The Winds Of Change Are Blowing Stronger

In my previous article, I spoke of the atmosphere beginning to change, with marches and demonstrations in France; now Italy, too, feels the need to respond forcefully to so many injustices.

We are plagued by inequality: wages are not enough to support a family, and living costs are mounting, creating significant instability in the homes of Europeans.

In Italy, we are entering the second week of protests by hauliers over high fuel prices, and workers in the agricultural sector are also joining the demonstrations. There are many difficulties involved in working the fields with tractors, as this requires the use of fuel, the price of which has not fallen at all to date – quite the contrary, it is rising ever higher. And because of the road blockades, half of Italy is beginning to experience fuel shortages, as tankers are unable to reach their destinations.

It is as if everything I have written so far is also the cause of what is happening in the homes of families who are finding themselves in ever greater difficulty due to rising prices across the board; it is now almost impossible to afford rent, to keep a car running because of high fuel prices, or to find a well-paid job, We are also seeing how essential services within the system are getting worse and worse – such as healthcare and education – and now it is young people who are starting to get very angry because they realize that those currently in power are not improving things for their future, but are instead making cuts and prioritizing other expenditure that will certainly not improve their lives.

The realization that prices are high and that one cannot afford to live independently is clear; it is impossible to study and work at the same time, given that jobs are increasingly poorly paid and time-consuming, especially if you have to pay rent in another city – and owning a car means you’re rich. Now let’s look at how the rich have almost every path laid out for them, whilst those who have to work face the exact opposite.

There is talk of increasing support for many, many things, but given the anger of the protesters, it always remains mere talk or, as ever, favors only a section of the population. Furthermore, even land ownership is taxed; people no longer have savings and do not feel they have the chance to build them up, given all the expenses they face in trying to ensure a certain standard of living for their families.

Now, when I listen to political speeches, I focus on seeing which of us will be strong enough to properly explain just how intense the anger can be in people’s homes, and I realize how much everyone wants to use these proposals to gain more followers, but there are those who have now become wary and no longer believe anyone – and this pleases me greatly, even though at the same time it makes me realize that it will be difficult to resolve the situation, given that people who are not directly affected by the problem or who do not come from the streets – as is happening in France – are being called upon to discuss how to resolve all these issues,

Let me be clear: I do not agree with targeting shops or the streets and destroying them, and I believe there are groups of hooligans who, carried away by the frenzy, are simply causing damage to towns and shops.

But I understand the anger – I experience it every day. Just this weekend, whilst talking to an acquaintance who works in the luxury fashion industry, he mentioned how brands like Chanel have almost doubled their prices, knowing full well that the number of wealthy people has increased, and they certainly have no problem paying double for a handbag or an item of clothing. In other words, as I wrote earlier, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, except that now we’re becoming increasingly aware of this – and increasingly angry.

We have windows through which we can see so many things, so much information and so many worlds, but they are windows of false information that are constantly revisited; worlds created and perfected to make us feel increasingly incomplete, reminding us that, to obtain a fragment of that reality, the longest path seems to be the wrong one.