Oh dear, Italy is not at all happy with the creators of offensive Apple app ‘What Country‘, which succinctly sums up Italy with four words: pizza, mafia, pasta and scooters. Indeed, so discontent with this affront to Italy is Italy’s Minister of Tourism Brambilla that she has instructed lawyers to gird their loins and take legal action against Apple. I think I know who will end up eating humble pie.
‘What Country’ an app which costs 79 Eurocents on Apple’s iTunes store simply seems to be a bit of wicked fun (as the apps makers describe it), and let’s face it, the summary of Italy is not wholly inaccurate. What got Minister Brambilla on her high horse was the use of the word ‘mafia’.
Trouble is, people do associate Italy with the mafia, like it or not, Ms Minister Brambilla.
Taking the case to court, if it ever gets that far, may prove somewhat embarrassing for Italy, and for its tourism minister, one suspects.
Apple might bow to pressure and remove the Italy offending app from its iTunes store, or it might decide to poke the lions and let Italy make itself look rather foolish in front of a high court judge.
I can see it now, Apple’s lawyers just happen to call one Minister Brambilla to take the stand.
UPDATE: 18 October 2010
Something has happened and the word ‘mafia’ is no longer used to summarise Italy. No, now the word is the much more innocuous ‘mandolin‘. A victory for Italy, even if the damage was done, and, hopefully, noted.
End of update.
In the Courtroom – Italy v Apple 2010
Apple Lawyer: We wish to call as a witness for the defence the honorable Michela Victoria Brambilla, Italy’s minister of tourism.
Italy Legal Team: W-w-what? W-w-why?
Apple Lawyer: Well, the minister is Italian is she not? We’d like her to answer a few questions about Italy.
Italy Legal Team: Objection!
Judge: On what grounds, may I ask? Is Minister Brambilla not Italian? Does that not make her a suitable representative of her country and the Italian people? Objection dismissed. Minister Brambilla, please take the stand.
Brambilla: But I can’t, I’m not prepared.
Judge (glaring at MVB): Now, Minister Brambilla, please take the stand. I will not ask again.
Brambilla does as she’s told, looking somewhat flustered.
Apple Lawyer: Now, Michela Vittoria Brambilla, you are Italy’s Minister for Tourism, are you not?
Brambilla: Well….
Judge: Please answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’, Minister Brambilla.
Brambilla: (hesitates) Yes, I am Italy’s Minister of Tourism.
Apple Lawyer: Minister Brambilla, is it true you are Italian and that you ate a bowl of pasta for lunch today, yesterday and the day before? (Produces fifty photographs of Minister Brambilla eating various pasta dishes).
Brambilla: Yes, it is true.
Apple Lawyer: Minister Brambilla will you please confirm that the people in these photographs eating pizza in the restaurant with you are all Italians? (Produces more photos)
Brambilla: I don’t see what this has got to do with anything.
Judge: Minister Brambilla, kindly answer yes or no.
Brambilla: Yes, it is me, and the people with me are all Italians.
Apple Lawyer: (keeping a professionally straight face) Minister Brambilla, do you own a red Vespa scooter?
Brambilla: Yes.
Apple Lawyer: And would you confirm that the Vespa is a world famous brand of Italian scooters?
Brambilla (turning white): Yes.
Italy Legal Team: Objection.
Judge: On what grounds?
Italy Legal Team: You have pizza in America too.
Judge: Overruled! I will not tolerate flippancy.
Apple Lawyer (nods head): Quite, your honor. Minister Brambilla would you confirm that the word ‘mafia’ is Italian?
Brambilla (swaying gently): Yes, it is an Italian word.
Apple Lawyer: And would you confirm the existence in Italy of an official investigatory body with the initials DIA? The ‘Antimafia Investigation Department‘?
Brambilla: Yes, the department does exist.
Apple Lawyer: On the basis of the existence of the DIA, it could be argued that Italy has a problem with organised crime, could it not? And that the collective term used to refer to organised crime in Italy is ‘mafia’ is it not?
Brambilla: I suppose it could, yes. And, yes, the word ‘mafia’ is used in this way.
Apple Lawyer: Thank you Minister Brambilla. You have just confirmed that the words pizza, mafia, scooters, and pasta clearly reflect everyday aspects of life in Italy.
Brambilla faints.
Judge: Case dismissed. Costs awarded in the favor of Apple Inc.
—————–
Perhaps Italy’s esteemed Minister of Tourism might like to call off the legal dogs, before it is too late.
OK, so the hypothetical hearing above is simplistic and superficial, but the point is, like it or not, the word mafia is associated with Italy as much as pasta, pizza and scooters.
It’s not the makers of ‘What Country‘ Apalon which have a problem, it’s Italy. Years of complacency and inaction, probably on the part of Italy’s politicians, can be blamed for this stereotype, as can Roberto Saviano‘s book Gomorrah, as well as hundreds of other books on the subject of mafia, and the Wikipedia entry entitled ‘Sicilian Mafia‘. There are over six million results on Google when one searches for the term ‘Italy mafia’.
Yes, I know there is more, much more to Italy than the four words used in ‘What Country’, but the fact remains: Italy has an image problem. Time to do something about it, is it not?
For the curious, Apalon‘s ‘What Country’ iPhone app can be found here on iTunes: What Country Only one good thing will come out of any case brought buy the Italian government, Apalon’s sales will sky rocket.
Let’s see if Apple plays ball.
luna says
criminal organizations are all around the world not just here in italy, it s in japan aswell where it s called yakuza, it s in china( infact right now italian police is having problem with the chinese mafia ) its in russia , in america and many other countries. the difference is just in the name, cos here it s called Mafia, and the only reason why it s so famous is thanks to USA , cos they found out a way to earn alot of money making movies as the Godfather and soap operas as the sopranos and other stuffs! Italy doesnt deserve to be represented by mafia, we are art (just few countries have cultural treasures as italy) , history( for instance the biggest empire in the world is the roman empire) , fashion( the most famous stylists are italian : gucci, dolce & gabbana,prada ,fendi,valentino ,cavalli,bulgari,versace, armani etc etc) good food( and it s not one of the most appreciated food just for pasta and pizza -.- ) opera lirica( i guess everybody knows pavarotti and Bocelli) and what about expensive cars? ferrari maserati lamborghini( which is not italian anymore but in the past it was) hower pizza pasta and scooters( even if it was more correct vespa :P) are ok , it s supposed to be a parody of each country but i m sorry i disagree about mafia , i m italian and i feel hurt if people think only italy= mafia!
Paul says
luna says:
October 1, 2010 at 2:11 pm
“criminal organizations are all around the world not just here in italy, i”
Of course they are but very few, I would suggest on the same scale as Italy. From my understanding, the Mafia accounts for between 7 and 10 per cent of the economy – roughly equal I understand to FIAT. And it is generally accepted by authorities on the subject that its tentacles reach to the heights of political power, so infecting Italian democracy and justice.
luna says
Paul says:
October 4, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Of course they are but very few…
Are you sure they are few???
this is the list of the other organization similar to mafia in the rest of the world…
Cosa nostra americana – USA
Leoni – USA
Mafia russa – Russia
Yakuza – Giappone
Triadi – Cina
Mafia turca – Turchia
Mafia nigeriana – Nigeria
Mafia bulgara – Bulgaria
Mafia messicana – Messico
Mafia albanese – Albania
Narcos – Colombia
Mafia corsa – Francia
Mafia cecena – Cecenia
Mafia estone – Estonia
Mafia greca – Grecia
Mafia nowohucka – Polonia
Mafia romena – Romania
so it’ s only in italy? i dont think so..
by the way have i ever denied mafia is not a big problem here??? of course it is! Specially in the south of italy ( the poorest part of italy) innocent people have to fight against it everyday..
the meaning of my previous discussion was about another thing … i disagree that my country has to be represented by a criminal organization everytime.. there are many other things to use to make a parody about us as i said before.
if italy has to be seen for bad things then why not also the other countries?? for example why nobody say in germany it s still full of naziskin or in usa is full of racists and they keep doing racist laws, or in china you can find dead babies on the streets cos they dont allowed them to have more than one child and i stop here but i could make alot of examples.
…so in a parody( that is supposed to be a funny thing) is it possible to see a country rapresented by a bad and sad thing when in my opinion there is nothing to make fun with it??!!!
Pino says
I agree with what Luna says. the point is how could the MAFIA be considered FUNNY or a JOKE?
the Mafia is an Italian problem, no doubt!! is it something to laught on it… I’m not sure!!!
anyway, it seems that APPLE DOES NOT CARE about hurting the feeling of Italians: they haven’t removed the application from the market and neither released ANY COMMENTS …
why? what is wrong with those guys??
Pino says
No my dear, the point is not whether the word mafia is associated with Italy or not. the point is the following: can an Italian social and crimal problem, such as the mafia, be the testimonial of Italy as a country or not?
let’s solve this simple question by answering other analogue questions:
can the Child Sex Tourism be the testimonial Thailand ?
can the Child Organ Trafficking be the testimonial Brazil?
can the Drug Trafficking be the testimonial Mexico?
can Al Qaeda be the testimonial of an Arabian country?
all of these questions concern very serious problems,and nobody would think just for a moment to make jokes or racist comments. so why should the Mafia e considered a funny thing to enjoy and laugh on it by Italians?
I can assure you that the Mafia is really a serious problem and many people get killed .
please answer to my post!
best regards, Pino
Alex Roe says
Hi Pino,
You are right, the mafia is a serious problem – but the world, as is evidenced by the iPhone app, does not think it is a serious problem.
The question is: Why is this the case?
And in Italy there are some very high level people who don’t seem to think the mafia (Dell’Utri, for example) is a bad thing, which is something I’ve written about before.
Until the attitude in Italy changes, the sad fact that Italy does not do much to eradicate the mafia will continue to mean that Italy will be associated with a murderous criminal organisation.
As I said, Italy has an image problem.
Thanks for commenting.
Best,
Alex
CJ says
I agree with the fact that the Mafia is a serious problem, but what do you think will happen if they are eradicated ?
More vicious gangsters, who have arrived by the boatload, will take over the empty void. They are already jostling with the homegrown Mafia for control of the drugs trade. These people show even less concern for the lives of ordinary people. Drive-by shootings, spraying bullets in the general direction of the target, killing or wounding innocent by-standers.
Whilst I’m on the subject of these ‘immigrants’, how is it they are allowed to sell their goods on the street without permits, and obviously paying no tax towards the Country’s infrastructure ?
I agree that Italy needs to sort itself out.
Alex Roe says
Hi CJ,
Organised crime is always likely to be a problem, and not just in Italy. But organised crime is not good for society – and could even bring about the end of the world. These people are unscrupulous and, perhaps, a little stupid, in that they may well sell someone a chemical or nuclear weapon for several hundred million only to find they cannot spend the money because they’ve been vaporised etc by the very weapon they sold.
This is the crux of the matter:
“Whilst I’m on the subject of these ‘immigrants’, how is it they are allowed to sell their goods on the street without permits, and obviously paying no tax towards the Country’s infrastructure ?” – Italy is not too good at enforcing the laws it has – possibly because nobody really cares, possibly because Italy’s law enforcement bodies are kept under resourced (of which there is some evidence).
Sorting out the criminal mafia would save many lives and save Italy’s environment, and there are other advantages, even if some Italian politicians tend towards the idea that Italy should live with the mafia. I’m not too sure this is a great idea, even if I can, partially, understand the reasoning – but it’s a potentially dangerous path the follow – for democracy, if nothing else.
Yes, Italy does need to sort itself out, but I’m not sure it ever will (I’d love to be proven wrong!).
Best,
Alex
Alex
Alex Roe says
Clare,
I say you bounder, you, saying Blighty is umbrellas, rain, bowler hats and bulldogs – I can feel a sue coming on. Royally offended, I feel.
Get me my lawyers on the phone. Comments like this are just not cricket, what ho.
Cheers,
Alex
PS Shame your name ain’t Sue – would be fun to sue Sue 😉
Clare says
Alex,
If pizza, mafia, pasta and scooters, sum up Italy I’d be interested to know the equivalent terms for other countries, I mean I presume there are some…Maybe England is umbrellas, rain, bowler hats and bulldogs? So, are we going to sue Apple for that too?!
Thanks,
Clare
holiday in italy says
I agree Clare! so, what about germany? maybe nazism, olocaust and hitler? actually, is not a problem for apple to hurt people’s feeling. Suggesting Mafia to find Italy, for them, is just a joke…brilliant!
CJ says
It’s all about having your face in the news ! Maybe to distract attention away from a certain SB ?
Some people, especially MVB, love themselves so much that they will do anything to appear as though they are ‘doing something’. It’s an Italian thing. Personally, I don’t think she is attractive, nor does she have a ‘great pair of legs’. Somewhat mediocre. Nor do I consider her a good politician, much like the rest of them. Ill thought out sound bites. That’s all these Italian politicians can produce !
Alex Roe says
Merely a ruse to draw attention away from SB? Why, how could you be so cynical, CJ? 😉
You may well be right.
I think others, those in Italy’s tourism industry, might state MVB is less than mediocre.
And yes, if this is all they can come up with, well… Poor Italy.
Best,
Alex