Your Safe Planet

Elena · Joined: 06 Sep 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Rome, Italy

It’s hard to try and write about the current situation in my country and remain “politically correct”. I suppose that in the rest of the world the media talked about the earthquake in terms of a natural disaster, I suppose you all read the usual kind of articles that you can find in these cases: the rising toll of deaths, the damages caused, the reaction of the government, some interview of a survivor… and so on. But within the country where the event happens, it’s a whole other deal: its not about sadness, its about rage. Against who builds houses poorly, against bureaucrats that authorize builders, against politicians that create the legal and economic circumstances that push and justify this chain. Against journalists that act like vultures searching for every tear-jerking story they can find (pretty soon they’ll start interviewing cats and dogs about their losses…). Against organizations that collect goods and money that don’t deserve our trust (some steal, some disperse, some despotically decide who’s to be helped and who is a sinner…). Against our very own “Marie Antoinette” that replies to the desperate that don’t have bread: “well, eat cake then!”.
Against unclear information about the unattended alarms, that will become more and more mysterious, until, a few weeks from now, everyone will have forgotten about the left over families that are still living in metal containers or tents (see the San Giuliano case, 2002).
Against “selective justice” that protects the puppeteers in black suits, as our prime minister proudly demonstrates.
Please excuse my pessimism, although my area luckily hasn’t suffered damages, the tremors have been continuing day and night since the big earthquake on Monday, and our nerves are a bit… well, shaken.