Do they like us?!

A new face of Italy?

In the recent election here in Italy the winning coalition of Berlusconi included two parties which seem to me to have a general dislike for foreigners. In our experiences, including looking for an apartment, we have found that some Italians are prejudice against people who are different than them. This not only means people from other countries but also even people from other regions of Italy. The disdain of northern Italians for those of the mezzogiorno is well known and openly expressed.

The Lega Nord and Northern League parties are two of the most visible in their dislike of foreigners. For those who think this only extends to those from Africa, the Orient or Eastern Europe you may want to see what their posters and on-line literature has to say. I found this poster against America last year here in Marche.

Recent media reports seem to indicate an increase in state activity against stranieri who are here illegally and well as violence by some groups against individuals and camps of non-Italians.

Despite this prejudice against people groups we have found that on a person to person basis most Italians are very friendly and open. They tend to accept with open arms the person, but have reservations about groups based on what they hear…even if they have never met someone from that group.

Unfortunately this generalization sounds like people I have met in America; prejudice seems to be an unfortunate human trait.