It’s time for Tumblr to get educated about the cruel reality of organized crime in Southern Italy. I have seen far too many posts romanticizing Mafia and I know I should blame Hollywood for this but I won’t, because I will not blame movies to excuse your stupidity.
Such things are allowed but had it been a cute and romantic Ferguson AU you bastards would be asking for OP’s head. It makes me sick.
I grew up in goddamn Melito, a town between Giugliano and Scampia, which is where the bad things happen. Contrary to popular belief, the real danger is not in Naples but in the metropolitan area around the City, especially in the North (Melito, Giugliano, Arzano, Acerra, Casandrino, ecc.). This is where I spent twenty years of my life and where I will spend my summer hanging out with my friends. This is where I have learnt that the most dangerous feeling in the world is not love, hate, or fear. It’s desperation. Desperate people are terrifyingly easy to manipulate and take advantage of.
This is why organized crime exists, and why it originated in Southern Italy. To cut it short: people living in the South have always been “left alone” by the government, giving the organized crime an opportunity to “replace” the government itself. You’re poor and unemployed and you can’t feed your family? Better call the local boss. (Given the black-and-white Tumblr mindset you guys would blame these people, but I won’t). Mafia is a system that thrives upon hopelessness. Many people don’t see bosses as criminals, they see them as the good guys.
Now, the only language Tumblr understands is the language of fiction. I am not here to write a long-ass post about the Camorra, I am here to recommend a tv show. It’s called Gomorra. You can easily download the show with English, French or Spanish subs. Gomorra aired on Italian television with Italian subs because the main language is Neapolitan. They are currently filming the second season.
Gomorra is one of the best shows Italians ever made, and unless you’re watching Daredevil or Sense8, is probably better than anything you’re watching right now. Gomorra is “dark and gritty” as it’s supposed to be. It offers a very realistic portrayal of the Neapolitan organized crime. The main characters are cruel, plain evil and unsympathetic. The most disgusting thing (which is based on a real life event) you’ll see is done by the protagonist. Writing and cinematography are both amazing and despite them being scum, the characters are great. I had an hard time watching Gomorra because it felt too real for me, more like a documentary than a tv show. Nothing is really made up.
(Donna Imma, one of the main characters, has a memorable line: You believe the world is split in two categories, people who kill and people who don’t, and just because I am a woman, you think I belong to the latter.)
Enjoy.
persephone's corner 