XL REPUBBLICA - how Mika keeps himself busy ;-)

[LilStar]

thank you

i loved that column:wub2:

For some reason, i almost always agree with his opinions:teehee:

[laura*]

[EmmaImogen]

New Column!!

 

http://videodrome-xl.blogautore.repubblica.it/2010/12/06/pop-up/

 

YAY! T4P!

 

Edit:

I love it!

 

For some reason, i almost always agree with his opinions:teehee:

 

I'm like that too, I think it's really cool.

Edited December 7, 2010 by EmmaImogen

[evelyne71]

I´m shocked with this column. It´s an invitation to reflect about the things around me. Every single day I hear my coworkers making complaints about our labor conditions, though we have a good job with a high salary, but everybody wish the end of the morning to get home quickly....Protest and do nothing is a very comfortable position.

Also, I want to congratulate Mika, He´s very brave to express his opnions, I usually talk to young people because of my job, but most of them, haven´t his clear ideas and his strength purpose on life.

[IngievV]

I agree with the man, however I was very bothered by the tremendous amount of spelling mistakes I felt obliged to correct.

[Christine]

I agree with the man, however I was very bothered by the tremendous amount of spelling mistakes I felt obliged to correct.

 

It's not just the spelling that's off. It's like someone else edited it - to pretty poor effect. Some of these thoughts don't flow together very well. It doesn't sound like his usual writing to me.

[basicamenteyo]

It's not just the spelling that's off. It's like someone else edited it - to pretty poor effect. Some of these thoughts don't flow together very well. It doesn't sound like his usual writing to me.

 

i´m not italian,but i read that in italian (which is quite close to spanish) and when i´ve readed this,it hasn´t sounded to me at all like the italian one...

 

any italian here?? was the translation good?

[RAK1]

I was very interested in this months column. It showed he has a lot of insight to worldwide politics, and current events. Would be interesting to see if this starts to filter through in his songwriting.

[sariflor]

Hmmm....I think it's a good column and an interesting topic, but I have to point something out which has nothing to do with the column itself, just a little something that I found interesting.

He says: "Even Schwarzenegger, in his own way, has been holding up the UK as an example of a nation who are making appropriate sacrifices and dealing with them in the right way. Basically, that we’ve been keeping our mouths’ shut. How very English…

Anyone else notice that "we"? So, he's saying that he is considering himself British. Which I always thought he did, but to me this is a bit of a "Freudian slip of the keyboard", if you know what I mean .Interesting.

 

On another note, I will say that coming from the Spanish culture myself, I have always found that people here in the UK hardly ever complain about anything, and often just roll their eyes and perhaps mutter something under their breath, but I have found it very unusual when people have openly expressed their discontent with something. So really, I am not sure if I agree with him that this is something that happens more in the UK than in other countries I know nothing about Italy in that respect, or Milan in particular, but if Italians are anything like Spaniards (which is what I have always seen or experienced), then they would complain A LOT more than the Brits.

[EmmaImogen]

On another note, I will say that coming from the Spanish culture myself, I have always found that people here in the UK hardly ever complain about anything, and often just roll their eyes and perhaps mutter something under their breath, but I have found it very unusual when people have openly expressed their discontent with something. So really, I am not sure if I agree with him that this is something that happens more in the UK than in other countries I know nothing about Italy in that respect, or Milan in particular, but if Italians are anything like Spaniards (which is what I have always seen or experienced), then they would complain A LOT more than the Brits.

 

I was discussing that with my mum. She seems to think that Italian are generally more open with their discontents than the British (amongst themselves), but aren't organised about it. Going back to what Mika wrote about the key to France's successful protests being their unity. Perhaps Italy just doesn't have a great sense of unity in certain situations. But then again, that same unity isn't necesserily needed when dealing with that comment Berlusconi made.

Hope that made some sense.

[Christine]

Anyone else notice that "we"? So, he's saying that he is considering himself British.

 

Yes I noticed that, although I suppose he must speak of his country of residence in this context because he is a taxpayer. The UK is his government regardless of whether he sees himself as British or not.

 

On another note, I will say that coming from the Spanish culture myself, I have always found that people here in the UK hardly ever complain about anything, and often just roll their eyes and perhaps mutter something under their breath, but I have found it very unusual when people have openly expressed their discontent with something.

 

I think that's what he is saying and that the recent protest has made news in the US even though it was relatively meek, precisely because it was so atypical.

 

Perhaps the difference he's describing between the Brits and Italians is less cultural than the result of the nature of their government and politics. If people perceive that their complaints and protests will be ineffective due to corruption, etc. then their apathy may be the result of being repeatedly defeated rather than a result of their temperament.

[CazGirl]

Bomb fire? Oh Mika, you did this last year. Did you not learn? :roftl:

 

Haha, I'm kidding.

[greta]

true oh so true

 

come & rule Italy would you meeka? You've got our vote of course

[sariflor]

I was discussing that with my mum. She seems to think that Italian are generally more open with their discontents than the British (amongst themselves), but aren't organised about it. Going back to what Mika wrote about the key to France's successful protests being their unity. Perhaps Italy just doesn't have a great sense of unity in certain situations. But then again, that same unity isn't necesserily needed when dealing with that comment Berlusconi made.

Hope that made some sense.

 

Yep, made total sense. I see what you mean. Hmmm.... You're probably right on that . I hadn't thought of it from that angle.

 

 

Yes I noticed that, although I suppose he must speak of his country of residence in this context because he is a taxpayer. The UK is his government regardless of whether he sees himself as British or not.

 

Ok, good point, yes, that could well be, but I was sort of putting it together with what he did at that "afterparty" in Brixton back in Feb 2008, where he was asking people to put up their hands based on their countries, and when he said UK he quickly put up his own hand It was very cute.

And yes, one could argue that on that occasion he was also only referring to himself as a UK resident, but I don't know, when I put everything together and little bits he's said here and there, I always seem to come to the conclusion that he considers himself more British than anything else

 

I think that's what he is saying and that the recent protest has made news in the US even though it was relatively meek, precisely because it was so atypical.

 

Perhaps the difference he's describing between the Brits and Italians is less cultural than the result of the nature of their government and politics. If people perceive that their complaints and protests will be ineffective due to corruption, etc. then their apathy may be the result of being repeatedly defeated rather than a result of their temperament.

 

Ah, that is a very good point, I think you may be spot on with this .

[Christine]

Bomb fire? Oh Mika, you did this last year. Did you not learn?

 

Hmm...maybe that's an inside joke like the chicken avatar on YouTube. He's speaking to you Caz.

[suzie]

It's not just the spelling that's off. It's like someone else edited it - to pretty poor effect. Some of these thoughts don't flow together very well. It doesn't sound like his usual writing to me.

... or it could be his non-edited style

 

I was discussing that with my mum. She seems to think that Italian are generally more open with their discontents than the British (amongst themselves), but aren't organised about it.

 

Perhaps the difference he's describing between the Brits and Italians is less cultural than the result of the nature of their government and politics. If people perceive that their complaints and protests will be ineffective due to corruption, etc. then their apathy may be the result of being repeatedly defeated rather than a result of their temperament.

 

Yes, I am more with Christine on this. In my opinion, a nation failing to unite against something injust / horrendous happening in their country is usually a sign of their distrust in polititians. They either feel that having their voices heard makes no difference or, in a much worse case, fear some disadvantages they might suffer because they have made a stand.

In the worst case, however, some people do not even understand or care about certain topics that impact their current and future life, which is even more scary.

[Christine]

... or it could be his non-edited style

 

Yes it's looking that way with the bomb fire and all.

 

It's okay Mika, everyone needs an editor.

[camille*]

I love this column, my favourite so far

 

Anyone else notice that "we"? So, he's saying that he is considering himself British. Which I always thought he did, but to me this is a bit of a "Freudian slip of the keyboard", if you know what I mean .Interesting.

 

 

I noticed it too.. I must be analysing too much

My French pride has been a bit 'knocked down' by the use of this 'we' but he is based in the UK after all!

[sariflor]

... or it could be his non-edited style

 

That's what I think too. Some of the mistakes he made here in the column coincide with some of his twitter spelling quirks . Not just talking of bombfires here

 

My French pride has been a bit 'knocked down' by the use of this 'we' but he is based in the UK after all!

 

Well, I wouldn't get upset tbh, because after all he has spent most of his life in the UK and only a few years in France as a child. I would never think for a second that it would make sense for him to consider himself French, as much as he (logically) loves the country.

I spent a good few years of my childhood living abroad, mainly in the Netherlands, and I don't consider myself Dutch .

[camille*]

That's what I think too. Some of the mistakes he made here in the column coincide with some of his twitter spelling quirks . Not just talking of bombfires here

 

 

 

Well, I wouldn't get upset tbh, because after all he has spent most of his life in the UK and only a few years in France as a child. I would never think for a second that it would make sense for him to consider himself French, as much as he (logically) loves the country.

I spent a good few years of my childhood living abroad, mainly in the Netherlands, and I don't consider myself Dutch .

 

Oh no don't worry I'm not really upset! I just wanted to say I noticed it too, and it's not that often that he gives us hints like that.. I'm only realising how hard it is to be a Mika fan, searching for all the details

TBH I'm already very happy to know how much he likes France. I just want to make sure he knows France loves him back

 

But still, after a quick thought, I realised that when I lived in the UK and spoke to my family in France I would say 'here, we...' and I would then include myself with British people.. So complicated

[silver]

I can't get the article to load

[robertina]

i've never considered Mika else than British.

he's naturally British for me, a British songwriter.

 

you all have made correct considerations about Italians and their way to react to their Government or social injustice. The field is so broad that one could write books on the subject.

not easy to explain in a few words, but sure it's a habit we've been growing along the centuries.

in short...we can protest but we are fatalist too...cause we know any changement is just an adjustment of the status quo.

Please DO read 'Il Gattopardo', by Tomasi di Lampedusa or watch the old movie by Luchino Visconti, with Alain Delon, Claudia Cardinale and Burt Lancaster

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Leopard_%28film%29

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_Gattopardo

[robertina]

I can't get the article to load

 

News Flash! The British have cracked!

 

On the morning of the 10th of November British students in their thousands took to the streets of London to march in protest of a major university fee increase. This government plan would see the cost of university rise to over 10,000 Euros a year by 2012. At a time when cuts are being made all over the world, internationally, this is not a very big story. With a few broken windows and a rather pathetic looking bomb fire, this story turned into front page news of the Wall Street Journal. Over the past few months we have seen countries in their true colours, as each nation have reacted accordingly to cuts in public funding.

 

In comparison to the violence of the Greek protests and the scale of the recent French demonstrations, the UK student protests seem almost meek. it is the fact that there has been any public violence and protest in the UK at all, that is important.For the first time in the past two years, the stoic patina of the British public has been cracked. Even Schwarzenegger, in his own way, has been holding up the UK as an example of a nation who are making appropriate sacrifices and dealing with them in the right way. Basically, that we’ve been keeping our mouths’ shut. How very English…

Over the past year, a few countries have started to represent the varied European responses to economic cuts. Like protagonists in a serialised novel, France, Greece and now the UK are all stars. But where does Italy sit in all of this? Obviously the Italian economy is suffering as much if not more in some ways than its European counterparts. But why do the French get all the attention and manage to make themselves heard around the world? The answer is Unity. The French public has a way of unifying itself against what they consider unjust. If the English are seen as keeping their discontent to themselves then Italians are seen as doing nothing about it.

Stories of classrooms in some parts of the country being so over full that students are being asked to bring their own chairs, are not uncommon. Extra curricular activities at schools have been slashed and university professors are increasingly being poached into other industries with more prospects.

 

Italian universities no longer appear in the top 200 Universities of the world, even though they were created in Bologna in the middle ages. If these kinds of troubles were to start affecting primary education in the UK, the discontent would be so widespread that the demonstrations would be front page news because of their scale and not their violence. A close Milanese friend often speaks to me about these such problems but admits to have never taken part in a rally of any kind. When asked why, he says its “just not done”.

There is no shame in making problems heard. How can they be rectified otherwise? That same Milanese friend emailed me last week furious, after Berlusconi had made a comment in the press saying that it was “better to be passionate about girls that being gay”. How I ask myself can a prime minister ever get away with a comment such as this without any consequences? In other countries such a statement would lead to a resignation. Its not funny, its not true, its pathetic. Again, my friend apart from emailing me did nothing. Clearly others felt angry too, just like they do about the education problems.

 

But what will spark a fire and burn away the complacency which stops people making their discontent heard? On the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy, perhaps the marches should not just be ceremonial and for the sake of making leaders look even better but should be real people making themselves heard.

 

[silver]

Thank you Robi

[suzie]

Thank you for the recommended reading, Robi

I think there are several other countries with similar attitude to change - it is partly cultural and it might even have roots in (Catholic)religion.