over on La Repubblica, there’s a very alarmist rant about the problem of street vendors near the Vatican. The gist of it is that there are too many immigrant street vendors and too little police presence.
Alright, sure. There are a lot of street vendors in the center of the city, especially near Castel Sant’Angelo. And yes, the police do a pretty pathetic job of enforcing laws about street vending. But is this really a problem? I don’t think so.
I kind of like street vendors. You can never have too many pairs of 2 Euro earrings that fall apart after a few weeks. And who doesn’t love an imitation Gucci purse? Street vending wouldn’t survive if there wasn’t a market for it. Plus, I think it’s kind of weird to expect such a tourist destination not to have a robust souvenir market.
Most of the frustration seems to be not about what’s being sold – though they do mention the shoddy quality of the wares every chance they get – but about who’s selling it. You’ve got to respect Italian’s who go through the torturous process of legally establishing a business and dutifully pay their taxes and it’s natural for them to be bitter about people who are illegally co-opting their market. But I think the problem of street vendors is symptomatic of a larger issue: Italy’s unwillingness to accept immigrants and integrate them into society.
Italy’s immigration laws are extremely strict and for many immigrating legally is essentially impossible. Without legal status, there are few opportunities open to them and street vending is one of the most appealing.
Throughout the article, it’s easy to pick up on why these immigrants have a hard time finding a place in Italian society. The article talks about the Chinese, the Africans and the Indians as laying “siege” on the Vatican, claiming their territory and praying on innocent tourists. They are, in short, depicted as malignant parasites. Gee, wonder why they don’t feel welcome?
Basically, Rome’s street vendor “problem” won’t go away until Italians confront their own prejudices and immigration policies.
Filed under: Italy, Rome | Tags: Bus, Crime, Criminalita, Frottage, Italia, Italy, Roma, Rome, Transportation
American student molested on the bus, 76-year-old man arrested from Il Messaggero:
A 76 year-old, from the province of Perugia, was arrested by the Roman police with the accusation of sexual assault. While traveling on a 64 bus, the old man repeatedly touched the intimate parts of an American student. Two anti-mugging agents assisted at the scene and immediately intervened, handcuffing him. The man was taken the the Regina Coeli jail.
First of all: gross. Secondly: 76 and still fondling? That’s almost impressively pathetic. Shows a certain amount of determination, I guess, since we all know frottage isn’t all fun and games.
There are a few other weird things about this story. For one, it happened on the 64, a line notorious for overcrowding, pickpockets and general skeeviness. I wonder how much of this kind of stuff goes unreported, and if it’s significant that the victim (who reported the incident) was American. Are Americans more aware of this kind of stuff? I think with all the sexual discrimination training and sensitivity seminars we have to attend, it’s certainly possible.
This reminds me of an article in the Times a few months back, about single-sex buses. My impression is that single-sex transportation is that it probably creates more problems (separate-but-equal situations, scheduling issues, etc) than it solves, but it’s certainly a creative solution.
