Alpina's blog post - Some Away Days

Monday, October 6, 2008, 7:30:54 AM

We first spent a week in the Piedmont, Italy, and it was just wonderful; we tasted wine and bought a few boxes, and we ate great meals. We did everything very slowly and took a lot of time, and I felt physically well and relaxed and my legs didn't play me any nasty tricks, either. I had to think of my friend Gio when I was sitting in a roadside café in Torino - any guy at the next table could have been him.

When we came home there were general elections in Austria and their result was so depressing that I had to go into exile to Zürich for some days: the conservative right-wingers won a landslide 25% of the votes. So one of four people in the street voted for a bunch of ignorants who represent the intolerant, xenophobic and mean, who doubt that man has ever reached the moon but who readily believe the world began with two nude people conversing with a talking snake in a garden. Who believe that God created their litte hometown, which is the best in the world, especially for them, and so they have the right and duty to tell everyone what is right and what is wrong. Because their only idea of freedom is to earn money at whoever's cost, also all the cynics votes for them: they think they are harmless idiots so they can do business without caring for anyone or anything.

When I told this to an American friend of mine on he phone, he laughed and said, I'd love to have your worries. In your country it's 25%, here they are the government. I don't know if you can really compare - but for Austria is a shame. Beatrix in Zürich, where I spent some days in exile, calmed me down a little, so I didn't ask for political asylum in our neughbouring republic, but came home again on Friday night.

Comments

Others Have Said:

seshat on 6-Oct-08 17:12:19

With you it's 25%, here it's a staggering 30% 'idiots', I've grown very tired of politics because of it.

What a pity you didn't see Gio :-)

depotguy on 6-Oct-08 19:26:15

Whenever I think of Italy I think Of Gio. I'm afraid for our upcoming elections and the poor puppet woman who is the vp nominee. We could do so much better.

OldGeezer on 8-Oct-08 15:44:54

So glad to se eyour blog again. You seem to have been gone a long time, but it sounds like it was a very good time. Italy can be so lovely at this time of year.
I think its a sign of the timjes that the extremists are getting more popular. Its the fault of more moderate politicians that they do so little that people get bored, frustrated or something else, and feel that the "fighting talk" of the others would be better. Fools though they are.