"What is ... very disappointing to the Egyptian people is the message coming from the U.S., which is saying that we are going to work with the Egyptian people and with the government," he said. "Well, you have to make a choice. This is an authoritarian government and on the other hand the people have been deprived of their freedom for 58 years." – Mohamed ElBaradei, Egyptian opposition leader, in an English interview with France24
Doesn't he know we only support democracy when it goes along with our foreign policy interests?
The whole world is watching what is happening now, and the next couple days will go a long way to determining the future of the region. We are all discussing the fact that 2011 seems to be the year of political uprisings - and we're not even done with January yet.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
It’s the Little Things
This week there was a training conference for the group that’s been here since March. Because I had two committee meetings and a technical session for other TEFL volunteers, I got to overnight in a hotel.
When I was little, I would get excited about staying in hotels. Red Roof Inns, to be specific. I still get a little excited (mostly in the form of “stealing” all the complimentary items) about staying in hotels. But with the weather this past week being cold, and reiterating that none of our homes have central heating and all of them are made out of concrete, I’ve seen my breath more than I would prefer to while sitting indoors. The best part of a hotel?
Central. Heating.
It’s the first thing I touched when I went into our suite. Although getting into my suite was another issue entirely.
I was supposed to room with two other volunteers. I checked in and got the key for room #209. When I went up to the second floor and walked down the hallway, I noticed that there were no numbers on any of the doors. I couldn’t even count which room it may have been because I didn’t know which side of the hall were odd numbers and which side were even numbers. I asked a maintenance worker in the hallway and he pointed to the room. I opened the door, turned on the heater, and unpacked.
That’s when I got a message from one of the people I was supposed to share the room with.
“Did you check into our sweet room yet?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said, “Did you?”
“Uhm… we did too, didn’t you see our stuff?”
“No… I don’t know what room you checked into but none of your things are here.”
After a lot of confusion, you know, since there weren’t any numbers on the door… we figured it out. Apparently, the key I had opened both the door to the room I was in and the door across the hall that was the “real” room #209. The room I was in also had a lock that didn’t work right. I’m not even going to talk about when a friend went to move a table in the restaurant and was startled when the table top came off in her hands and the frame and legs remained defiantly on the ground. Welcome to life in a postmodern society. Why would there be numbers on a hotel door? Why would the table top and table bottom be connected?
But the heating is nice. You don’t realize how much you appreciate feeling your fingers and toes until you can’t. Two people excitedly told me that they were able to sleep without socks on last night, which is a real luxury. Going back to a cold house later today won’t be much fun, but I can always adapt another volunteer’s winter strategy: never, ever leave your sleeping bag. Not even when you get up to go to another room. Hopping is the main form of transportation within your ice cold apartment.
When I was little, I would get excited about staying in hotels. Red Roof Inns, to be specific. I still get a little excited (mostly in the form of “stealing” all the complimentary items) about staying in hotels. But with the weather this past week being cold, and reiterating that none of our homes have central heating and all of them are made out of concrete, I’ve seen my breath more than I would prefer to while sitting indoors. The best part of a hotel?
Central. Heating.
It’s the first thing I touched when I went into our suite. Although getting into my suite was another issue entirely.
I was supposed to room with two other volunteers. I checked in and got the key for room #209. When I went up to the second floor and walked down the hallway, I noticed that there were no numbers on any of the doors. I couldn’t even count which room it may have been because I didn’t know which side of the hall were odd numbers and which side were even numbers. I asked a maintenance worker in the hallway and he pointed to the room. I opened the door, turned on the heater, and unpacked.
That’s when I got a message from one of the people I was supposed to share the room with.
“Did you check into our sweet room yet?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said, “Did you?”
“Uhm… we did too, didn’t you see our stuff?”
“No… I don’t know what room you checked into but none of your things are here.”
After a lot of confusion, you know, since there weren’t any numbers on the door… we figured it out. Apparently, the key I had opened both the door to the room I was in and the door across the hall that was the “real” room #209. The room I was in also had a lock that didn’t work right. I’m not even going to talk about when a friend went to move a table in the restaurant and was startled when the table top came off in her hands and the frame and legs remained defiantly on the ground. Welcome to life in a postmodern society. Why would there be numbers on a hotel door? Why would the table top and table bottom be connected?
But the heating is nice. You don’t realize how much you appreciate feeling your fingers and toes until you can’t. Two people excitedly told me that they were able to sleep without socks on last night, which is a real luxury. Going back to a cold house later today won’t be much fun, but I can always adapt another volunteer’s winter strategy: never, ever leave your sleeping bag. Not even when you get up to go to another room. Hopping is the main form of transportation within your ice cold apartment.
Round Two
Almost a week has gone by since last Friday’s protests. Originally, the plan was for the Socialists (PS) to continue their protests again this Friday. In response, the Democratic Party (PR) would have a gathering on Saturday that was supposed to celebrate “freedom and democracy.” Freedom and democracy where?
Ambassadors from various EU countries as well as the US met with Edi Rama and Sali Berisha this past week and urged them to stop the gatherings. Since then, Berisha has canceled Saturday’s events. As of Wednesday, Rama has yet to cancel Friday’s scheduled protests.
So what happens? It should be interesting to see. If Berisha backs off the protests and Rama continues, and if Rama’s protests get out of hand again, Berisha gains an upper hand. His common complaint is that the PS is trying to wrest power any way they can. By continuing with a protest that has the potential to be volatile, it seems that maybe Rama will lose a little legitimacy. But who really knows?
The other issue concerns rule of law. Ina Rama (no relation) is the head prosecutor. In conducting an official inquiry into how three people were killed, she issued warrants for the arrest of 6 high-ranking officers to gather evidence and proceed with the case. Ina Rama has called for the help of American ballistics analysts to see whether the bullets that killed the protestors came from weapons in the security forces’ possession. Although Berisha says this is not possible, he refuses to arrest the six officials. Does that remind you of the PD saying nothing important was in the unopened vote boxes and then burning them? Either there is nothing to worry about and you cooperate, or there is something to worry about and you block the investigation. It can’t be that there is nothing to worry about but you block the investigation. It goes against common sense. The PD has said these arrests are merely political.
As in the US, Albanians are extremely party-oriented. But there is an added dimension: many people’s jobs rely on politics. If there is a change in government, they may lose their jobs. New directors may come in and they will have to pay new bribes just to land a job. Regime changes can be costly, so people ally themselves with the party not only because of their politics, but also for practical purposes.
It’s useless to sit and point fingers and talk about who is bad and who is good. These two leaders are doing Albania and its people a huge disservice. Both are equally as guilty and equally as responsible. These men hold the future of Albania in their hands. Either they can continue the same patterns of attacking the other side; creating an even more partial system; or and wasting all their time infighting, or they could take responsibility and see that improving Albania for the future should be their common goal. Seeing how these politics are playing out and seeing the division within society is sad. It’s caused me to look at the American political system with a different set of eyes and to come to the conclusion that political systems should be ones of inclusion, not division. They are created by people to serve the people, and any system that doesn’t accomplish that is failing. Although we may not agree on the means, most of us hope to improve conditions for our children despite our varying methods in achieving this.
Ambassadors from various EU countries as well as the US met with Edi Rama and Sali Berisha this past week and urged them to stop the gatherings. Since then, Berisha has canceled Saturday’s events. As of Wednesday, Rama has yet to cancel Friday’s scheduled protests.
So what happens? It should be interesting to see. If Berisha backs off the protests and Rama continues, and if Rama’s protests get out of hand again, Berisha gains an upper hand. His common complaint is that the PS is trying to wrest power any way they can. By continuing with a protest that has the potential to be volatile, it seems that maybe Rama will lose a little legitimacy. But who really knows?
The other issue concerns rule of law. Ina Rama (no relation) is the head prosecutor. In conducting an official inquiry into how three people were killed, she issued warrants for the arrest of 6 high-ranking officers to gather evidence and proceed with the case. Ina Rama has called for the help of American ballistics analysts to see whether the bullets that killed the protestors came from weapons in the security forces’ possession. Although Berisha says this is not possible, he refuses to arrest the six officials. Does that remind you of the PD saying nothing important was in the unopened vote boxes and then burning them? Either there is nothing to worry about and you cooperate, or there is something to worry about and you block the investigation. It can’t be that there is nothing to worry about but you block the investigation. It goes against common sense. The PD has said these arrests are merely political.
As in the US, Albanians are extremely party-oriented. But there is an added dimension: many people’s jobs rely on politics. If there is a change in government, they may lose their jobs. New directors may come in and they will have to pay new bribes just to land a job. Regime changes can be costly, so people ally themselves with the party not only because of their politics, but also for practical purposes.
It’s useless to sit and point fingers and talk about who is bad and who is good. These two leaders are doing Albania and its people a huge disservice. Both are equally as guilty and equally as responsible. These men hold the future of Albania in their hands. Either they can continue the same patterns of attacking the other side; creating an even more partial system; or and wasting all their time infighting, or they could take responsibility and see that improving Albania for the future should be their common goal. Seeing how these politics are playing out and seeing the division within society is sad. It’s caused me to look at the American political system with a different set of eyes and to come to the conclusion that political systems should be ones of inclusion, not division. They are created by people to serve the people, and any system that doesn’t accomplish that is failing. Although we may not agree on the means, most of us hope to improve conditions for our children despite our varying methods in achieving this.
Friday, January 21, 2011
"Political" Protest
The feud between the Democrats and their Socialist party opposition makes the two parties in the United States look like best friends. Part of the problem is the lack of credible information and a relatively irresponsible press. Both sides are engaged in permanent mudslinging and misinformation.
The rift between parties runs deep. The most recent part of the issue stems from elections in June 2009, which were disputed. The Socialists accuse the Democrats of not counting votes in a Socialist-leaning city that may have secured a Socialist election victory. Ever since then, the Socialist rallying cry has been "open the boxes!" Although the Democrats insist there was no fraud, they refuse to open the boxes.
Fast forward to last week. Ilir Meta, the Deputy Prime Minister, resigned when a video of him discussing corrupt deals within the government surfaced. In the video, he was talking to another politician who was forced to resign last year. Meta maintains that he's done nothing wrong. The Socialists have been using this as a rioting call to force early elections.
Which brings us to today. Peace Corps sent us a text and an email about the opposition rally set for today. There have been rumors flying around that the rally was without a permit and informally organized. Peace Corps asked its volunteers to avoid Tirana as a precaution. Originally scheduled for 4pm, the rally began at 2pm.
I was in Tirana for a teacher training. Needless to say, no one showed up even though 80 teachers were invited. On our way back to the Peace Corps office, we saw streams of people filing towards the center of town. People came in on buses in the morning and assembled at ten different points in the city. And you thought Tirana traffic was bad on a normal day?
It became very clear that I wouldn't be leaving Tirana today. I've never seen so many people gathered and organized like this before. Shortly after the protest started, we began watching it on TV. Protesters began hitting police, then throwing rocks. Police fired tear gas and dispersed people with a water cannon. At this point, we're an hour into it and it's gotten worse. There are now several burning cars; police have thrown rocks back; and people have been bloodied. I don't know what's going to happen with all these amped up people when it's time to go home. According to Gazeta Shqiptare, 3500 police officers were dispersed to take care of the protest. Early reports estimate 20,000 protestors. The US has condemned the extreme political rhetoric from the past few days that has stoked the fire.
But what does this mean?
I think that politics are part of it, but what is more important is the underlying current of violence and aggression in Albanian society. Has democracy been all it's cracked up to be? How well have public servants served the Albanian public? Have they even been legitimately elected? With more and more corruption issues, how can Albania move forward out of its past? The political debate is just a charade. What needs to be addressed is where the anger comes from. Is it lack of prosperity? The lack of hope? The lack of jobs? What causes the frustration that sees 20,000 people gather to shout, fight with police and destroy property?
The rift between parties runs deep. The most recent part of the issue stems from elections in June 2009, which were disputed. The Socialists accuse the Democrats of not counting votes in a Socialist-leaning city that may have secured a Socialist election victory. Ever since then, the Socialist rallying cry has been "open the boxes!" Although the Democrats insist there was no fraud, they refuse to open the boxes.
Fast forward to last week. Ilir Meta, the Deputy Prime Minister, resigned when a video of him discussing corrupt deals within the government surfaced. In the video, he was talking to another politician who was forced to resign last year. Meta maintains that he's done nothing wrong. The Socialists have been using this as a rioting call to force early elections.
Which brings us to today. Peace Corps sent us a text and an email about the opposition rally set for today. There have been rumors flying around that the rally was without a permit and informally organized. Peace Corps asked its volunteers to avoid Tirana as a precaution. Originally scheduled for 4pm, the rally began at 2pm.
I was in Tirana for a teacher training. Needless to say, no one showed up even though 80 teachers were invited. On our way back to the Peace Corps office, we saw streams of people filing towards the center of town. People came in on buses in the morning and assembled at ten different points in the city. And you thought Tirana traffic was bad on a normal day?
It became very clear that I wouldn't be leaving Tirana today. I've never seen so many people gathered and organized like this before. Shortly after the protest started, we began watching it on TV. Protesters began hitting police, then throwing rocks. Police fired tear gas and dispersed people with a water cannon. At this point, we're an hour into it and it's gotten worse. There are now several burning cars; police have thrown rocks back; and people have been bloodied. I don't know what's going to happen with all these amped up people when it's time to go home. According to Gazeta Shqiptare, 3500 police officers were dispersed to take care of the protest. Early reports estimate 20,000 protestors. The US has condemned the extreme political rhetoric from the past few days that has stoked the fire.
But what does this mean?
I think that politics are part of it, but what is more important is the underlying current of violence and aggression in Albanian society. Has democracy been all it's cracked up to be? How well have public servants served the Albanian public? Have they even been legitimately elected? With more and more corruption issues, how can Albania move forward out of its past? The political debate is just a charade. What needs to be addressed is where the anger comes from. Is it lack of prosperity? The lack of hope? The lack of jobs? What causes the frustration that sees 20,000 people gather to shout, fight with police and destroy property?
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
"The Meaning of Love"
"Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves him. By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in him, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized. Furthermore, by his love, the loving person enables the beloved person to actualize these potentialities. By making him aware of the what he can be and of what he should become, he makes these potentialities come true." - Viktor Frankl
I'm not lying when I say that this book changed my life.
I'm not lying when I say that this book changed my life.
Rail in the US
There has been a lot of talk about high-speed rail lines in states like Ohio, Wisconsin and California. With the political changes bringing new governors and congressmen into office, it’s difficult to think that much will change.
The Economist mentions the political divide:
”Yet high-speed rail has become an ideological issue, supported by Democrats and opposed by Republicans with little reference to the specifics of any given project. The left views it as a near-perfect form of stimulus: creating “unoutsourceable” jobs; reducing congestion; making life easier for business; trimming carbon emissions and laying the foundations for a bigger and thus even more beneficial train network to come. Republicans, meanwhile, consider high-speed rail the physical embodiment of runaway spending, imposed from Washington by an out-of-touch elite despite its whiff of European socialism.
The project in California is also contentious. Although the rail project would create a lot of jobs and link major cities, citizens are concerned about the high speeds and potential damage to farmland. California’s budget is already an issue: the project could cost upwards of $40 billion.
All of this debate while recent statistics lament the poor state of American infrastructure.
The fact is, America evolved and expanded based on oil and private automobile ownership. But we know that these are not sustainable in a world becoming more strapped for resources. I get frustrated when I think about how big business and its ties with politics are handicapping the US. We are a country of great minds and an exceptional (if not expensive and slightly flawed) education system. Why can’t we be the forerunners in moving from fossil fuels and waste to renewable energy and efficient use?
A separate article from The Economist discusses the potential for trains powered by hybrid technology.
Perhaps the reluctance to make changes also has to do with size. Since America is much larger than any European country, 200 miles could put you in another state. In Europe, it will probably take you into another country. In many instances it’s probably cheaper and quicker to fly when traveling within the US. But if there were a high speed train run efficiently enough and with enough demand to keep costs down, would flying always be a better option in the days of TSA pat downs?
Maybe a passenger rail infrastructure isn’t necessary because there isn’t a demand. Or is there no demand because no system exists? Perhaps governmental agencies could conduct surveys into the most used lines and make inquiries into potential new lines to meet the movement of people, then overhaul those. A line between New York and Chicago exists via Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but what an amazing trip that would be if it weren’t over a day in length.
Our economy has changed as well. We aren’t the producers that we were following WWII when the United States was at its height. We aren’t competitive on international markets and businesses send far too many jobs overseas because of this. What can we do to create jobs in the United States? Well, we could start by taking the time and spending the money to improve our infrastructure. This is a long-term investment and it isn’t cheap. It’s hard for Americans to understand the concept of “long-term,” since our rabid consumerism is based on having things now rather than later. The sky is the limit to understanding and developing new technology. The United States continues to lag behind because of old ideas and the power of big business. What people don’t understand is the amount of money and jobs that can be gained with investment in these new technologies, not to mention the uncountable benefits of a sustainable society.
Of course, this is not without its problems. Freight lines don’t want to share the track with passenger lines and freight rail is still used very heavily. Amtrak has authority over some local lines (like in suburban Philadelphia) which sometimes causes problems between SEPTA and Amtrak in negotiating usage. Improving and laying rail is expensive, and high speed rail requires high quality track. The other question is one of mentality: will people use these new lines? For those of us who have lived abroad, not having to own and drive a car is wonderful. Even in Albania I can get where I’m going provided I leave at the right time. I wish I could travel across the US with such little effort but our public transportation structure makes that difficult. We have chosen to develop based on the individual and not the collective (surprise), and our public transportation is evident of this fundamental aspect of the American mentality.
For those who say the US is simply too large to connect by rail, one look at the projects and lines in China is evidence to the contrary. China already has 4,000KM of track in operation and over 6,000KM of high-speed rail under construction (with another 3,000KM planned). The United States has 362KM in operation and 1,200KM planned, making rail another area where the US lags behind. It’s time to make the hard decisions and the expensive investments now to improve the future.
The Economist mentions the political divide:
”Yet high-speed rail has become an ideological issue, supported by Democrats and opposed by Republicans with little reference to the specifics of any given project. The left views it as a near-perfect form of stimulus: creating “unoutsourceable” jobs; reducing congestion; making life easier for business; trimming carbon emissions and laying the foundations for a bigger and thus even more beneficial train network to come. Republicans, meanwhile, consider high-speed rail the physical embodiment of runaway spending, imposed from Washington by an out-of-touch elite despite its whiff of European socialism.
The project in California is also contentious. Although the rail project would create a lot of jobs and link major cities, citizens are concerned about the high speeds and potential damage to farmland. California’s budget is already an issue: the project could cost upwards of $40 billion.
All of this debate while recent statistics lament the poor state of American infrastructure.
The fact is, America evolved and expanded based on oil and private automobile ownership. But we know that these are not sustainable in a world becoming more strapped for resources. I get frustrated when I think about how big business and its ties with politics are handicapping the US. We are a country of great minds and an exceptional (if not expensive and slightly flawed) education system. Why can’t we be the forerunners in moving from fossil fuels and waste to renewable energy and efficient use?
A separate article from The Economist discusses the potential for trains powered by hybrid technology.
Perhaps the reluctance to make changes also has to do with size. Since America is much larger than any European country, 200 miles could put you in another state. In Europe, it will probably take you into another country. In many instances it’s probably cheaper and quicker to fly when traveling within the US. But if there were a high speed train run efficiently enough and with enough demand to keep costs down, would flying always be a better option in the days of TSA pat downs?
Maybe a passenger rail infrastructure isn’t necessary because there isn’t a demand. Or is there no demand because no system exists? Perhaps governmental agencies could conduct surveys into the most used lines and make inquiries into potential new lines to meet the movement of people, then overhaul those. A line between New York and Chicago exists via Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but what an amazing trip that would be if it weren’t over a day in length.
Our economy has changed as well. We aren’t the producers that we were following WWII when the United States was at its height. We aren’t competitive on international markets and businesses send far too many jobs overseas because of this. What can we do to create jobs in the United States? Well, we could start by taking the time and spending the money to improve our infrastructure. This is a long-term investment and it isn’t cheap. It’s hard for Americans to understand the concept of “long-term,” since our rabid consumerism is based on having things now rather than later. The sky is the limit to understanding and developing new technology. The United States continues to lag behind because of old ideas and the power of big business. What people don’t understand is the amount of money and jobs that can be gained with investment in these new technologies, not to mention the uncountable benefits of a sustainable society.
Of course, this is not without its problems. Freight lines don’t want to share the track with passenger lines and freight rail is still used very heavily. Amtrak has authority over some local lines (like in suburban Philadelphia) which sometimes causes problems between SEPTA and Amtrak in negotiating usage. Improving and laying rail is expensive, and high speed rail requires high quality track. The other question is one of mentality: will people use these new lines? For those of us who have lived abroad, not having to own and drive a car is wonderful. Even in Albania I can get where I’m going provided I leave at the right time. I wish I could travel across the US with such little effort but our public transportation structure makes that difficult. We have chosen to develop based on the individual and not the collective (surprise), and our public transportation is evident of this fundamental aspect of the American mentality.
For those who say the US is simply too large to connect by rail, one look at the projects and lines in China is evidence to the contrary. China already has 4,000KM of track in operation and over 6,000KM of high-speed rail under construction (with another 3,000KM planned). The United States has 362KM in operation and 1,200KM planned, making rail another area where the US lags behind. It’s time to make the hard decisions and the expensive investments now to improve the future.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
This n’ That
Apparently, I’m a person that can answer questions. My host brother asked me to tell the whole family that cannons, you know, the ones on sides of ships, exist. A debate about American currency amongst my family members was settled when I promised them that there is no $500 bill in circulation today (although my host cousin who “studied economics in Greece,” swore otherwise). A friend recently called me to settle another debate she was having with some Albanians: where England and Great Britain the same thing?
Another popular question I here is simply: “What is this?” One of the more memorable answers came this week. While I was cooking, my host mom told me that a “package had arrived from Germany.” An Albanian children’s magazine similar to Highlights called Mrekulli (Miracle) frequently distributes packages to its subscribers. We examined the contents of the packages and I look at a small note enclosed that stated the package came from a Scottish Christian organization.
The package contained the usual items: toothbrushes and toothpaste; colored pencils; coloring books; and sets of hats and gloves. There was also another item, tiny and wrapped in plastic. “What is this?” My host mom asked.
“It’s a towel for to wash the body like have us,” I said. In spending time abroad, I feel like it’s only Americans that have large wash cloths for the shower. Everyone else has fake plastic sponges, or if you’re German, a type of washing mitten that you put your hand in.
“I don’t believe you!” my host mom answered.
And I told her that you had to put it in water. Now I was really sounding ridiculous.
“I think it’s one of those notebooks for to write on with tape on them,” she replied skeptically. My host cousin had visited a few weeks later and armed with a post-it note pad, had decorated the backs of our kitchen chairs with his artwork.
Imagine her surprise when I cut the plastic off the outside and put it in a bowl of hot water.
“I would have died before I figured out what that was,” she said.
***
I went to get my haircut earlier this week on my day off. A wash, cut and styling cost $4. The weather was so nice outside that I decided to walk for a little until I took a furgon home.
I was enjoying the sun and walked about 20 minutes, when the city bus drove past me. I thought it was too late to flag it, so I didn’t bother raising my hand. It stopped fifty feet in front of me and didn’t start going again. It was waiting for me.
When I hustled to get in, the man that collects the fare told me that they remembered me from earlier that morning. How often has that happened to you in the States?
***
Speaking of uncanny Albanian memory skills, I was shopping at the gabi today. The gabi is a giant used clothing market that I will severely miss when I come home. I can’t imagine the number of people that pass through on a given day, much less associate people with the clothing they buy. When I showed up at a stand I visited a few weeks ago, the woman complimented my shirt (I had bought it from her) and asked me how I was. Now, I know that we’re probably the only foreigners she came in contact with, but it’s still pretty impressive.
***
Albanians use plastic bags and bags in general in ways I’ve never seen before. Sometimes, they use them to carry live chickens. I’ve seen kittens put in bags. Albanians are astounded when we tell them, “I don’t need a bag for that” after we buy something. Even the grocer across the street looks at me funny when I don’t want to put my carton of milk in a bag to carry it about 20 steps across the street to my house.
So when I bought a large messenger bag… should I have been surprised that the messenger bag was packed into a plastic bag and given to me?
Another popular question I here is simply: “What is this?” One of the more memorable answers came this week. While I was cooking, my host mom told me that a “package had arrived from Germany.” An Albanian children’s magazine similar to Highlights called Mrekulli (Miracle) frequently distributes packages to its subscribers. We examined the contents of the packages and I look at a small note enclosed that stated the package came from a Scottish Christian organization.
The package contained the usual items: toothbrushes and toothpaste; colored pencils; coloring books; and sets of hats and gloves. There was also another item, tiny and wrapped in plastic. “What is this?” My host mom asked.
“It’s a towel for to wash the body like have us,” I said. In spending time abroad, I feel like it’s only Americans that have large wash cloths for the shower. Everyone else has fake plastic sponges, or if you’re German, a type of washing mitten that you put your hand in.
“I don’t believe you!” my host mom answered.
And I told her that you had to put it in water. Now I was really sounding ridiculous.
“I think it’s one of those notebooks for to write on with tape on them,” she replied skeptically. My host cousin had visited a few weeks later and armed with a post-it note pad, had decorated the backs of our kitchen chairs with his artwork.
Imagine her surprise when I cut the plastic off the outside and put it in a bowl of hot water.
“I would have died before I figured out what that was,” she said.
***
I went to get my haircut earlier this week on my day off. A wash, cut and styling cost $4. The weather was so nice outside that I decided to walk for a little until I took a furgon home.
I was enjoying the sun and walked about 20 minutes, when the city bus drove past me. I thought it was too late to flag it, so I didn’t bother raising my hand. It stopped fifty feet in front of me and didn’t start going again. It was waiting for me.
When I hustled to get in, the man that collects the fare told me that they remembered me from earlier that morning. How often has that happened to you in the States?
***
Speaking of uncanny Albanian memory skills, I was shopping at the gabi today. The gabi is a giant used clothing market that I will severely miss when I come home. I can’t imagine the number of people that pass through on a given day, much less associate people with the clothing they buy. When I showed up at a stand I visited a few weeks ago, the woman complimented my shirt (I had bought it from her) and asked me how I was. Now, I know that we’re probably the only foreigners she came in contact with, but it’s still pretty impressive.
***
Albanians use plastic bags and bags in general in ways I’ve never seen before. Sometimes, they use them to carry live chickens. I’ve seen kittens put in bags. Albanians are astounded when we tell them, “I don’t need a bag for that” after we buy something. Even the grocer across the street looks at me funny when I don’t want to put my carton of milk in a bag to carry it about 20 steps across the street to my house.
So when I bought a large messenger bag… should I have been surprised that the messenger bag was packed into a plastic bag and given to me?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Higher Education in Albania
This post will dive into the fun-filled world of applying to attend a higher educational institution in Albania. It’s perfectly fine if you skip reading this entry because it’s complicated and probably not that interesting.
After Albanian high school students complete their senior year (due to restructuring, that could be either at the conclusion of their fourth or fifth year of high school), students are required to take their final exams. These exams, called matura in Albanian, when combined with a whole other set of numbers create an overall number for each student in the country, which is then used to determine their university placements.
Students are required to take tests in math, Albanian literature and two additional subjects of their choice. Starting in 2012, English will be mandatory as a final exam and it will be a disaster. This means that students currently in 10th grade have just two years to get their English to an acceptable level – and if they haven’t learned it yet in years of schooling, they probably won’t learn much more. The rules the ministry has created incredible short deadlines. It will be interesting to see what happens to the students and the grades, given that a large percentage will fail. Already plagued by rampant cheating, having a 60%+ failure rate will be a nightmare (I’d estimate at least that many will fail). We’ll see what happens in two years in terms of English.
The next number is the coefficient, which varies from school to school depending on the structure and material. For example, a foreign language school would have a smaller coefficient for math and Albanian language because it is not a main subject. However, the English and Italian coefficients would be larger because they are studied more intently. In a regular high school, a coefficient for any student taking an English exam is “1.6.” A foreign language school would get a different, higher number. This disparity in coefficients makes it very difficult for foreign language school students to break into the prestigious math and science programs. Also figuring into this is that the coefficient is weighted based on whether you take science or social science, those two being the two tracks in which you’re placed in high school depending upon your grades leading up to 9th grade.
Is it complicated enough yet? It gets better!
The combined the matura results and coefficients are combined with GPAs to form the final number that students get. After these numbers are compiled, a list of specific programs within universities is published in the newspapers. This list tells students the minimum number they must have in order to apply for a position in the program. The exams are in the middle of June and the results come back by the middle of July. Students then have a week or so to submit their desired universities and programs. They won’t find out where they’ve been placed until September and the university year begins in October.
To find out their placements, students have to either look through an anonymous 700-page PDF document (names are replaced with pin codes) on the MASH website or check out a newspaper where their names and placements are printed for all to see. And you thought you were nervous to open an envelope from your university.
There are a lot of problems with the system. It frequently ends up that students study not what they want but what was available. Until you have your best students doing and studying exactly what you want, there are always going to be economic problems. People who like and are interested in what they are study will be better students and more than likely, better leaders in the future as development continues in all sectors. Not surprisingly, teaching programs require one of the lowest coefficients. This is cause for concern when considering the future of education.
And of course, I can’t mention education without mentioning corruption. The cheating on state tests it not a surprise. Often, proctors can’t or won’t create an appropriate test-taking environment. And although cheating is associated with poor students, skilled students are just as guilty when it comes to perpetuating the system. I’ve heard more than one student say, “It’s just easier to let them copy. If they copy, they keep quiet and allow me to focus.” Another gifted student couldn’t see anything wrong with helping his friends out. The system of bribes runs deep between teachers, parents and students. Children of privilege are more likely to have better scores. Certainly you could be both smart and rich. But more than likely, your teachers have been bribed to give you good grades. Corrupt teachers continue the system because they assume that they will be paid. So do students and parents.
So who controls this? Well, there are school inspectors in theory. On a regional level, they show up unannounced and go through lesson books and plans; grade books; the school, etc. MASH has since changed the method of inspection and inspectors will now do their job by going from department to department instead of just general inspections. One long-term volunteer told me that there was only one inspection in 3 years at the 3 schools they worked at. That’s the level of oversight and responsibility when it comes to the quality of education.
Until Albanian society values teachers and quality education, the outcome will continue to remain bleak. Development as a country and as a society takes time, money and ideas. Teachers, as in most countries, are vastly underappreciated. Teaching is still done by rote learning with new methods slow to catch on. Universities are crammed full of students who aren’t all studying what they want. The Ministry continues spasmodically changing rules and guidelines. What Albania needs is a focused, consistent and long-term plan to create schools and pupils that are ready for the future.
After Albanian high school students complete their senior year (due to restructuring, that could be either at the conclusion of their fourth or fifth year of high school), students are required to take their final exams. These exams, called matura in Albanian, when combined with a whole other set of numbers create an overall number for each student in the country, which is then used to determine their university placements.
Students are required to take tests in math, Albanian literature and two additional subjects of their choice. Starting in 2012, English will be mandatory as a final exam and it will be a disaster. This means that students currently in 10th grade have just two years to get their English to an acceptable level – and if they haven’t learned it yet in years of schooling, they probably won’t learn much more. The rules the ministry has created incredible short deadlines. It will be interesting to see what happens to the students and the grades, given that a large percentage will fail. Already plagued by rampant cheating, having a 60%+ failure rate will be a nightmare (I’d estimate at least that many will fail). We’ll see what happens in two years in terms of English.
The next number is the coefficient, which varies from school to school depending on the structure and material. For example, a foreign language school would have a smaller coefficient for math and Albanian language because it is not a main subject. However, the English and Italian coefficients would be larger because they are studied more intently. In a regular high school, a coefficient for any student taking an English exam is “1.6.” A foreign language school would get a different, higher number. This disparity in coefficients makes it very difficult for foreign language school students to break into the prestigious math and science programs. Also figuring into this is that the coefficient is weighted based on whether you take science or social science, those two being the two tracks in which you’re placed in high school depending upon your grades leading up to 9th grade.
Is it complicated enough yet? It gets better!
The combined the matura results and coefficients are combined with GPAs to form the final number that students get. After these numbers are compiled, a list of specific programs within universities is published in the newspapers. This list tells students the minimum number they must have in order to apply for a position in the program. The exams are in the middle of June and the results come back by the middle of July. Students then have a week or so to submit their desired universities and programs. They won’t find out where they’ve been placed until September and the university year begins in October.
To find out their placements, students have to either look through an anonymous 700-page PDF document (names are replaced with pin codes) on the MASH website or check out a newspaper where their names and placements are printed for all to see. And you thought you were nervous to open an envelope from your university.
There are a lot of problems with the system. It frequently ends up that students study not what they want but what was available. Until you have your best students doing and studying exactly what you want, there are always going to be economic problems. People who like and are interested in what they are study will be better students and more than likely, better leaders in the future as development continues in all sectors. Not surprisingly, teaching programs require one of the lowest coefficients. This is cause for concern when considering the future of education.
And of course, I can’t mention education without mentioning corruption. The cheating on state tests it not a surprise. Often, proctors can’t or won’t create an appropriate test-taking environment. And although cheating is associated with poor students, skilled students are just as guilty when it comes to perpetuating the system. I’ve heard more than one student say, “It’s just easier to let them copy. If they copy, they keep quiet and allow me to focus.” Another gifted student couldn’t see anything wrong with helping his friends out. The system of bribes runs deep between teachers, parents and students. Children of privilege are more likely to have better scores. Certainly you could be both smart and rich. But more than likely, your teachers have been bribed to give you good grades. Corrupt teachers continue the system because they assume that they will be paid. So do students and parents.
So who controls this? Well, there are school inspectors in theory. On a regional level, they show up unannounced and go through lesson books and plans; grade books; the school, etc. MASH has since changed the method of inspection and inspectors will now do their job by going from department to department instead of just general inspections. One long-term volunteer told me that there was only one inspection in 3 years at the 3 schools they worked at. That’s the level of oversight and responsibility when it comes to the quality of education.
Until Albanian society values teachers and quality education, the outcome will continue to remain bleak. Development as a country and as a society takes time, money and ideas. Teachers, as in most countries, are vastly underappreciated. Teaching is still done by rote learning with new methods slow to catch on. Universities are crammed full of students who aren’t all studying what they want. The Ministry continues spasmodically changing rules and guidelines. What Albania needs is a focused, consistent and long-term plan to create schools and pupils that are ready for the future.
A Textbook Overview
MASH is the Albanian acronym for The Ministry of Education and Science. Housed in a large Tirana building, they control the schools and what we teach in them. I visited them once to get information and it was the strangest experience: they buzzed me into the building without an appointment and left me to wander on my own until I found the contact I wanted to meet. There was a brief period as I wandered the halls which felt so Kafkaesque. Where am I going? Who exactly am I meeting? Does anyone know?
One of the biggest challenges is teaching large, multi-level classrooms. Students have wildly varying degrees of knowledge and interest when it comes to English, and the fact that there are often 35-45 students in a class makes it all the more difficult. Adding to this are student textbooks. Where do the books come from and who chooses them? I’m not sure because, like many things in Albania, I’ve heard varying answers to the question. Some teachers say MASH chooses the textbooks; others say it’s the regional officials who are courted by one of a few major foreign publishers; some insist it’s the teachers. I’m still not sure. What I do know is that 1st year students in high school have a book called Blockbuster 3.
There are two types of textbooks: ones that are Albanian-produced (and littered with English errors) and ones that are British-produced. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. The Albanian books look like they haven’t been edited. One series of books just has articles copied from Reader’s Digest. We affectionately call this book “The Angelina Jolie Reader,” because it has a few articles about her. In every copy of this book I’ve seen, someone has usually defaced her picture. The Albanian books are usually poorly designed, and another features a typesetting problem whichm ake sth eword sloo klik ethis. However, the major advantage with these books is the presence of Albanian. In a perfect world, language classes would be taught completely in the target language without any use of the native tongue. We don’t live in a perfect world. Having dictionaries and grammar structures explained in Albanian is incredibly helpful. It’s discouraging to students if they look on a page and cannot identify one English word. It’s too much to ask of most students to look everything up, even if it’s a great way to learn.
Then we have the British-produced books. Boy, they are sure glitzy. Glossy pages, colors, aesthetic design… But sometimes I wonder if they aren’t a bit too much of style over substance. Blockbuster 3, the book my students have, could fall into this category. This book, which someone picked for first year high school students, includes lessons about technology not relevant to everyday life; a lesson about environmental issues and a lesson about endangered animals. Because they are produced in England for the international market, they don’t have any Albanian in them. That makes a huge difference and it’s something that is difficult both for students and for teachers. Think about how you would feel as a beginner if someone gave you a book with the word “endangered” in it. Does that seem like a first year word to you? Again, this also has to do with the people picking the books just as much as the book itself.
Aside from English books, there are also cultural concepts that present a problem. The Ministry includes sex education into the biology curriculum in the 10th grade year. There is also a life skills class that 10th graders get which touches on AIDS and STDs. Life skills also encompasses basic first aid and lessons about drug and alcohol abuse. I think it’s an important subject for students, especially because their lives are relatively sheltered still at the high school level. I went through the textbook with a teacher who teaches this class, and asked her how she approaches the material. “I can’t teach it, I mean, look at these pictures,” she said. There diagrams of naked men and women. “The students will laugh.”
Teachers don’t want to do it because it falls under the category of “shame.” If I thought Americans were prudish and terrified, we’ve got nothing on Albanians.
The other piece of the textbook puzzle are the publishers and distributors. Publishers stand to make a lot of money if their books are chosen so they persuade teachers, directors and regional educational directors into choosing their books. They give swag like posters and other materials, support conferences and teacher trainings and in some cases, furnish classrooms with technology like DVDs/CDs players. It’s an enticing offer.
Most schools have a small library, or bookshop, where students purchase the books. A Blockbuster textbook purchased directly from the publisher’s store in Tirana costs 1300Lek. Outside of Tirana, stores charge 1500Lek ($15). Although it might not seem like much, the 200Lek price difference is significant: one person in any given town has a monopoly on selling books from a specific publisher. When all students must take English, they must also buy all the books from a certain publisher, meaning that that sales can total in the thousands of dollars not including surrounding villages that may also need the books. It’s a lucrative industry even in a country where lack of copyright law enforcement causes many students to copy their books.
One of the biggest challenges is teaching large, multi-level classrooms. Students have wildly varying degrees of knowledge and interest when it comes to English, and the fact that there are often 35-45 students in a class makes it all the more difficult. Adding to this are student textbooks. Where do the books come from and who chooses them? I’m not sure because, like many things in Albania, I’ve heard varying answers to the question. Some teachers say MASH chooses the textbooks; others say it’s the regional officials who are courted by one of a few major foreign publishers; some insist it’s the teachers. I’m still not sure. What I do know is that 1st year students in high school have a book called Blockbuster 3.
There are two types of textbooks: ones that are Albanian-produced (and littered with English errors) and ones that are British-produced. Each has their advantages and disadvantages. The Albanian books look like they haven’t been edited. One series of books just has articles copied from Reader’s Digest. We affectionately call this book “The Angelina Jolie Reader,” because it has a few articles about her. In every copy of this book I’ve seen, someone has usually defaced her picture. The Albanian books are usually poorly designed, and another features a typesetting problem whichm ake sth eword sloo klik ethis. However, the major advantage with these books is the presence of Albanian. In a perfect world, language classes would be taught completely in the target language without any use of the native tongue. We don’t live in a perfect world. Having dictionaries and grammar structures explained in Albanian is incredibly helpful. It’s discouraging to students if they look on a page and cannot identify one English word. It’s too much to ask of most students to look everything up, even if it’s a great way to learn.
Then we have the British-produced books. Boy, they are sure glitzy. Glossy pages, colors, aesthetic design… But sometimes I wonder if they aren’t a bit too much of style over substance. Blockbuster 3, the book my students have, could fall into this category. This book, which someone picked for first year high school students, includes lessons about technology not relevant to everyday life; a lesson about environmental issues and a lesson about endangered animals. Because they are produced in England for the international market, they don’t have any Albanian in them. That makes a huge difference and it’s something that is difficult both for students and for teachers. Think about how you would feel as a beginner if someone gave you a book with the word “endangered” in it. Does that seem like a first year word to you? Again, this also has to do with the people picking the books just as much as the book itself.
Aside from English books, there are also cultural concepts that present a problem. The Ministry includes sex education into the biology curriculum in the 10th grade year. There is also a life skills class that 10th graders get which touches on AIDS and STDs. Life skills also encompasses basic first aid and lessons about drug and alcohol abuse. I think it’s an important subject for students, especially because their lives are relatively sheltered still at the high school level. I went through the textbook with a teacher who teaches this class, and asked her how she approaches the material. “I can’t teach it, I mean, look at these pictures,” she said. There diagrams of naked men and women. “The students will laugh.”
Teachers don’t want to do it because it falls under the category of “shame.” If I thought Americans were prudish and terrified, we’ve got nothing on Albanians.
The other piece of the textbook puzzle are the publishers and distributors. Publishers stand to make a lot of money if their books are chosen so they persuade teachers, directors and regional educational directors into choosing their books. They give swag like posters and other materials, support conferences and teacher trainings and in some cases, furnish classrooms with technology like DVDs/CDs players. It’s an enticing offer.
Most schools have a small library, or bookshop, where students purchase the books. A Blockbuster textbook purchased directly from the publisher’s store in Tirana costs 1300Lek. Outside of Tirana, stores charge 1500Lek ($15). Although it might not seem like much, the 200Lek price difference is significant: one person in any given town has a monopoly on selling books from a specific publisher. When all students must take English, they must also buy all the books from a certain publisher, meaning that that sales can total in the thousands of dollars not including surrounding villages that may also need the books. It’s a lucrative industry even in a country where lack of copyright law enforcement causes many students to copy their books.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Berlusconi’s Italy
Over the past few months, I’ve been making my way through Alexander Stille’s The Sack of Rome: Media + Money + Celebrity = Power = Silvio Berlusconi, which traces Berlusconi’s rise in business to his three stints as Prime Minister. Most of us can agree that the American system of politics is far from perfect, but reading this book gave me an insight into just how broken a system can become.
Rome goes into detail about Berlusconi’s beginnings as a real estate developer in 1960s Milan, which are the beginning of not-so-transparent dealings. From there, Berlusconi enters the fledgling commercialized television industry and continues to build his empire, creating the media group Fininvest in 1978. He added the soccer team AC Milan to his possessions in 1986, which is amongst the most profitable in the world.
A failed system
The book is well-researched and handles the complex legal and social issues so that novices to Italian policy can understand how deeply upsetting Berlusconi’s rule has been. The flaws in the Italian justice and legal system are particularly evident: the huge conflict of interest of a Prime Minister controlling most of the television and newspapers of a country, then getting Parliamentarians elected to create laws effecting this media; the inability of the Italian government to eliminate corruption; the ties between government officials and the Mafia; the statute of limitations in Italian court cases that encourage the accused to drag a trial on for as long as possible to make the statute run out; and the immunity that senators have, causing people to run for political office to avoid trial, just to name a few. It has all the makings of a great political drama once shady alliances and offshore bank accounts come to light (the billions of startup funds for Fininvest have never been identified) and I’m not even going to talk about Berlusconi’s numerous gaffes and a personality that is nowhere near what you would expect from a lead elected official.
Repeat something enough, and it’s true
Television plays an essential role in Berlusconi’s power. He once claimed that, “If something isn’t on TV, it doesn’t exist.” In a country where over 70% of Italians get their “news” from television, this is true. Berlusconi made an effort to turn the public broadcaster RAI into another mouthpiece while expanding his own Mediaset channels to further his agenda. Somehow, this is acceptable.
In the times leading up to one of the elections, opposition figures were faced with a dilemma. Public television is not permitted to show any political advertising, so in order to advertise, they had to give money to Berlusconi’s companies to buy advertising space. They chose not to and were trounced. Technically, public stations are supposed to devote equal amounts of time to the candidates, but the figures were not even close: Berlusconi dominated the airwaves.
In 2001, he also sent “Una Storia Italiana,” to 12 million households, which was a biography mostly in the form of glossy pictures that cost between $25 - $100 million to produce (p. 252). He did this because a law designed to reduce his rule of the media was passed which banned all television advertising for the upcoming political campaign. He circumvented it by publishing and distributing his political history.
Berlusconi is not only active in television but print media, and the book also details how his friends are systematically rewarded and enemies punished using the various arms of his power. Many good editors and news producers have suffered under his tight grasp. Democracy cannot function without a free press, and more and more Italians are rightfully losing their trust in the media because they are told one thing but experience something very different in real life.
Sports and the Collective Consciousness
After Berlusconi bought Milan, the club he followed his whole life, in 1986, the team turned around thanks to huge investments to sign exceptional players. Berlusconi played up the success of his squad and used it for political purposes, indicating that if he could make Milan a successful team, there wasn’t anything else he couldn’t do. He played into cultural narratives that your average Italian could appreciate: a boy buying his childhood team and leading it to glory (oh, did I mention that Berlusconi and his father would bond over their love of AC Milan?), and the power of the national pastime, soccer. Soccer was such a catapult that when Berlusconi formed his political party in the 1990s, he named it “Forza Italia,” which just so happens to be what fans cheering the national team chant. Coincidence? I think not.
That looks familiar
Berlusconi is no isolated political figure. People voted for Berlusconi because of a power vacuum in Italian politics; general disdain for the left; the culture’s general lack of concern for conflict of interest issues and that a large percentage of people are self-employed which sways them to vote conservative (263-265). People voted for him even though he:
“single-handedly derailed the national corruption investigation known as Operation Clean Hands; turned back the clock on the war against the Mafia; set a series of troubling precedents for mixing private and public affairs and created a politicized media that in many ways anticipated developments in the United States and elsewhere” (320).
In a brilliant finish to the book, Skille demonstrates the similarities between Italian life under Berlusconi and American life under Bush and the resurgent right.
Skille’s observations:
1. Because television is critical to political success, money becomes even more necessary. Skille mentions Ross Perot, Steve Forbes, Michael Bloomberg, etc. (328-329). Like Berlusconi, these individuals have money. With enough money political experience is largely irrelevant. This doesn’t seem to create a conflict with voters judging by their choices. Politics is less about being the most qualified and more about having the most money.
2. The role of big business. The US is quick to identify and accuse other governments of corruption, but is it really in a position to judge? Doesn’t it seem strange that the Vice President used to work for Halliburton, the same company that won huge no-bid government contracts? What about the legislators becoming part of the industries they regulated when their political careers are over (340)?
3. Much like Italy, the United States has largely politicized and partisan news media (329). Opinion is repeated enough times to create a fact, combined with all the shouting and fighting disguised as political discourse. No one can agree on what constitute a “fact,” because too many people are busy creating them. John Kerry’s Vietnam record, WMDs in Iraq, whether the US tortures, etc.
4. Noneconomic voters. Inexplicably, white working class voters backed Bush even though they have suffered under Republican presidents. This suggests they are voting on noneconomic issues, such as: “the war on terrorism, gun control legislation, abortion, religion, gay marriage, and the personal appeal of the candidate” (341). It all seems so evident on paper but day-to-day realities are not truly reflected in recent Italian and American elections.
I’d also add that “celebrity” may become the new money. Sarah Palin’s, and to a lesser extent, Christine O’Donnell’s political careers, are dependent upon this celebrity. Palin has done much to keep herself in the spotlight to remain relevant enough when 2012 comes around, but will that matter in terms of actual political experience? Is the American public so enamored with reality TV that they’d elect a president who once had their own show? Perhaps now it’s enough to be a political celebrity to get elected to office. I shudder to think.
And now for something completely different
We can look at immigration patterns and cultural influences and see that Italy and Greece are the focal point of Albanians. Given Greece’s economic problems that they are unwilling to fix, and Italy’s the pervasive corruption and mafia in society and politics, what kind of role models are they for a country that is still developing? And given that the two countries are both in the European Union, how might these factors affect the way Albanians think about their own EU chances?
Rome goes into detail about Berlusconi’s beginnings as a real estate developer in 1960s Milan, which are the beginning of not-so-transparent dealings. From there, Berlusconi enters the fledgling commercialized television industry and continues to build his empire, creating the media group Fininvest in 1978. He added the soccer team AC Milan to his possessions in 1986, which is amongst the most profitable in the world.
A failed system
The book is well-researched and handles the complex legal and social issues so that novices to Italian policy can understand how deeply upsetting Berlusconi’s rule has been. The flaws in the Italian justice and legal system are particularly evident: the huge conflict of interest of a Prime Minister controlling most of the television and newspapers of a country, then getting Parliamentarians elected to create laws effecting this media; the inability of the Italian government to eliminate corruption; the ties between government officials and the Mafia; the statute of limitations in Italian court cases that encourage the accused to drag a trial on for as long as possible to make the statute run out; and the immunity that senators have, causing people to run for political office to avoid trial, just to name a few. It has all the makings of a great political drama once shady alliances and offshore bank accounts come to light (the billions of startup funds for Fininvest have never been identified) and I’m not even going to talk about Berlusconi’s numerous gaffes and a personality that is nowhere near what you would expect from a lead elected official.
Repeat something enough, and it’s true
Television plays an essential role in Berlusconi’s power. He once claimed that, “If something isn’t on TV, it doesn’t exist.” In a country where over 70% of Italians get their “news” from television, this is true. Berlusconi made an effort to turn the public broadcaster RAI into another mouthpiece while expanding his own Mediaset channels to further his agenda. Somehow, this is acceptable.
In the times leading up to one of the elections, opposition figures were faced with a dilemma. Public television is not permitted to show any political advertising, so in order to advertise, they had to give money to Berlusconi’s companies to buy advertising space. They chose not to and were trounced. Technically, public stations are supposed to devote equal amounts of time to the candidates, but the figures were not even close: Berlusconi dominated the airwaves.
In 2001, he also sent “Una Storia Italiana,” to 12 million households, which was a biography mostly in the form of glossy pictures that cost between $25 - $100 million to produce (p. 252). He did this because a law designed to reduce his rule of the media was passed which banned all television advertising for the upcoming political campaign. He circumvented it by publishing and distributing his political history.
Berlusconi is not only active in television but print media, and the book also details how his friends are systematically rewarded and enemies punished using the various arms of his power. Many good editors and news producers have suffered under his tight grasp. Democracy cannot function without a free press, and more and more Italians are rightfully losing their trust in the media because they are told one thing but experience something very different in real life.
Sports and the Collective Consciousness
After Berlusconi bought Milan, the club he followed his whole life, in 1986, the team turned around thanks to huge investments to sign exceptional players. Berlusconi played up the success of his squad and used it for political purposes, indicating that if he could make Milan a successful team, there wasn’t anything else he couldn’t do. He played into cultural narratives that your average Italian could appreciate: a boy buying his childhood team and leading it to glory (oh, did I mention that Berlusconi and his father would bond over their love of AC Milan?), and the power of the national pastime, soccer. Soccer was such a catapult that when Berlusconi formed his political party in the 1990s, he named it “Forza Italia,” which just so happens to be what fans cheering the national team chant. Coincidence? I think not.
That looks familiar
Berlusconi is no isolated political figure. People voted for Berlusconi because of a power vacuum in Italian politics; general disdain for the left; the culture’s general lack of concern for conflict of interest issues and that a large percentage of people are self-employed which sways them to vote conservative (263-265). People voted for him even though he:
“single-handedly derailed the national corruption investigation known as Operation Clean Hands; turned back the clock on the war against the Mafia; set a series of troubling precedents for mixing private and public affairs and created a politicized media that in many ways anticipated developments in the United States and elsewhere” (320).
In a brilliant finish to the book, Skille demonstrates the similarities between Italian life under Berlusconi and American life under Bush and the resurgent right.
Skille’s observations:
1. Because television is critical to political success, money becomes even more necessary. Skille mentions Ross Perot, Steve Forbes, Michael Bloomberg, etc. (328-329). Like Berlusconi, these individuals have money. With enough money political experience is largely irrelevant. This doesn’t seem to create a conflict with voters judging by their choices. Politics is less about being the most qualified and more about having the most money.
2. The role of big business. The US is quick to identify and accuse other governments of corruption, but is it really in a position to judge? Doesn’t it seem strange that the Vice President used to work for Halliburton, the same company that won huge no-bid government contracts? What about the legislators becoming part of the industries they regulated when their political careers are over (340)?
3. Much like Italy, the United States has largely politicized and partisan news media (329). Opinion is repeated enough times to create a fact, combined with all the shouting and fighting disguised as political discourse. No one can agree on what constitute a “fact,” because too many people are busy creating them. John Kerry’s Vietnam record, WMDs in Iraq, whether the US tortures, etc.
4. Noneconomic voters. Inexplicably, white working class voters backed Bush even though they have suffered under Republican presidents. This suggests they are voting on noneconomic issues, such as: “the war on terrorism, gun control legislation, abortion, religion, gay marriage, and the personal appeal of the candidate” (341). It all seems so evident on paper but day-to-day realities are not truly reflected in recent Italian and American elections.
I’d also add that “celebrity” may become the new money. Sarah Palin’s, and to a lesser extent, Christine O’Donnell’s political careers, are dependent upon this celebrity. Palin has done much to keep herself in the spotlight to remain relevant enough when 2012 comes around, but will that matter in terms of actual political experience? Is the American public so enamored with reality TV that they’d elect a president who once had their own show? Perhaps now it’s enough to be a political celebrity to get elected to office. I shudder to think.
And now for something completely different
We can look at immigration patterns and cultural influences and see that Italy and Greece are the focal point of Albanians. Given Greece’s economic problems that they are unwilling to fix, and Italy’s the pervasive corruption and mafia in society and politics, what kind of role models are they for a country that is still developing? And given that the two countries are both in the European Union, how might these factors affect the way Albanians think about their own EU chances?
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