Ask Battista Minola 1616 Anything - One

[Velasco]

Eurocommunism was an interesting idea that never went anywhere.

Dubcek and Allende had interesting ideas, too .

What's your opinion of Palmiro Togliatti and Enrico Berlinguer?

I love politics of the spectacle. Who's better on these grounds, Silvio Berlusconi or Donald Trump?

Also, I don't know who killed Benito Mussolini. What's your take?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Eurocommunism was an interesting idea that never went anywhere.

Dubcek and Allende had interesting ideas, too .

What's your opinion of Palmiro Togliatti and Enrico Berlinguer?

I love politics of the spectacle. Who's better on these grounds, Silvio Berlusconi or Donald Trump?

Also, I don't know who killed Benito Mussolini. What's your take?

Palmiro Togliatti strikes me as somewhat too dogmatic, uncompromising and tied to the USSR.
Enrico Berlinguer was not such and he gives me a pretty positive vibe.

Berlusconi is better than Trump in general, but on a "spectacle" level I don't know.

Benito Mussolini was executed by a firing squad of Partisans (members of the Resistenza), has this ever been in question?

[Velasco]

Berlusconi is better than Trump in general, but on a "spectacle" level I don't know.

Benito Mussolini was executed by a firing squad of Partisans (members of the Resistenza), has this ever been in question?

I asked who's the best showman, Trump or Berlusconi.

The question about Mussolini is a joke. Recently I was insomniac and watched a documentary in DMAX channel full of conspiracy theories and crap.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Berlusconi is better than Trump in general, but on a "spectacle" level I don't know.

Benito Mussolini was executed by a firing squad of Partisans (members of the Resistenza), has this ever been in question?

I asked who's the best showman, Trump or Berlusconi.

The question about Mussolini is a joke. Recently I was insomniac and watched a documentary in DMAX channel full of conspiracy theories and crap.

Well I might go with Berlusconi because I just find Trump insufferable in most situations.

HAHAHAHAHA DMAX
That TV channel is absurd and becomes even more so at night.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Seeing my total post count besides my daily post count on my profile informs me that this is my 100th day on Atlas.

Therefore, bump!

Edit: this is just the beginning

[Big Abraham]

Your favorite pope

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

In the battle between Mussolini and the Sicilian mafia, who was the morally superior actor?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Your favorite pope

Who knows. I think Celestine V was a very interesting figure. I want to read Story of a Humble Christian by Ignazio Silone, where he is the main character.

In the battle between Mussolini and the Sicilian mafia, who was the morally superior actor?

Cesare Mori was.
Mori was prefect in all Sicily between 1925 and 1929. He was more a servant of the State than a true-blue fascist. He used the iron fist, which was bad for other reasons of course but was pretty effective in combating Cosa nostra.
Of course Cosa nostra was not completely defeated during his service; and parts of it, as one may imagine, infiltrated the Sicilian PNF, and tried to obstruct him. After his service ended he was sidelined, while the official regime line was that Fascism had totally erased the Sicilian mafia, which Mori knew was not true.

[1978 New Wave skinny trousers]

Same question I asked Antonio: Do you have a favorite principality of Renaissance Italy?

Also, what is your opinion of Girolamo Savonarola and Rodrigo Borgia/Pope Alexander VI?

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

How tf are you managing almost 33 posts a day?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Same question I asked Antonio: Do you have a favorite principality of Renaissance Italy?

Also, what is your opinion of Girolamo Savonarola and Rodrigo Borgia/Pope Alexander VI?

I don't think I have a favourite principality. Maybe 15th century Florence - if it counts - for artistic reasons?

Girolamo Savonarola was, I'd say, very misguided.
Pope Alexander VI was a massive shameful POS but I think most Popes of his era were similar (although I doubt they had multiple and powerful kids!), and well, if you go check a chronological list of the Popes who've been canonized, you get interesting results (hint: not many around the 15th and 16th centuries).

How tf are you managing almost 33 posts a day?

I make almost 36 posts a day and then I delete around 3 old posts that never went anywhere each day. Hope this helps!

How do you start a small business during a recession? Simple: you start a big business... and then you wait.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Opinion of Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci?

[Santander]

Do you follow Italian rugby?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Opinion of Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci?

Ouch! I know there were some debates about them on this forum just before I joined, back in May/June.

Colombo was somewhat of a moron who discovered America (or better the Indies) at random. Kudos for the audacity, I guess, POS for his brutality towards Indigenous peoples. Vespucci seems to have been the first to realize that those "Indies" were actually a new continent and because of this had the continent named after him, but apparently there is some debate on the veracity of many of his claims.

Colombo is still much more present in the Italian collective imaginary and he has an inflated reputation, but lol we don't give a damn about October 12th, and while there are a number of statues of him in Italy (including of course a gigantic one in Genoa), he is certainly not muh No. 1 National Hero the way he is among certain Italian Americans.
Vespucci is more of a semi-famous important guy, I couldn't state exactly which his reputation is.
Of course well there are Colombo Streets everywhere and Vespucci Streets in a lot of places (which NB gives you more an idea of the zeitgeist of 100 years ago than of the current zeitgeist).
Make of us what you will.

For the outsized role of Colombo among Italian Americans, I'll refer to this post which I recommended:

Part of the veneration of Columbus by Italian-Americans is pure historical timing.  In 1891, 11 Italians were lynched in New Orleans by a mob who believed that they had killed the police chief (or they were just a mob who wanted to lynch somebody that wasn't "like" them)  The event sparked national and international outrage and even a movement, let's call it an "Italian Lives Matter" movement.  Partly to placate the uppity Italians, Benjamin Harrison proclaimed the first national "Columbus Day" for 1892 (conveniently the 400th anniversary).  It sparked songs and poems venerating Columbus and American inclusiveness.  It was supposed to be a one-time thing, but the Italians kept hassling the man until they were given they're annual due.  And then other uppity groups said "Wait a minute Columbus  sucks"...............

Random facts:
- I think America may be better served by renaming it Eriksenia (after Leif Eriksen)
- Our *real* No. 1 National Hero, and rightly so, is Giuseppe Garibaldi
- Teddy Roosevelt reported in his diary appreciation for the New Orleans lynching
- There was another lynching of Italians in Southern France in 1893

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Do you follow Italian rugby?

Not really, although rugby is an interesting sport. We have a sorta big problem in that we routinely get beaten up the wazoo in the Six Nations.

[1978 New Wave skinny trousers]

Since you said you like art, what is your opinion of Caravaggio?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Since you said you like art, what is your opinion of Caravaggio?

Where did I say I like art? (to be clear: I do)
Anyways, Caravaggio's life story was... ahem... complicated, and as a painter he was one of the greatest and he basically defined an era. My favourite painting by him... probably The Calling of St. Matthew.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

@Battista What alternative to the term "center right" best represents the Italian perception of DC? Or is it moreso a lack of ideology than a particular place on the spectrum?

DC is the centre, both now and always, and unto the ages of ages.
In part because it was a pretty big tent. Moro might be classified as centre-left, Segni Sr. as centre-right, and so on.

Skimming Moro's Wikipedia page, I find that there's an emphasis on "social reforms" in both stints as prime minister. I find this fairly interesting, if only because, in the United States, owing to fairly obvious polarization, such things if enacted under a Republican president (Nixon perhaps being the most obvious example) might be retroactively labeled as concessions to the left/liberals/Democrats rather than evidence of a sincere center-left orientation. Without knowing the full composition of Italian parliament, who stood to the right of DC? Fascists?

Personal Q's:

A. I remember reading in one of your other posts that you were converting or simply rejoining Catholicism. As you are already in a long-term relationship, how does your partner handle this?

2 - I see that you have cosplayed, but that on such occasion you opted to dress as a character from an historical novel. Nevertheless, the venue was, per its name, a comics shop. What is your opinion on the world of picture books we call graphic novels? Do you enjoy any?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

@Battista What alternative to the term "center right" best represents the Italian perception of DC? Or is it moreso a lack of ideology than a particular place on the spectrum?

DC is the centre, both now and always, and unto the ages of ages.
In part because it was a pretty big tent. Moro might be classified as centre-left, Segni Sr. as centre-right, and so on.

Skimming Moro's Wikipedia page, I find that there's an emphasis on "social reforms" in both stints as prime minister. I find this fairly interesting, if only because, in the United States, owing to fairly obvious polarization, such things if enacted under a Republican president (Nixon perhaps being the most obvious example) might be retroactively labeled as concessions to the left/liberals/Democrats rather than evidence of a sincere center-left orientation. Without knowing the full composition of Italian parliament, who stood to the right of DC? Fascists?

Personal Q's:

A. I remember reading in one of your other posts that you were converting or simply rejoining Catholicism. As you are already in a long-term relationship, how does your partner handle this?

2 - I see that you have cosplayed, but that on such occasion you opted to dress as a character from an historical novel. Nevertheless, the venue was, per its name, a comics shop. What is your opinion on the world of picture books we call graphic novels? Do you enjoy any?

Re: Aldo Moro.
PLI was usually considered to the right of DC. Monarchists (until they merged into MSI in 1972) and neofascists were obviously to the right of DC.
By the way, Moro would never have been a Republican in the USA in my opinion.

A. Rejoining is the correct term, yes. My girlfriend was also raised Catholic but is now non-religious. She is mostly accepting of this thing, but I feel like she doesn't totally understand it. It's complicated.

2. I have never read graphic novels. To be honest I am not very interested in Lucca Comics & Games per se, every time I've been there was mostly to have fun with friends or my girlfriend (who are more interested in that stuff). I think at one point she had asked me to cosplay together, and last year I had this crazy idea of playing Renzo Tramaglino and Lucia Mondella (in part because I wouldn't play some random anime character I have never heard of).