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# 63 • JUNE 28 , 2015
discover our new column The Italian Way
THE ITALIAN WAY:
Addressing the Italian
Stereotypes, Myth 5
“PARTY ADDICTS”
By Elda Buonanno Foley, PhD
In a recent video presented
at the economy forum in Davos (Switzerland), the Italian
government has successfully
attempted, in handful of seconds, to address the most
popular Italian stereotypes.
In the video, the popular and
common “types” are indeed
revealed as part of an Italian
excellence that is remarkably
prosperous and successful
all over the world for a wide
spectrum of enterprises that,
indeed, make Italy one of the
leaders in the pharmaceutical
and technological areas, just
to name a few.
there is a long answer to that
statement and there are several perspectives and a deeper
essence to it. Let’s clarify a couple of points.
In the video, it is emphasized
that one of the most popular
images of the Italians is to be
known as party addicts. The
short reply to this assumption
is: absolutely! We love celebrations and any occasions of
social gatherings. However,
Firstly, if to be marked as party
addicts means to get drunk at
any occasions with family and
friends, well that is not true.
For Italians, the social gathering – the party/or celebrationhas a deeper meaning whose
value is deeply rooted in our
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customs and traditions.
Secondly, what is a party or a
celebration for us? Let’s clarify a neat distinction between
public and private events and
even in these two groups there are several distinctions. We
certainly celebrate the publicly acclaimed and recognized
days such as the holy days
(Christmas, New Year’s Eve
and New Year’s Day, Easter, All
saints) in addition to our public