Savay 1
Aliz Savay
Mr. Zarwell
Global Studies Seminar
22 January 2012
The Effects of Berlusconi’s Sex Scandals
In the article, “The Berlusconi Sex Scandal Explained,” Hada Messia discusses the Italian public’s reaction to Berlusconi’s various sex scandals and the effect they have had not only on his time as Prime Minister, but also on the Italian public’s morality. Messia argues that the manifold sex scandals that Berlusconi has been involved in have completely affected the Italian public’s viewpoint of women and sexuality. Italians have become accustomed to the demoralization of women due to Berlusconi’s actions and his extreme amount of power in Italy. Messia is biased against Berlusconi and mainly describes Nicoletta Dentico’s view of Berlusconi, expressing her concerns on the effects of his actions on young women today and how his scandals have affected Italy as a whole. However, Messia does not speak enough to the other effects Berlusconi’s scandals have had on Italy or if his scandals actually happened or not in the first place.
Messia does not necessarily express her view of the scandals, but rather uses many other sources’ opinions on Berlusconi and the possible effects that he has had on Italy. She mainly expresses Nicoletta Dentico’s portrayal of Berlusconi, as a corrupt leader, negatively impacting Italians’ views of women. Messia quotes Dentico saying, “Nowhere else in the world would a prime minister who is
Savay 2
enveloped in these types of scandals remain in place.” She also claims that Italians are in a “mental coma” and that in Italy, “rulers who appeared to act above the law are a recurring theme.” This is one viewpoint of Berlusconi, but this may not necessarily be correct. It is biased to claim that Italians are blind to Berlusconi’s actions and that they are in a mental coma because Berlusconi has actually done a lot of great things for Italy, and he cannot be defined by his scandals.
Not only does Messia discuss Dentico’s viewpoint, but also Massimo Fagioli, who is a psychiatrist, professor, and author. Messia is very biased, presenting Fagioloi in a very experienced light, stating all of his achievements then quoting him saying that he “believes Italians have a tendency to shrug off these types of scandals because they say ‘he has the money. He can do whatever he wants.’” This viewpoint once again bashes Berlusconi and makes it seem like the Italian public is just finding excuses and justifications for Berlusconi’s actions. Similarly, Messia quotes Dentico once again stating, “Dentico believes that Berlusconi has won the tolerance of Italians through the influence of his media empire” and that “he is a perfect communicator and a good seller,” once again presenting him in a bad light as a man of propaganda and corruption.
Later Messia criticizes Berlusconi and his effect on young women once again through Dentico’s quotes. Dentico believes that Berlusconi has given girls a bad example through his actions, rewarding them for their sexuality and appointing them to high positions. “Dentico says many girls want to emulate the model projected by Berlusconi’s TV channels, which promote a stereotypical idea of young
Savay 3
women as dances and TV show girls, known in Italy as ‘veline,’” writes Messia. However, throughout this article, Messia describes how Berlusconi constantly justifies his actions and denies all allegations. Berlusconi has denied all sex scandals, and has justified his placements of women into high powers by saying that they are deserving of their positions. However, in the end, “Dentico says the movement goes beyond Berlusconi—it’s a battle to change Italian culture.”
Messia addresses the question of the true effects of Berlusconi’s sex scandals and how they have affected the Italian viewpoint as a whole, not just Berlusconi’s terms as prime minister. Messia first describes his scandals, and Berlusconi’s justifications for his actions, and the girls’ denial of the scandals along with Berlusconi. However, Messia then goes on to give a biased view of Berlusconi through Dentico’s feelings, illustrating Berlusconi as a corrupt man who has completely affected Italian culture through his actions. Because Messia gives the high achievements of Dentico and the other people she quotes, this portrait of Berlusconi is very persuasive, but extremely biased at the same time. Although Messia speaks to the viewpoints of Berlusconi’s supporters in the beginning of the article, Messia gives overwhelming evidence of the corruption and negative effect that Berlusconi has had on Italy in the end.
Messia uses logical reasoning that Berlusconi has truly impacted Italy, but is extremely biased in her sources. She continuously quotes Dentico, who is very against Berlusconi and all that he stands for. Although some of the points make sense, this article presents Berlusconi in a very negative light, accusing him of
Savay 4
committing many crimes and being involved in countless scandals. Although none of these accusations were proven, Messia and Dentico believe that they have nevertheless influenced Italian culture and young girls’ attitudes, offering rewards for their sexuality. Messia concludes that Berlusconi’s support is waning, but it whether it is because of his policies or his scandals is unclear. However, his effect on Italy cannot be overlooked, and Italian culture as a whole is completely changed due to his actions as Prime Minister.
Work Cited
Messia, H.. The berlusconi sex scandal explained. N.p., 2011. Web. 22 Jan 2012. <http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/08/23/berlusconi.sex.scandal.explained/index.html>.
