Current mood: CIAO!!!
Category: CIAO!!! Travel and Places
"I've been smoking since age 18 -- it's my sacred right," Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino said in an interview with Corriere della Sera newspaper. "These restrictions are overdone."
Italy has a completely Laissez Faire attitude towards laws...
That is: the enforcement of any law, very much depends on the common senseability of the laws, as well as who you are and why you are breaking the law...
How does this work???
Well, the thing with Italians is they all think they're GREAT!!!
Yes boss, such is the indulgent and deeply loving way kids are brought up in Italy, nearly all Italians think they are quite possibly the most important person from THE MOST IMPORTANT COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!!!! in any room at any given time in any place...
The remarkable thing is that they feel this with a sense of humility and solidly quiet confidence.
Italians are big kids to a man. They still know about and like to enjoy living: Eating and talking are necesary arts, as is design. Sadly, they have no idea how to get properly arsehole drunk - but I can forgive them that...
Confidence is common place and the self denial and abuse that is now so common in other countries, barely gets a look in down in the old country...
Political correctness more or less doesn't exist and I can safely say that I've been in more law breaking situations with ordinary 'law abiding' folk in Italy than I have in England and I've spent only a few months in Italy and the best part of 30 years in the UK...
Tax evasion is a national past time, Estate Agent fee evasion is another hobby, drink driving is commonplace and politicians are treated with a healthy contempt.
If there is any possible way to avoid payment, it is undertaken with a smile...
In Italy, everyone thinks their view is important and nothing gets done until everyone has aired their view...
Of course this can be incredibly tiring.
I've come out of pubs with a bunch of Italians and it's clear that all that's required is a bus or cab home - there is no need for debate - it's fucking well straightforward.
But rather than drawing this entirely logical conclusion, my Italian friends will often indulge in a half hour or so of shouting, gesticulations and hot debate until each and every persons view has been heard, argued and the conclusion been duly drawn - that what is required is a cab home...
Oh and try telling an Italian to do anything they don't want to do and watch the response. Unless you kill them, they will only buckle to change if they see it as being in their interest and/or necesary to maintain their beautiful figure and/or bank account...
Anyway, here we go with my favourite new Italian approach to the law...
Italy's highest appeal court has ruled that married Italian women who commit adultery are entitled to lie about it to protect their honour.
The court gave its landmark ruling after hearing the case of a 48-year-old woman, convicted of giving false testimony to police by denying she had lent her mobile phone to her lover.
The appeal court did not agree that she had broken the law.
It said bending the truth was justified to conceal extra-marital relationships.
In a predominantly Catholic country you might expect the courts to take a dim view of lying and adultery.
But not in this case.
The woman who brought the appeal was from Porto Ercole on the Tuscany coast, and named only as Carla.
She had lent her telephone to her secret lover, Giovanni, who then used it to call Carla's estranged husband, Vincenzo, and insult him.
Giovanni, the lover, was convicted of abusive behaviour in a local court, and Carla convicted as an accessory.
But the Court of Cassation found that having a lover was a circumstance that damaged the honour of the person among family and friends.
Lying about it, therefore, was permitted, even in a judicial investigation.
It is not yet clear whether the ruling might also apply to men who have secret mistresses.
 | Currently listening : Yo-Yo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone By Yo-Yo Ma Release date: 28 September, 2004  |
No comments:
Post a Comment