I have been following Italian press during the last years. Il Corriere della Sera, an independent newspaper and one of the most read, has been publishing several articles about racism and ethnic hate along the country. The dramatism of these stories is more than evident: Young people beated on buses or trains, children harrased in their own schools and many other cases of physical, symbolic and social violence. The target groups of these behaviors are immigrants, particularly African, Romanian and Albanian.
But also Southern Italians are victims of the intolerance and discrimination: As Corriere informs, the most recent case refers to a boy who was victim of anti-Neapolitan songs at school. His mother declares that his classmates also disinfected any pen that the boy used. She refuses to present any denounce and decided to change him to other school.
What is the explanation for this phenomena? Why are immigrants so dangerous for Italian people? One possible reason is linked to economical backgrounds: Unemployment and public spending are key factors to approach the causes of this hate. Sociologically, it relates to a power struggle between “us” and “them” and has a direct relation to social stigma. Who gets the job and why? Who gets the social support and why? The phenomena is more complicated than that. It also includes symbolic communication and cultural patterns. Why Italian people use words like “apes” or “pigs” to refer to African or European migrants? This comparison with animals is a strategy to dehumanize the other. As a result, it could allow to avoid guilt and remorse. If the subject is like an animal, the use of violence is justified, necessary and suitable.
This hate is not new. It is possible to identify similar attitudes and behaviours through history. The reflection I want to settle here is why this topic is absent in global media? Is it not relevant enough? News, as a construction, depends on media policies and procedures. My hypothesis is that symbolic violence does not sale. As a fact, the world is full of visible physical violence, that is more dramatic and does sale. Maybe, when this rebirth of hate explode, it will be a well-publicized news. Until then, nobody knows and nobody cares.
