A nail holds Italy hostage, many newspapers headline today regarding the explosive situation of high-speed trains and more, which have been halted due to a malfunction between Rome Termini and Rome Tiburtina. Passengers faced delays of up to three hours, organizational and communication chaos, and furious crowds. And, lo and behold, the opposition is calling for the resignation of Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.
If, since October 2022, when the right-wing government took office, the opposition had received all the resignations they demanded from their political adversaries, Palazzo Chigi and Parliament would be as empty as during the lockdown. This illustrates that even in political criticism, as in romantic separations, there are varying degrees.
Another possible headline from yesterday could be “Salvini on the nail.” The desire to pin Matteo as a modern-day Christ who bears all the blame—for the League, for Italy, and for humanity—is increasingly pervasive. But if the fault lies with a nail in the fiber provided by a company, why do we always focus on the same controversial point?
The railways are a company, complete with structure, ranks, governance, and responsibilities. Sometimes there are direct accusations of negligence, lack of oversight, or lack of expertise, as well as objective or symbolic responsibilities. In this case, I might discuss objective responsibility and perhaps suggest resignations for those in management, from the lowest to the highest levels. But what does the poor minister have to do with it? Then he talks about Grandparents’ Day, and the criticism pours in: if the trains don’t work, there are no grandparents!
Let’s be honest; we are now a country caught in the delirium of social media—both increasingly useful and utterly useless, always off-topic regarding a serious discussion about the concept of responsibility, like the one we’re having. Leave the grandparents alone and hammer those nails where they matter, starting with those who have put nails in places they shouldn’t have.
