If you watch tv shows聽about Italian politics,聽聽you will see many politicians arguing or fiercely expressing their opinions, to the point you may think it is not a program of that type. Fiery and overheated discussions about politics may seem strange to you,聽but in Italy聽also ordinary people passionately express their聽opinions, especially if they have opposite ideologies.
In recent years, the country has often been politically associated to Berlusconi, who has been the prime minister of the country for several mandates, but the聽panorama is, in fact,聽quite varied and聽several types of Italian politician and political supporters can be identified.
Here are 10 widespread Italian聽stereotypical political characters you may come across…
Il Berlusconiano
Thanks to his demagogy and the first, high impact political campaigns he organized, Berlusconi managed to gain the affection 聽of numerous Italians creating a new breed of political supporter,聽the Berlusconiano. Il Berlusconiano聽always praises Il Cavaliere,聽no matter if he does something wrong,聽聽no matter the pending trials where he is involved. Even when he gets sentenced, Berlusconi remains innocent to his supporters: it is the justice system to be negatively biased against him, who is simply聽the sacrificial victim of a large conspiracy.
Nella, Berlusconi’s biggest fan
Quello che vota a Sinistra (the left-wing supporter)
This category includes several sub-branches. First of all, we have the former communist: s/he still believe in the聽lotta di classe聽(the Marxist class struggle), even though the party proper no longer exists and its ideology has been largely surpassed. Very often, the former communist votes for PD, yet is profoundly unhappy with it, and considers entrepreneurs and higher social classes as exploiters.
Then, we have the聽intellettuale di sinistra, one of the most common left-wing supporters in the country. The left-wing intellectual dresses unusually, feels alternative and blindly believes to be intellectually above the rest. Easily mirroring habits typical of internationally recognisable hypsters, s/he likes indie movies, music and literature, hates multinationals and popular labels and is usually a supporter of all that is organic (and possibly vegan).
The most recent type of left-wing supporter is the one that does not really know what being in favor of sinistra means, but simply supports it because his/her parents, as well as all previous generations of the family, did.聽Often, this person is聽very much middle-class and has very openly bourgeois opinions and habits, yet, would keep definying him/herself as a left-wing supporter.
Il Leghista
Do not talk about Italy to Northern League supporters: they will answer there is not such a thing. To them, who clearly live in a parallel universe聽very much distant from reality, Italy is not one country, but three: north, centre and south.聽Green clothes and accessories characterize the leghista, who aims at the scission of Italy: the north on one side, and the rest on the other. 笔补诲补苍颈补听(the northern regions) deserve independence from聽Roma Ladrona聽(Rome, the city that steals from the north) and聽罢别谤谤辞苍颈补听(the southern regions), a place where nobody works and everyone is corrupted. They seem to forget, however, that聽Lega Nord聽itself has been tainted by several corruption scandals and that the majority of the defects they see in the people of the centre and the south of Italy are pretty widespread in the north, too.
Gli Anti- immigrazione
Perhaps it is due to the increasing economic crisis or to the decreasing job offer, but this type of Italian is more frequent today than it used to be.This category is against immigrants because they聽believe there is not enough space for everyone in the country聽and, as Italians are going through a difficult period, they should be given assistance first. The anti-immigranti, those against immigrants, believe that immigrants are ‘stealing’ 聽jobs to聽Italians citizens, as聽they accept low wages and exhausting working conditions and hours. They are also convinced immigrants 鈥� especially when illegal鈥� are granted priorities and facilitations not open to regular Italian citizens.聽聽What they appear to forget is that, more often than not, these people pick jobs young Italians, still convinced a three year degree is worth as much as doctorate, would never accept to do and, probably even more importantly, they forget how we Italians used to be immigrants ourselves. And not so long ago.
Il Separatista geografico (the geographical separatist)
Although most of the people belonging to this category support the Northern League and come, clearly enough, from the north of Italy,聽geographical separatists aim at the same type of separation, but often also come聽from the south.聽The idea of regional autonomy is, however, more strongly rooted and widespread聽in the north of the country聽and separatists are聽usually from the area of Padania, Lombardy or Veneto. Geographical separatists from the south would like to achieve independence as they聽argue that united Italy damaged them, and stole their artistic and cultural patrimony.
L’Anti-Berlusconi
This is the most common political follower in the country, along with the聽B别谤濒耻蝉肠辞苍颈补苍辞.听This is a typology that聽emerged 聽with power when Berlusconi was Prime Minister, but was already present at the time of his first political campaign. The anti-Berlusconi is not only concerned about Il Cavaliere’s national politics, but is also convinced he is an embarassement to the country and its people abroad.
Il Rivoluzionario e聽anarchico
The rivoluzionario e聽anarchico, 聽the聽revolutionary and anarchist,聽is the type of Italian who would like to organize a people’s revolution聽against the Government and the entire political system聽to change the country. This political follower has, more often than not, no idea of what or who should lead Italy, and is unaware of what anarchy, or living in a truly anarchic state, really聽means.
L’ Apolitico
This type of Italian聽does not want to talk about politics because s/he is fed up with the Italian political scenario and cannot conform with any聽of the parties, which are considered as not really representative of the country’s people.
Il Nostalgico (the聽Old Italy nostalgic)
Italians belonging to this group wish a return to the past and would like to abolish euro in favor of lira, as they consider the common currency聽responsible for the economic problems of the country. Linked to the issue of euro, there is the assumption that Italy should also not be part of Europe聽neither politically nor economically,聽as the presence of the European Union is considered the reason behind all聽problems the country has to face.
Il Grillino
A recent entry in the Italian political supporters’ panorama,聽il Grillino聽supports Beppe Grillo, founder of the聽Movimento Cinque Stelle. S/he聽is against every political party and 聽has the only aim to create havoc, dismiss every single politician in the country and choose a new governement among people who have hardly or never been involved in politics.
The problem with the M5S is blatant: it does not have a true program of action, most of its representatives are clueless to what a politician should do, and there is very little rationality to their actions and requests.聽Il Grillino聽is, fundamentally, a politically disilluded individual, who no longer trusts the political status quo in the country and has decided, as a consequence, to throw away his/her right to vote to support a聽mockery of a party.聽I Grillini聽have often the same attitudes as Beppe Grillo: they shout, they聽rail聽against all Italian politicians and protest continuously.
Edited: Francesca Bezzone
