Hi everyone, and welcome to the Italian Podcast. Welcome to the new premium series.If you read the title of this episode, you might think I was terrified. “Italy sucks”? What are you talking about, David! Are you out?
Let me first say that I don’t think Italy is bad. However, this sentence sums up the pessimistic views of many Italians, especially our young people.I noticed that there is a huge gap Between how we Italians view our country and foreigners’ view of Italy.I saw it in my class: how many of you told me they learn Italian love Culture, food and language itself.
I am not saying that we Italians do not know how to appreciate the beauty of our country and culture; I say that we are more likely to focus on the negative aspects, while you foreigners usually focus on the positive aspects.
Leave your heart = Go crazy
inequality = Difference-difference
love = For love, for love
Maybe it’s not that surprising: you know, in the end”Neighbor’s grass is always greener“.
However, I want to explain to you why, in my opinion, there is such a difference of opinion between us Italians and you foreigners. In my opinion, there are two main reasons:
First of all, we Italians are in a sense accustomed to what you admire most about Italy. Yes, we like our food, but in the end Italian food is not Italian food for us, it is food, nothing more. We like it very much and miss it very much when we are abroad, but we are used to it.
The same is true of Italian architecture and the beauty of history and culture: we are used to the church of the 1200s and see a It won’t leave us much impressionAs if we are Addicted.
The second is that living in a country is not like visiting it. Although some negative factors in Italy do affect tourists (train delays, confusion, dirt In some cities), Italians living in Italy have to deal with the same problems and many other problems, which may be unknown to tourists or foreigners who love Italy. I will discuss these problems with you today.Let’s look at these reasons They push Some of us say “Italy sucks”.
Neighbor’s grass is always greener = the grass on the other side is always greener/we always think that things in other countries are better
Production effect = Influence, impression, surprise, etc. -In this case = did not impress us
Addicted = used-usually refers to a drug that is no longer effective
dirt = Dirt, dirt, in this case garbage (garbage)
Push = Literally, in this case, “They lead us to say”, “Let’s say” (Let’s say)
-Youth unemployment. In Italy, the youth unemployment rate (calculated based on 15-24 year olds) is about 30%.this is a problem continue living For many years, politics has not and has not done it almost Nothing, because we know that politics is not interested in difficult problems and has to face long-term strategies.
Related to this question is “talent loss“: Many graduates and qualified young people are more willing to leave Italy because they do not have good job prospects in Italy. For example, many researchers are forced to immigrate to places where they have the opportunity to conduct research. The growth prospects of the entire country when the smartest people go abroad The smoke disappeared.
-Very high taxes. In Italy, if we consider the quality of the services we receive, the tax burden will be very high.% Of tax PIL Italian accounts for about 43%. In other words, the tax revenue received by the state accounts for 43% of GDP. There must be countries with similar relationships, such as Germany.Although not dare It can be said that the efficiency of Italian infrastructure, transportation and hospitals is at the same level as that of its German counterparts.
The problem is very high tax evasionMany people in Italy ran away, that is, they did not pay taxes, so the country was forced to increase taxes. Italy is actually the first country in Europe to evade taxes.It is estimated that for every euro collected Tax officer, Or actually paid taxes, 23 cents were evaded.This creates a Vicious circle: If so many people don’t pay taxes, those who pay will end up paying more.
Persist = Finally, continue (but more formally)
Almost = Almost (but more formal)
Brain drain = Brain drain-when technicians run away, flee their country in search of work
Smoke= The smoke disappears, the sewer-male
Peel = Gross domestic product
dare = Dare to
tax evasion = Tax evasion-not paying taxes
tax = treasury-used to represent the name of the treasury
Vicious circle = Vicious circle
-Insufficient education. According to various statistical studies, Italian children’s reading ability and skills in science and mathematics are lower than Italian children. peer in other countries. Less than one-third of Italians between the ages of 25 and 34 have a degree (44% in Europe on average). Less than one-sixth of working-age Italians have a degree (only Romania is worse than Italy). We Italians are essentially ignorant people.Ignorant people are also easy people Operable From politics. Any mention of the political situation in Italy or the fact that Berlusconi has been in power four times is purely intentional.
-Insufficient transportation and infrastructure.In the countries I have visited, such as Hungary and Poland, the economies of these countries are certainly not as strong as ours, and the urban transportation and infrastructure (at least in large cities) are Light years wore our. It has to be said that perhaps these countries have received a lot of European funds, but they cannot accept Rome, one of the most visited cities in the world, with its disastrous transportation system, bumpy streets and mud in every corner. Or, for example, Turin still has trams from the 1980s.Not to mention school shabby, The lack of hospitals, the collapse of bridges, the fact that new jobs will take many years to complete, and the bigger the more likely it is…
-Mafia. Yes, there is a mafia in Italy, this is a current and still unresolved problem. Many of my students are curious to ask me whether this thing that seems so rigid and almost “from the movie” is really true. Unfortunately, it is not only in the south.Mafia penetration purchase, In Great work, In politics.Of course, theBlackmail Mafia, or “Lace“If you have a shop, a restaurant, a business, then the money you have to pay to the Mafia is a problem concentrated in southern Italy, but the Mafia is a problem nationwide.
Accompany = Peers-peers
Operable = Can be manipulated and controlled (in a negative sense)
Light years from = light yefromars, in this case = than
old = Crumbling, dilapidated, in poor condition
purchase = Bidding, contract
Great work = Large building
Lace = Protection money
It is for this (to be honest, for many other reasons) that Italy often appears there pissed off. Maybe, to some extent, We gnaw (At least I am), or we are frustrated: because our country has Potential Unbelievable, beautiful territory, mild and sunny climate, sea, mountains, hills, perhaps the best cuisine in the world, many UNESCO sites Can’t boast There is no other country in the world, and don’t forget that it is also the ninth strongest economy on the planet.But, as I said, when do you live in a country and when All you have to do The worst is when you are not working, when the train is cancelled for the following reasons Afterwards there is For a while, when you feel that they earn more money abroad than you do the same job, etc., it is easy to forget the sun, the sea, the spaghetti allo scoglio and Chianti.
But of course I am not a person who believes in foreign existence Promised Land, Moving abroad can solve all your problems and improve your life 100% of the time. Maybe I will talk about this in another episode.However, here, I want to explain to you that we all have a point of view in Italy, and I hope I can give you a broader understanding of what our country is: a country you sometimes like, sometimes hate, but of course Won’t leave you indifferent.
Thank you for staying till the end. I suggest you listen to this episode more to absorb all the difficult words and structures. I remind you that you can read the complete record of the episode on the website and find the link in the episode notes. If you like Podcast Italiano, I ask you a favor: tell at least one other person you know is learning Italian. I will be thankful. Follow me on Instagram (podcast_italiano) too, we will talk to you in the next episode.
pissed off = Annoy someone
Rosica = Frustrated, angry (slang)
Potential = Potential
boast = Boast
deal with = (qui) processing
Another time = Nth time
Promised Land = Promised Land
Keep indifferent = Stay indifferent
