Talking Back to Politicians

Mar 17, 2006

Italy doesn't yet have a large enough Internet population to spawn interesting multimedia political parodists like JibJab. But citizens nonetheless find ways of talking back to their politicians...

Note: All these pictures were posted by readers on the site of Il Corriere della Sera (under "Elaborazioni fotografiche").

Forza Italia (Berlusconi's party) have done a series of posters with the theme "No, Grazie" (No, thanks) about all the terrible things that will supposedly happen if the left is elected.

> This one says "More taxes on your savings? No, thanks!"

To which someone has responded: "What savings?"

> "More taxes on your home? No, thanks."

"Let's tax yours."

Famo = Roman dialect for facciamo - let's do it. Le tue [case] refers to Berlusconi's homes. Homes plural - he has several. Not that this is unusual in Italy, but his are rather bigger than anybody else's...

< The original text reads: "Contract with the Italians. We are keeping all our promises!"

Someone has inserted: "to our buddies."

Final (original) line: "And we're going ahead!"

< "Neighborhood police and carabinieri are now in every city

...and they still haven't found you."

> This one originally read: "Let's choose to go on/move ahead."

It now says: "Let's choose to steal a lot."

Forza Italia's name is also a slogan, roughly translatable as "Let's go, Italy!" (forza is what you say to urge on your sports team).

For this campaign they've turned it around so that it reads like an admonishment to a recalcitrant child: "Come on, Italy." Or encouragement to someone very tired: "Come on, you can make it."

With the added text, this translates as: "Hang in there, Italy - soon he'll go home to Arcore." (Arcore, near Milan, is the site of Berlusconi's biggest villa.)

< "More support for the family...

...of Berlusconi."