We live in a large global condominium. New communication technologies have, in the short space of a few years, thrown the world wide open to us. Thanks first to television and then, above all, to intemet we can see any corner of the world, even in real time. There are no museums, beaches, mountains that we cannot view on a computer screen or smartphone. On the contrary, we ourselves contribute with photos and videos posted on social networks to increase the possibilities of getting – at least virtually – closer to territories and realities. If we add to this the development of means of transport that now allow us to reach, in a relatively short space of time, even places that were once very distant, we can understand how space and time are two dimensions that have shrunk, shortened. To the point that, paradoxically, we no longer need 80 days to travel around the world, but could do it in a day and from the comfort of our own homes.
Finegil Newspapers, 7 August 2016
Corriere delle Alpi, 7 August 2016
Giornale di Vicenza, 7 August 2016
Messaggero Veneto, 7 August 2016
Among the consequences of such phenomena is an exponential increase in our possibilities for comparison, more or less rationally based. Much more than in the past, we are able to compare our own way of life with that of others through direct experience, or indirectly through new technologies, or through the reports of relatives and acquaintances. We can compare our own life context with those who live in different realities. And construct a representation, an idea, make a comparison. The result is a kind of ranking of our sense of belonging and “wellliving” where we place our country in relation to others. Often in private discussions and public debate, there is a critical feeling towards Italy, we look elsewhere as models of life, of state organisation. Lacking a strong sense of national identity, we feel that things work and live better in other countries. Not only are we afflicted by superficial forms of “benaltrismo” whereby there is always something better and more urgent to be done, and in this way nothing changes. But we could coin the neologism of ”altrovism” in the public vernacular and in the media, there seems to be a prevalence of the existence of some other place where things go better, where one is more satisfied. The brain drain, pensioners going to live abroad, companies relocating: all phenomena highlighted as indicators of an Italy in decline. Without wishing to detract from the problematic nature of such events, does the image of a country that is worse off than others actually prevail?
The research conducted (Community Media Research) explored the sentiment of the population on these topics. We proposed a list of countries by asking respondents to express their opinion as to whether, compared to Italy, they lived better, worse or the same. Out of 8 countries, as many as 4 were rated more flattering than living in Italy, with Switzerland prevailing (81.7%), followed by Australia (72.1%), Germany (69.2%) and Great Britain (51.0%). As can be seen, these are nations that, for various reasons, have a reputation for being efficient and functional. Of being governed. It should be noted that Great Britain (15.8%) is, in this group, the nation with the highest score among those considered to have a worse standard of living than Italy This is joined by a second group of countries where general conditions are more similar to Italy, such as France (58.0%) and Spain (57.7%). The USA is the country that polarises opinion most, almost equally, between those who think life is better (33.4%) or, at the opposite, worse (29.7%) than in our country. In this case, Latin origins make themselves felt and bring us together, while the United States is more divisive in perception. At the tail end is Tunisia, a safe destination for tourism, but definitely not comparable to our standard of living (87.9%).
By summing up the different options surveyed, we can identify a membership indicator from which three profiles emerge. The prevailing group in the North-East is made up of “cosmopolitans” (58.6%) that is, those who believe that people live in other countries as they do in Italy, that the differences are not as radical as they think: the whole world is a country. This sentiment is felt more by the male component, as age increases, and by those who live in Veneto. The second group is represented by the “foreigners” (38.7%), those who believe that it is better abroad than in Italy. It should be emphasised here that women, the younger generations, students, and those living in Trentino Alto Adige (47.8%) and Friuli Venezia Giulia (46.2%) share this opinion to a greater extent. The third group is quantitatively marginal and is represented by the “Italians doc” (2.7%), those who believe that life in Italy is decidedly better than in the rest of all the other countries, in particular among Trentino and South Tyrol residents (13.0%). What emerges is a representation of Italy that is perhaps less ramshackle than what usually emerges from the daily news and from the collective imagination. The possibility (whether real or virtual) of comparing other realities makes it possible to better weigh up the pros and cons of life in other nations. And to give a fair value to where we live. At the same time, however, the conspicuous existence of “othervism” of the idea and experience that one lives better in other countries than in Italy must be emphasised. And what cannot but be worrying is that this opinion is widespread, especially among the younger generation and women. Because to do nothing to limit this n”othervism” is to squander our wealth, to cloud the future.
