Political satire in Italy: a successful television genre Rossend Domènech . Political satire is present in every Italian media, There's a lot of political satire on Italian television: two daily specially on television. The author examine in this programmes on national channels and four weekly article the most outstanding satirical scheduled programmes, not to mention the doses of satire dotted programmes and analyses its evolution. He ends throughout many programmes that are not specifically claiming that politics has been transferred to the satirical. During the last season (2006), there were five television stage, instead of any Parliament, and it has exclusive daily programmes and, in previous seasons, from also assumed the television laguage, even satire. 1994 to 2006, half a dozen appeared and disappeared. Since spring 2007, and in addition to these programmes, broadcasters have started to show new comedy and satire programmes in general that sometimes include political sketches. Keywords At the same time there has also been a proliferation in the Political satire, television, Italy, Berlusconi, Le Iene, country of satirical cartoons in the press, and every year Blob, Striscia la notizia, Parla con me, RaiOt, Che one or two books appear on this area. But, where the genre tempo che fa, Crozza Italia. is most abundant is on the Internet, principally since Silvio Berlusconi entered politics (1994), when satire on the ruling classes was more difficult to carry out by means of traditio- nal public and private instruments. This was due to relent- less censorship of this category. We can therefore say that satire has become fashionable. What is not so clear is for what reason or reasons. “The history of Italian satire is made up of great explosions, followed by great silences” wrote Adolfo Chiesa1. But satire, at least the sharpest satire, has always been thus because it usually proliferates when it has strong adversaries who inspire it. As happened under the fascism of Benito Mussolini and, afterwards, during what was a practically immobile political system with 40 years of government by the Christian Democrats (DC). Mussolini, the DC and Berlusconi have been, or are, the three great inspirations for creators of satire. Rossend Domènech Italian correspondent for La satira politica in Italia El Periódico de Catalunya 1 CHIESA, A. Ed. Laterza, 1990 71 Monographic: Political satire in Italy: a successful television genre 1. The programmes together with the communists from the PCI of RAI-3, which are now "ex", political satire has become diluted and embra- The most aggressive satirical programme this season is Le ces everyday life in its entirety. By strict logic, with a now Iene (‘Hyenas') on the channel Italia-1 (Mediaset group), for progressive government, in Italy there should be more right- which Berlusconi is the main shareholder. The oldest, just wing satire, but there isn't. On the other hand, the broade- having celebrated its 18th anniversary, is Blob, on RAI-3, ning of satire to the whole of everyday life has been influen- although its paradoxical content is close to satire. The most ced by the Europeanisation of politics and the globalisation strident is Striscia la notizia (‘Scratch the news') on Canale- of the national economy. An example of this internationali- 5, also owned by Mediaset, with the subtitle of “the voice of sation is the turmoil started in Denmark because of the turbulence”. Glob, on RAI-3, is defined as "the obscene Mohammed cartoons, which then spread all over the world. 4 person of the village”. On Che tempo che fa, on RAI-3, the An Italian minister helped to keep the fires burning by prin- subjects are more reasoned. Parla con me, also on RAI-3, ting one of these images on a tee shirt that was shown on delivers constant irony on contemporary issues, including television, helping to inspire the creators of satire. political. The actors or presenters only dress up physically as the Four of the six totally or fundamentally satirical program- figures they are satirising on one of the programmes already mes are broadcast on RAI's channel 3. It's probably a result mentioned and, even in this case, it's only insinuated. Per- of the history of Italian politics and its relationship with tele- haps Giulio Andreotti's hump, Berlusconi's baldness or vision. During the period incorrectly called the First Republic Romano Prodi's village priest air. The only exceptions are (1948-1993), which started when the DC won an absolute Sabina Guzzanti and her brother Corrado, who imitate the majority in the country and ended with the 'Clean Hands' voice, tics and style of dress. With regard to swearwords trials that finished off the traditional parties, the three and oaths, all the programmes mentioned bleep these out. channels on public television (RAI) were distributed among Some make an exception for the word “cazzo”, literally the areas of influence: RAI-1, for the Christian Democrats; "prick", which in Italian usage is the equivalent of "shit!" or RAI-2, for the Socialist Party (PSI), and RAI-3, for the “bloody hell!” in English. Communist Party (PCI). As the PCI was always in opposi- tion, "its" television channel (RAI-3) is the one that most cul- Le Iene tivated political satire. Studies on this genre say that satire For Aldo Grasso, the most popular television critic in the 5 is an instrument against those in power. “Satire must goad country , this programme "is the only true investigative jour- the powerful”, says Sabina Guzzanti2, author of the film ¡Vi- nalism" existing in Italy, although he attributes to it "a mora- va Zapatero! and behind various satirical programmes, such lising vein" that, in his opinion, gives it a negative conno- as the present-day Parla con me and the previous RaiOt tation. (2004), censored and suspended after just one episode. The writers dedicate themselves to denouncing facts of Neither is the Italians' overall disinterest in politics in general ordinary illegality or misery at the speed of lightning, docu- strange3. Curiously, in the period 1996-1998 and as from menting these with images. The current Pope is one of the 2006, when the centre-left has governed or is governing frequent themes, as he is for many of the other programmes 2 Interview published in the newspaper Il Manifesto (09/02/2006). 3 See, among others, the analysis of the Italian electoral campaign in 2001 in La posta in gioco, by Paolo Mancini and other authors. Ed. Carocci, 2003. 4 Roberto Calderoli, minister for Institutional Reform for the Northern League, in Silvio Berlusconi's second government (2001-2006). 5 Collaborates regularly for the newspaper Corriere della Sera and has written several books and encyclopaedia on Italian television. 72 Quaderns del CAC: Issue 27 mentioned. One professional category often attacked by the activities, both alone and in pairs or groups, gave their writers is politicians, to show up their ignorance, hypocrisy opinions with all the comic ambiguities that can be or deals. They dedicated one number to showing that a third imagined. "Each person finds his own path," answered one of politicians had consumed drugs in the 48 hours before who was masturbating; "politicians should be more being interviewed on the state budget, which was only a pre- inventive," said one who was doing it with three women at text. During the conversation, a make-up artist rubbed their the same time; “citizens should be pushed more”, said foreheads with wetted cotton wool that was actually a che- another who was taking a young woman from behind. “I mical kit to detect drugs. don't know who to vote for," added a girl who also didn't The writers were denounced for violating private life. Ano- know who to choose from the three who were attending to ther day they surveyed the level of culture of Italian politi- her. They dedicated another space to parliamentary cians as these were leaving Congress. One of them answe- turncoats, who were defined as "buffoons on loan to 6 red that Olmert was the president of Portugal; another that politics", who were asked insistently about "how much they the current president of Venezuela was called Gómez and had charged to change allegiance". another explained that the "greenhouse effect" is caused by Paolo Kessisoglu, one of the programme's four writers, 7 the Earth cooling. One placed Dafur in the Lebanon; ano- has explained. "We get requests for help from all over Italy 8 ther admitted that he didn't know what CONSOB was and and we're stopped on the street to hear complaints about 9 another said that Mandela was the president of Brazil. One anything”10. answered that ETA operated in Ireland and that the father of Cain and Abel was Isaac. In another programme, an accom- Blob plice approached the MPs, pretending to be a "close busi- This programme takes its name from the horror film of the ness friend" inviting them to "an important meeting" that same title (1958), made by Irving S. Yeaworth Jr., and has same evening. More than one, and without even asking who the subtitle of “Fuori strada” (‘off track', or ‘wrong track' and he was (in fact, they didn't know), accepted the invitation. also ‘it's not that') and “Di tutto di più” (‘About everything and "It's a friend I've done a favour for," they explained after- more’, a well-known advertising slogan for RAI). It lasts wards to the TV cameras. This episode brought them seve- twenty minutes and starts with a threatening blob of magma ral complaints from some MPs, who were offended by the that expands from the cinema screen to the streets like a kind of false complicity implied by the invented relationship.