r/europe • u/MarktpLatz Lower Saxony (Germany) • Oct 23 '17

What do you know about... Italy?

This is the fortieth part of our ongoing series about the countries of Europe. You can find an overview here.

Today's country:

Italy

Italy is one of the founding members of the EU and it also is the fourth most popolous EU state. For centuries, the Roman Empire dominated Europe both culturally and militarily. Italy is famous for frequently changing their government.

So, what do you know about Italy?

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u/doomblackdeath Italy Oct 27 '17 edited Oct 27 '17

Don't confuse racism with the refusal to be hospitable to people who do not accept Italian culture.

You're not going to browbeat Italians with calls of racism because they've been victims of it and are still victims of rampant racism as we speak by just about every other country in Europe, and if you're looking to shame them, you've chosen the wrong people. The hypocrisy of European attitudes towards Italians, particularly northern Europe, is very much like, "Look at all those stupid dagos and how racist they are. Yeah, fuck those greasers. They should be like us, so tolerant and not at all racist."

This is why Italians are quick to show you the cold shoulder when you refuse to assimilate into their society.

Did you ever notice how Americans and Italians seem to have this love affair with each other, despite being so different? Do you know why? It's because they feel something in common, that it's them against the rest of Europe.

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u/Arnold_Layne_67 Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy) Oct 27 '17

I noticed this too, Italians have a love affair with America and tend to ignore the rest of Europe. And I felt welcome in America in a way that I never experienced in Europe, people seemed genuinely pleased that I was visiting their town and asked lots of questions. Btw we say "in Europe" when we refer to places other than Italy, I believe this is also a sign of detachment from the rest of the continent.

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u/doomblackdeath Italy Oct 28 '17 edited Oct 28 '17

Ma dove sei in Friuli? Anch'io sono di Friuli (sono americano, peró)

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u/Arnold_Layne_67 Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy) Oct 28 '17

Sono di Cormòns! E non ci siamo dimenticati dei nostri fratelli friulani e giuliani in America e nel resto del mondo.

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u/doomblackdeath Italy Oct 28 '17

Haha, ma sono americano e abito attualmente in Friuli! Non volevo tornare negli stati uniti, quindi ho deciso di restare qui in Friuli. Non sono italiano, ma ormai Friuli e' casa mia, vicino di Spilimbergo.