La Bella Figura by Beppe Severgnini

Author:Beppe Severgnini
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7679-1440-6
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Published: 2006-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

Some objects are emblematic. They have become mental spaces in their own right, and deserve a guided tour. It is not enough to use them. You need to fix your gaze on their horizons, and impress them on your mind. In Italy, one of those objects is the television set, which we talked about in Florence. Another instructive space is the automobile, which we'll be examining. But the grandest, most luxurious space of all in modern Italy is the cell phone.

It's known as the telefonino, and in Italy, the diminutive suffix -ino is always a bad sign. Watch out if you are asked for an attimino, or “moment of your time,” a piacerino, a “small favor,” or a bacino, a “little kiss.” In recent years, though, the telefonino has changed our lives. It has had a greater impact than Silvio Berlusconi, the euro, or Grande Fratello, our version of the Big Brother reality show. The relationship between cell phones and Italians has spilled over from statistics into our lifestyle. If the French or Germans were to shut their eyes and think of Italy, they wouldn't see the Colosseum. They'd see a guy talking to himself in the street with one hand over his ear. Like that one over there. Observe how he tells the world about his love life as he waits to tell the bank teller about his cash-flow problems.

The guy over there is a video-camera fanatic. Having used his cell phone to hold superfluous conversations, he now uses a camera phone to take pointless pictures. That gentleman over there is a man who discovered texting at the age of fifty. He texts every word in full, with capital letters, accents, apostrophes, and all the proper spaces. Just watch him tapping out a message, his tongue sticking out of his mouth. Other customers avoid him. One or two sneak in front of him, but he doesn't seem to mind. He's trying to find the exclamation point, but has forgotten which button to press.

The astonishing popularity of cell phones in Italy is not due simply to convenience. The new toy also ticks a whole series of boxes in the national character.

The phenomenon started out as a way of showing off (“I've got one, what about you?”). Then cell phones became a token of belonging (“Have you got one?” “Me, too!”). Finally, they were viewed as a necessity (“We've all got one. Couldn't live without them!”).

Today's success hinges on the tentacular nature of the Italian family. The Finns own proportionately more cell phones than we do. They'd be very happy to use them all the time, but they don't know who to call. We Italians know only too well. Pop calls Mom, Mom calls son, son calls friend, friend calls other friend from the office, other friend calls casual acquaintance, casual acquaintance calls girlfriend, girlfriend calls sister, sister calls her folks, folks ring uncle and aunt, uncle and aunt call nephews and nieces, nephews and nieces ring home, Mom answers, and then calls Pop, who is standing in line at the bank.

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