Why does Italy, or some of Italy, like [Prime Minister] Silvio Berlusconi so much?
Even before the current economic crisis, Italy faced an organizational crisis. Everybody who lives here feels that people can live well in Italy, but that the organization of social services, schools, and so on, doesn’t work the way it should. Italians know this. They also know that no government, liberal or conservative, has adequately tackled the problem. A small majority, since Italy is politically divided, decided the conservatives could deal with the issue better. I don’t agree politically, but I can understand the reasoning. The negative side is the demeaning of culture. Italy has great creative traditions that have been crisis-stricken over the last decade. Some sectors haven’t been touched fashion, for example and even cinema. But TV has simplified everything and put a premium on easiness. Italians followed this path. So did Berlusconi. He personified simplification, and Italians voted for him. Why? It’s like asking why the Americans once voted for George Bush. A country that v
