Ask Battista Minola 1616 Anything - Four

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Not really a question, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Italy. I obviously don’t know that many Italians, but every Italian I have met (also happen to be close friends with two) has been incredibly cordial and warm. I don’t know what it is about your people, but I take it it’s not wrong to assume that Italian people are some of the most kind-hearted (in terms of general temperament and attitude toward others) people in Europe? Or could I not be more wrong and my sample size (all-male, too) is completely unrepresentative?

Also, how come your English is better than the English of many American posters on here?

And while we’re at it, out of personal interest: How similar is Italian to Spanish? To me, Spanish never seemed like a difficult language to learn, but I’ve heard that Italian is a little more challenging?

I tend not to do "X people is cordial/rude" or similar things that cannot really be quantified but I think Italians are usually expansive. Nice to hear that you've only had positive interactions!

As for my English, let's say years of genuinely interested study, high school theatre class where we played Shakespeare, a deep interest in languages in general that combines with my Wiki curiosity, having a mother who studied English literature at university also helped... and now I guess three years of constant messaging with English speakers online.

Spanish and Italian are rather similar but indeed I would say there are details about Italian that make it a little more complicated (for example, absurd article rules, more irregular verb forms, the stress is not always inferrable from how a word is written). I am pretty sure Spanish is easier to understand for an Italian than vice versa.

[Continential]

Out of curiosity - what is your "favorite" non-Abrahamic faith tradition?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Out of curiosity - what is your "favorite" non-Abrahamic faith tradition?

This is a very interesting question but I don't know any of them well enough (and certainly don't spend much time pondering which I like more or less) to properly answer. However I will note I was very fascinated when I learnt about Mo, the traditional religion of the Zhuang people in China.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

I just realized quite a few of my posts here start with a variation of "I don't think I can really answer this"... am I just not that smart or do you all need to ask better questions? I'll let the reader decide.

[KaiserDave]

What is your favorite seafood?
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This is very silly and basic, but is your favorite post-war Italian Prime Minister?
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There are some amusing quotes from Mussolini on Wikipedia from the early 30s, before the adoption of racial laws and the further convergence of Nazi and Fascist ideology where he belittles and insults Nordicism and Nordic racial theorists. Obviously Mussolini was a racist who practiced colonialism, miscegenation laws, and ultimately complied with the Holocaust entirely and obviously was a monster for so many reasons, how much do you consider Italian fascism a racial ideology? (Edited for conciseness)
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Another fascism question. How much do you think Mussolini of the Right, of the 20s, 30s, and 40s remained influenced by his prior socialist convictions. Where do we see this best?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

What is your favorite seafood?
-
This is very silly and basic, but is your favorite post-war Italian Prime Minister?
-
There are some amusing quotes from Mussolini on Wikipedia from the early 30s, before the adoption of racial laws and the further convergence of Nazi and Fascist ideology where he belittles and insults Nordicism and Nordic racial theorists. Obviously Mussolini was a racist who practiced colonialism, miscegenation laws, and ultimately complied with the Holocaust entirely and obviously was a monster for so many reasons, how much do you consider Italian fascism a racial ideology? (Edited for conciseness)
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Another fascism question. How much do you think Mussolini of the Right, of the 20s, 30s, and 40s remained influenced by his prior socialist convictions. Where do we see this best?

If you only mean shellfish I am obliged to say mussels due to my geographic background (though in practice I eat prawns the most), including all marine creatures it's either cod or swordfish.
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Aldo Moro. Next.
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Interesting question... Fascism was obviously an ultranationalist ideology where beliefs in ethnoracial superiority had a prominent place (besides colonialism, this can also be seen in the aggressively assimilationist and discriminatory policies in South Tyrol and Istria) but that was not necessarily its foremost aspect, and unlike Nazism the ideology was not born and centred on the scapegoating and oppression of a specific ethnic minority. Mussolini could not have liked Nordicism anyway - after all he wasn't Nordic and naturally he viewed the Mediterranean race as superior - but it's also true that his racial theories were more culture-based and less obsessed with blood quantum.
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Past the "transition period" I wouldn't say that there was much obviously socialist-inspired in Mussolini's actions, but one thing I believe is that he always remained influenced by materialist views of the world and kept an interest in the economic science.

[windjammer]

For the record I hope you're being okay

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

For the record I hope you're being okay

Thank you... it's a complicated period.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Today marks three years since I joined the forum so I am going to bring this back once again. Feels like a lot of time, doesn't it.

[WD]

Which prominent Italian alive today would you most like to see become Prime Minister?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Which prominent Italian alive today would you most like to see become Prime Minister?

This is a very hard question, I am not sure I have a good answer for it. Vincenzo De Luca for the memes? I don't think I have great trust in most "prominent Italians alive today".

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Bump because it's that time of the year again and I don't feel like starting a new thread yet. Ask away for the nth time.

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

1. Favorite non-Mandarin Sinitic language?
2. Favorite language(s) in Africa?
3. Favorite phonemes (through IPA)?
4. What do you think a neutral Italy in World War II would have looked like (assume all butterflies necessary to make that possible)?
5. Best person/politicians of Liberal Italy (1861-1922) that never became Prime Minister?

[Joseph Cao]

Thoughts on constellations or stargazing in general?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

1. Favorite non-Mandarin Sinitic language?
2. Favorite language(s) in Africa?
3. Favorite phonemes (through IPA)?
4. What do you think a neutral Italy in World War II would have looked like (assume all butterflies necessary to make that possible)?
5. Best person/politicians of Liberal Italy (1861-1922) that never became Prime Minister?

0. Thanks for reporting here the questions that our friend wanted to ask.

1. Wenzhounese because I know someone who speaks it (or arguably a lot of people who speak it, since most Chinese in Italy hail from that area). I know nothing about it except that it's notoriously hard.

2. Italian.
More seriously, Xhosa followed by Tamazight.

3. /ɬ/

4. Like Italy in 1939 frozen in amber for six years, I guess.

5. I will go with my long-time source of interest Filippo Turati. I think I could make a case for Giuseppe Garibaldi but I am not sure if that is really a position that suited him, although he should have been Chief of Staff of the regular Army (a position which was only created immediately after his death, suspicious).

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Thoughts on constellations or stargazing in general?

I love watching stars and constellations in the sky. I mentioned in a previous AMA that I assigned spiritual significance to that for some time in the past (this was when I was in high school).