Quote from asap:
i beg to differ.
next time i checked, italy was one of the countries in the G8. how is that for "economic and political mess?"
with all due respect, your comment on how the italians are involved in prostitution, drugs and human trafficking in your country is a clear indication of xenophobia.
in my country, most of crimes are committed by brazilians and i dont think that's because of their nationality. using these stereotypes to make a point reveals ignorance.
Italy has so many political parties that no single party has ever been able to form a government alone, and there are rampant scandals and involvement with the Italian mafia. In the 1980s there were so many killings of judges etc that crime seemed unstoppable, and government corruption was wide spread. The "Mani pulite" (Clean Hands) investigations started in the 1990s. The public's opposition has been pronounced with pornstars elected into office etc. They have had nearly a new government per year...
Their national debt is over 100% of GDP, and they have had huge difficulties with budget deficits for decades.
Italian mafia is very heavily involved in human trafficking of prostitutes in Europe, and they have a very dominating role - along with Russians, ex-Yugoslavs. Most hookers from Nigeria enter via Italy and are then spread over Europe.
Also - enormous scandals like Parmalat, and the distribution of rotten cheese that they reprocessed and sold around Europe... lousy business ethics. But they have some excellent designs - and the most beautiful cars, fashion and boats in the world.
That shit is NOT normal for any country...
Among other Europeans, the Italians are pretty easy to notice - and not always very well liked. I personally have Italian friends here, and like them - they are emotional, but diverse - and pizza is my favourite food. The Italians which are where I am in Brazil, are mostly invested in tourism - the bad, the good and the ugly. That's why I speak of how Italians are here, however they are the largest immigrant group of Brazil, and most are of course squeaky clean - as good as can be in Brazil.
Brazil is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and there is a joke within the finance environment going as - if all financial infrastructure broke down all over the world, the Brazilians would go on just like nothing happened - because it would truly be business as usual. They are infamously undependable and have their "jeitinho" way of going around any "obstacle", while fleeing from responsibility.