i woke up this morning to find that Silvio Berlusconi won the italian elections for prime minister , for the third time.
it’s too easy too just be bummed or angry or puzzled. Italy is the country where i grew up and lived for more than 20 years. this election just makes me feel that much more distant and alienated. i left because i felt that as a woman i was continually reminded of my (inferior) place in society, and presented with an incredibly limited array of choices for who i could be and what i could do.
i voted for this election from a distance, feeling a bit like i was cheating, living so far, but still having a say in domestic affairs. but it still hits me hard. this is a men that just symbolizes a kind of brazen masculinity that is completely unaccountable for its actions and behaviors, and his re-election is symptomatic of the worst i experienced of italian men. Berlusconi can be outrageous, openly racist and sexist (quick example: he claimed as a political argument that women affiliated with the left are uglier than the ones in his party), and i see italian media, mostly written by men, praise him and protect him as if he was finally unleashing a kind of misogynistic backlash they have been waiting for for ages, but couldn’t bring themselves to let out.
it also seems, similarly to the U.S., that economic difficulties and fast cultural changes have left people afraid and confused, looking for someone to give quick, simple answers that are uncomplicated and reassuring. there is no more energy to question their validity, people are growing tired of analysis.
i know italy is a country with a strong history of resistance, i just hope this election doesn’t kill the hope and willingness to challenge and change i cherish as part of being italian.
