Wednesday 4 November 2009

God, People Like This Are Insufferable

The Finnish woman who has pursued the removal ad oltranza of crucifixes from classroom walls in Italian primary schools has been a culturally blind class warrior from another planet. That she has been accorded membership of Italian society on her marriage to an Italian has not conferred on her any cultural sensitivity whatever, and seems to have raised no thought of extending, to those who have received her, any cultural courtesy at all.

Italy is a Christian country. Who could have the remotest connection to Italy and not understand that? There is no need to labour the point with examples and historical reference. It is also an advanced capitalist democracy with guaranteed freedoms of speech, belief, worship, and peoples of many cultures living (reasonably) peacefully side by side. Lots of us, native and immigrant, are not Christian but most of us are grown up, and polite.

The Finnish woman is just plain rude.

9 comments:

Elby the Beserk said...

Sounds to me that she would fit in well over here as a New Labour apparatchik.

Beardy bloke in sandals on a bicycle. Quite right, HG - very offensive. Says this unaligned "believer"

Chris said...

Imagine the grotesque pucker-mouthed Moomin-herder's reaction if an Italian immigrant to Finland started lobbying that the Kalevala not be taught in their schools.

Hey, turnabout is fair play.

Weekend Yachtsman said...

I haven't followed this story.

Did she succeed in having them removed?

Surely the Italians would be well capable of allowing the whole thing to take so long that she died waiting for anything to happen? This is, after all, a country where it can take an entire lifetime to restore a modestly-sized church.

Perhaps Italy is not what it used to be.

An Italian said...

Depends on the church, WY. The fact that it might be modestly sized is irrelevant - the sistine chapel is positively tiny but there's quite a lot going on inside.

The Veneto told her No, the Italian State told her No, it was the european court who thought she had a point.

hatfield girl said...

'The Veneto told her No, the Italian State told her No, it was the european court who thought she had a point.'

Well, they would, wouldn't they, Italian.

Troublemakers: the Finn and the European Court.

I don't know anything about Islam but whatever is the symbol for the Islamic culture is probably widely displayed in Islamic countries. And even people who do not believe in God are awfully childish if they think such disbelief permits denial of their own culture and history. It was Roman imperial troops who put Christ to death, in the interests of maintaining colonial peace and quiet in a smallish colony. Italy's relationship with Christianity is not solely of faith, like the rest of us; Christianity is deeply intertwined with their state and its past. Trouble-stirring Finns and 'European' courts need to mind their cultural manners and mind what they are doing.

An Italian said...

Italy's relationship with Christianity is not solely of faith, like the rest of us; Christianity is deeply intertwined with their state and its past.

Italy has the Pope, punto e basta.

hatfield girl said...

Quite, Italian. Not for nothing did the Roman imperium shift its theological base, and thus retain its power. And so inclusive - perfectly happy to recruit globally, even up to the highest level when it suits.

Caronte said...

"Italy has the Pope, punto e basta". Quite. Basta e avanza(enough and more than enough). If the Pope just told Catholics what they can and cannot do without sinning, there would be no problem.

But why should non-catholics in Italy (nationality is immaterial) be bound by Catholic inspired legislation? You cannot have a free country without the freedon to sin. Contrary to appearances, there is not enough sinning in Italy, not as much as people would freely wish to commit.

Nomad said...

HG: A bit late here but I believe the symbol for Islam is probably the crescent moon - such as is displayed on ambulances in Islamic countries instead of the red cross.