Buondì.
The war’s started.
No, not THAT war, not Putin’s unprovoked invasion of a peaceable if rather corrupt European state, which has filled Italy and other European countries with desperate refugees, caused the deaths and maimings of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and raised my heating bills.
World War One. I’ve been looking forward to it!
Episodio 9. L’Italia entra in guerra (1915)
It’s 1914. Newly-industrialised Italy begins a long struggle against its imperial neighbour, the Austro-Hungarian empire.
There were similiarities, of course. The use of conscription, for instance, so ruining the lives of hundreds of thousands of young men on both sides – just as in modern-day Ukraine. And a lot of the time troops were/are fighting from trenches, which must be miserable.
Unlike with Russia’s almost satirically-named ‘Special Military Operation‘, Italy’s war against Austria-Hungary was fought in the high mountains in the north-east of the peninsula. Our writer mentions that two-thirds of Italian troops who lost their lives in the conflict did so as a result of falling into steep ravines, or because of the cold, or disease.
History sucks, as does the modern world, sometimes, though Steven Pinker has argued differently.
Oh, there’s one thing though! In Bologna, where I live, the Comune (municipality) has recently announced that if citizens would prefer to be addressed by a name or honorific that better matches their gender identity, for instance on their library membership card, public transport pass, or – for public employees – their name badge, or the sign on the door to their office, well, that’s just fine!
EasyItalianNews.com carried the story in yesterday’s FREE bulletin. I’ll republish it here, for your edification and/or outrage:
Grazie alla Carriera Alias
ci sarà un pieno riconoscimento
del diritto all’identità
di tutte le persone Trans e Non Binarie,
le quali potranno così richiedere il badge
se lavorano nelle amministrazioni pubbliche;
l’indirizzo di posta elettronica;
la targhetta con il nome scelto
davanti al proprio ufficio;
la tessera della biblioteca;
gli abbonamenti per i mezzi di trasporto pubblici.
OMG! What is the world coming to???
You’re a biological female but would prefer to be addressed as Mr., because that’s the way you see yourself, the way you dress, and because going around with Miss on your bus pass would be embarassing to you?
An example of ‘woke’, according to one fearful EasyItalianNews.com now ex-subscriber (read the comment here.)
America’s culture war has been lapping at European shores recently (we’re also too ‘pro-lockdown’, apparently), aided and abetted by morons like Putin, who think that changing your gender identity should be illegal.
Italy does have plenty of anti-woke pushback of its own, which in part is what the story was about, if you know enough to read between the lines – the current national government is right-wing, Bologna’s municipality is left-wing, which explains a lot of why this is newsworthy.
Basically though, by U.S. standards, and with the notable exceptions of autocratic Russia and semi-autocratic Hungary, Poland and Turkey – none of whose governments are renowned for values such as free speech and human rights – most of Europe is what Americans would describe as a ‘blue state’.
It may seem to certain demographics and shades of political opinion on the other side of the Atlantic that large chunks of Europe are inhabited by ungodly degenerates trying to subvert right-thinking Christians.
I certainly hope that’s the case. Make love not war I say, which is a Vietnam-war-era slogan from better days, when young Americans inspired the world, or at least those who weren’t shooting it up did.
Anyway, back to the business in hand, which is the slaughter of millions for the greater, geo-political good. Proper, traditional values, indeed.
You’ll find today’s FREE article in our thirty-part Summer Series here:
Episodio 9. L’Italia entra in guerra (1915)
(The first eight episodes in this series can be found on our History page. Scroll right down to the end to find them.)
A lunedì.
N.b. All bulk email we send has an ‘Unsubscribe’ link in the footer. Don’t hesitate to use it, will you?
P.S. Final reminder – ‘Per colpa di una lettera’ (B2) -25%
Here’s a final reminder about the launch offer on our new ‘easy Italian reader’, ‘Per colpa di una lettera’, which ends on Sunday night.
Until then, save 25% on the usual price, paying just £7.49, rather than the new easy reader price of £9.99.
The level is B2 (upper-intermediate), and it comes in .pdf format (the default download), with .epub & .mobi formats available on request at no extra charge.
Use them on your computer, print the .pdf to study the old-fashioned way, or read the story on your Kindle or other ebook reader.
So, what’s the story about?
One morning, Albina gets an unexpected visitor – because of a letter!
“Arrivo, arrivo! Che diamine! Un po’ di pazienza!” strilla Albina con voce acuta e civettuola, mentre qualcuno bussa insistentemente alla porta della sua piccola ma elegante casetta a due piani. È convinta che sia uno dei suoi ammiratori che le porta un mazzo di fiori.
- .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
- .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
- 8 chapters to read and listen to
- Comprehension questions to check your understanding
- Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
- Suitable for students at intermediate level or above
- Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
Remember, this being the first week ‘Per colpa di una lettera’ is 25% discounted, so just £7.49 rather than the usual ‘easy reader’ ebook price of £9.99.
Buy Per colpa di una lettera, just £7.49 | FREE sample chapter (.pdf) | Catalog
How do I access my ebook?
When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdf, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?
P.P.S. 
Have you read/listened to Thursday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news?
Their bi-monthly appeal for donations seems to have been going well, so I suppose there must be lots of ‘woke’ people learning Italian.
Donations pay EIN’s bills, so help them help thousands of people around the world improve their Italian (no matter what their political views), each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
If you’re not a subsciber, why not sign up? It’s FREE, and each week you get three. especially-written-for-learners, bulletins of Italian language news (audio + transcript). Subscribe here.
If you’re already a subscriber, you could donate to help the EIN team pay their bills. They’d appreciate it.
And/or you could assume that everyone in the world should think the way red-state America seems to, get all huffy, and go find something better to do with your time.
+++
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Jane says
Ciao Daniel,
your emails are sometimes so amusing and seemingly spontaneous. It’s like having a like-minded, well-read, opinionated, and sometimes a bit cynical friend drop by for a coffee break.
Buona giornata!
Daniel says
What nice feedback, Jane, thank you!
Isabel says
Buondi Daniel,
Totally agree with Jane and mille grazie for all the free content!!!
Monique says
I love your work and your honesty. It’s true that if you were, say, pro Trump, I would rush to unsubscribe, so having clicked on the link and read Suzie’s comment, I think it is with great pleasure that we can see her go on her angry way 😉 As you say, make love not war and let’s keep it that way. Buon lavoro e un abbraccio di Kent x
Yvonne says
Perhaps another revival of ‘Hair’ is overdue?
Lynne F says
Another week of amusing and thought-provoking articles Daniel {no mistakes with your name today:) } The three History episodes covering only a few years were years of great significance in world history. Your comments and opinions are very much appreciated. Not everybody will agree with them but we should be thankful that we have the freedom to make them and comment on them.
.It is often said that “History has a habit of repeating itself ” it is so true. History should be more than just a list of dates and events The events have consequences for the world and the people in it. Discussion and opinion should be encouraged so that we can learn from the past
Gail says
“unprovoked invasion”. I wrote to Daniel to say that there had been provocation from the West and NATO for a long time. It can be researched.
Daniel says
Indeed it can. The article Gail sent was published on the website of the Cato Institute, which Wikipedia describes thus:
“Cato advocates for a limited governmental role in domestic and foreign affairs as well as strong protection of civil liberties. This includes support for lowering or abolishing most taxes, opposition to the Federal Reserve system and the Affordable Care Act, the privatization of numerous government agencies and programs including Social Security and the United States Postal Service, demilitarization of the police, open borders and adhering to a non-interventionist foreign policy.”
Readers can draw their own conclusions.
Gail says
Yes, I checked the Cato institute, on Wiki, too before sending the mail. Just one of many… and isn’t the job of a scientist to question everything?
Best wishes.
Daniel says
No, not just one of many. Cleverly-constructed, professionally-written, credible-seeming propaganda doesn’t come cheap, and billionaires doesn’t throw their money away for no reason.
The article you sent me was 100% Russian-supporting propaganda, and I would challenge you to find any historian who would go on record supporting their so-called analysis.
The technique used, by the way, is called ‘whataboutism’, an effective way of fooling people because it always provides reasons which non-experts find difficult to contest. The idea is to make it SEEM as if both sides have an equally valid point of view. Like this:
You invaded my country and raped our women!
But what about you? You oppressed your Russian-speaking minority!
The Russian-speaking minority were much better off before you sent your covert operatives to undermine our legitimate government.
But what aout that so-called legitimate government? It was clearly just a tool of western imperialists.
We’re an independent country and can choose our own government and policies, without interference from you.
But what about NATO, which was using you to extend its influence right up to our borders?
etc.
The facts of the matter are simple, and uncontested by just about everyone. There’s no right to invade a neighbour, or anyone, in international law, except in self defence. And no credible historian/international relations specialist would say this was a case of self defence.
The article you sent was propaganda, pure and simple.
Gail says
Daniel
If you had read the article, you would have seen that the author takes a very balanced view of the situation saying neither side is guiltless. My issue was only with the adjective not the noun.
Daniel says
I read enough of it to see that ‘neither side is guiltless’ is entirely the self-serving point, exactly what Russia needs to hear, and exactly what USA audiences need to be told so as to justify the position explained on the Cato Institute’s website – non-intervention.
The point, obvious to most people, and certainly to all historians, is that one side is GUILTY BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT, while the other side is clearly the victim.
End of.