When the words have a weight

In Italy a tax evader is called "sly" or "astute". Similarily, the no-scruples builder who makes money speculating against the public good is called "sly". The broker or the banker selling bogus shares or funds is called sly. The politician making only his own interests, the tax evader plumber who drives a 70.000€ Mercedes, the fellow who becomes full professor in the same university department where his father works as professor, who bypasses a long waiting list for a health check thanks to some powerful "good words", who builds an abusive villa within a protected natural area, who throws toxic wastes in rivers and in the fields, who sets fires in a forest in summer, who destroys an entire forest in the space of a night... All this in Italy is "sly"

Cunning doesn't imply shame but only astuteness

Using this term, we are inclined to accept the dramatic status quo in which we are living; instead of completely rejecting and condemning these behaviours we finally bear all this even with a sense of admiration (He's a really smart fellow!!).

A sly, thanks to his arrogance and despise for the collectivity, deprives us of something: usually a right.

Then, let's call these individuals with their real name. Considering that these individuals deprive us of something, they are "thieves". Consequently the previous list should be re-written as follows:

• a tax evader is a thief
• the no-scruples builder who makes money speculating against the public good is a thief
• the broker or the banker selling bogus shares or funds is a thief
• the politician making only his own interests is a thief
• the tax evader plumber who drives a 70.000€ Mercedes is a thief
• the fellow who becomes full professor in the same university department where his father works as professor is a thief
• who bypasses a long waiting list for a health check thanks to some powerful "good words" is a thief
• who builds an abusive villa within a protected natural area is a thief
• who throws toxic wastes in rivers and in the fields is a thief
• who sets fires in forests in summer is a thief
• who destroys an entire forest in the space of a night is a thief

If we want to change something in Italy, it is important to teach people at least the lost feeling of shame...