Comments on: Berlusconi media assets give him iconic status-study

By: Gaea

Gaea — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:41:17 +0000

Until yesterday, none of my colleagues in Turin had ever admitted to being pro-Berlusconi, but yesterday they crawled out of the woodwork. I was (naively) shocked to discover that people I get on with believe every word this permatanned cowboy says! And when I voiced my own (albeit agnostic but strongly anti-villainous) opinions, they were shocked too - and asked”but why don’t you like Berlusconi?!” - which was of course met with a tirade from me. One of my motivations was the man’s links to the mafia and his brushes with the courts - to which this person replied: “but he was acquitted” … There’s a tragic state of affairs here in Italy today: people seem to have delegated their critical thought, their “libero arbitrio” to the media, or perhaps it’s just too much hassle to try and think of a way out. Lives here (perhaps this is true everywhere else too) are spent between work (low pay, static job market, no prospects), cars (the top status symbol, many would mortgage their grandmothers for a big flashy SUV) and home to plug in to Silvio’s channels, where they are primed to consume and to subscribe to an ethic that, given a little bit of critical thought, surely ought to be identified as fake and as mercenary as their boss. People can’t converse any more without commenting on TV news or this or that TV related gossip…The shows (game shows, talk shows, scantily clad dancer shows, etc etc) are repeated EVERY day..I can’t help thinking there’s a kind of mass endoctrination going on too..Personally, I have a DVD-only TV at home and people think I’m totally mad because of this . They ask: “what do you do, how do manage without a telly?!” …The mind boggles…

By: leonardo

leonardo — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:30:49 +0000

maybe berlusconi is not so pleasant to some people.
this “research” seems so similar to phichiatric soviet hospital recovery of the oppositors in ussr..
the fact he not reach all what have promised in the “contract” is true but is also true that “new” link leader Veltroni have done a carbon copy of his program..
this is very good for Italy, for the first time since 1948 link decide to go on the road to progree and economic grown.
so we have to thanks berlusconi, cause in any case we will have a new government that want realize new infrastructure, less fiscal pressure, less public expense…less burocracy..
this is incredible to hear from an old dirctor of “l’unità” an old leader of young italian communist but is a fact as it is a fact that Walter Veltroni declare ” I never was a communist”
meditate people meditate as an italian comicians said
Leonardo Chellini

By: Colm

Colm — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:56:09 +0000

Berlusconi has consistently lied for all his political career. The most blatant evidence being his fanfared “contract with the Italian people” where he promised last time to do wonders or never present himself again. He did not even one third of what he vowed to do and yet here he is again.He represents everything that Italy does not need in this moment and yet his barefaced grin convinces millions. It’s a tragic comedy!