I am ashamed to be Italian

[marco1971]

Yes! I am ashamed to be Italian due to poor figure who made the captain of Concordia. For the uninitiated, in Italy, a cruise ship is wrecked, Concordia fact, What we can accept is the human error but to escape their responsibilities, NO! I felt the communication between the captain and the chief of rescue operations and the drama of the event, almost put me to laugh at the way the captain abandoned the sinking ship while they were still many passengers on board. Sorry but not everyone is so cowardly! Sorry for the outburst.

Marco

[SCEtoAUX]

Marco, no need for you to be ashamed to be Italian. It is one man who shamed himself by his actions, the nationality does not matter. :)

[Michael Mash]

Hello Marco,
You do not need to be ashamed.
No nation is free of bad characters.
You represent Italy well on this forum with your great work and the kindness and courtesy you have shown to everyone.
I'm glad you are here.
Mike

[Gil]

I like the T-Shirt that's popular in Italy right now:

"Vado a Bordo, Cazzo!'"

+Gil

[Tim Crowe]

No need to be. Plenty of your countrymen acted heroically that night.

I know people have died. But the transcript between the captain and coast guard is really quite funny.

Tim

[opalmox]

Cowardice doesn't know a nationality, it's a state of being.

There is no need to assume the burdens of another man's faults.

[marco1971]

I thank you all for your words of comfort but for us italian it seems that everything goes wrong. First the smiles of Merkel and Sarkozy, the BungaBunga of Berlusconi and now this idiot! All attitudes are not a lot of positive publicity :mad:

Marco

[Hudsonduster]

There is no need to assume the burdens of another man's faults.

I wish I could respond with some joke about Liberal Democrats here, but we are a multilingual site and I do not know how it would translate.

We recently had an accident in the New York waterways, where a ferry captain apparently was asleep and alone in the pilothouse. In both these cases, it looks like what was at fault is a lack of professional behavior: the routine of the JOB takes over the honor of the PROFESSION, and things get lax. And then get very wrong.

I built watercraft and sailed & paddled in my own works for decades; and before stepping off land, I always reminded myself I was going into a place foreign to my species--this wasn't only a little afternoon's recreation, it was serious business in a hostile environment I wasn't evolved for.

By profession, I'm an engineer, a tool and die maker. We in this business know there will be failures in the things we make, it's how we learn to make better ones--and there is only one correct answer to what failed: "MY watch; MY fault."

From all appearances, Captain Schettino has lapsed in both these responsibilities. Still, only he will truly bear the burden for what has been lost. Whether he recognizes that truth--well, that depends on what kind of human he is.

'Duster (Liberal Democrat)

--While I was posting:

I thank you all for your words of comfort but for us italian it seems that everything goes wrong.

You're still not alone, Marco: look at the shouting going on here over our Presidential campaign--shouting that began almost the week our current President was elected, and I know that the moment the next Election ends we will start a new cycle for 2016. Listening to my countrymen reduce ideas both fine and not-so-fine to strategic phrases to club others with--I am ashamed to say I am a thinking American.

Yet we both claim as our own, countries that have birthed some of the greatest ideas in this world's history. It's just easy to forget that when so many are shouting so loud, so DUMB.

Be encouraged: people will survive this, and much more, to be shouting at each other over something else many generations hence.

'D

[Joe711]

Dear Marco!
The fault is not Italian.
Italy was Don Bosco, St. Francis of Assisi, etc.
The captain was irresponsible people.
Delaware River in Philadelphia in 2010, two young Hungarians died meg. My compatriots.
The helmsman in your computer and mobile ... The responsibility of the helmsman, not the Americans!
Joe

My own boat-building:

[CMDRTED]

S--t happens Marco. Do you recall Edward John Smith?

[pdmccool]

Marco,

It's no reflection on you or anyone else in Italy. The vessel's Captain screwed the pooch, and then ran away from the mess he created. Incompetence and cowardice are as universal as any other human failings, and far more common than we would care to believe. I only hope that the missing passengers and crew will be found and that the ship can be removed without causing further damage to the surrounding area.

[outersketcher]

What about that coastguard officer, Captain Gregorio De Falco? He is an Italian. And a fine example of Italian courage, leadership and honor in my opinion.

[Thomas Meek]

Marco;
Every nation has produced its share of great people and fools as well. Italy is no exception, but I think that as an Italian you have more to be proud of your people than to be ashamed.

[Ron Caudillo]

Yes! I am ashamed to be Italian due to poor figure who made the captain of Concordia. For the uninitiated, in Italy, a cruise ship is wrecked, Concordia fact, What we can accept is the human error but to escape their responsibilities, NO! I felt the communication between the captain and the chief of rescue operations and the drama of the event, almost put me to laugh at the way the captain abandoned the sinking ship while they were still many passengers on board. Sorry but not everyone is so cowardly! Sorry for the outburst.

Marco

Hi Marco,
One (or even more!) cowardly action does not condemn a race or country. Italy has a long and rich history that you can be justifiably proud.

Don't let the actions of one diminish your heritage.

I salute you!

Best Regards,

[doctormax]

Marco do not feel ashamed I know of plenty of Italians who for example rushed to the aid of people the Italians for example who rushed after that earthquake and started digging with their hands for people a few years ago. Can't remember the name of the city in Italy right now and there is lots of Italians that work in mountain rescue and rescue people every single day when they are sking.

[marco1971]

Hello everyone, my view on this tragic episode is that as usual here in Italy you do not put competent people in key positions, but go ahead only recommended and ass-licking. The captain is just the final straw that proves the rule. And all this makes me very angry :mad:

Marco

[alex]

Captain DeFalco (the guy who told the ship's captain to go abaord, d** it!) is Italian too. So are the people on Giglio who opened their houses to the passengers. I mean, if we go on and are the first despise ourselves, there's no hope...

[Uyraell]

An example of courage, on the part of an Italian.
The story comes down from late 1944.

It may not be widely known that many Italian Prisoners of War from the Western Desert campaigns in 1942 and 1943 were transported to Australia. Once there, they were offered the chance to work on local farms, as paid labourers. Many returned to those same farms, post-war.

The story in question takes places in late 1944, shortly after wool shearing and baling had finished.
As a "treat" three of the farmer's children were sleeping in the woolshed, above the bales of wool.
Wool when baled is extremely compressed. It also retains sufficient heat as to constitute a very serious fire risk.
And so it happened that at about 10pm that night, the wool erupted in flames.
A wool fire is thick with smoke and toxic gasses, impossible to see through with any clarity of vision, and so hot as to be nearly impossible to move in.

One Italian POW woke to the smell of smoke, and entered the woolshed, emerging with one of the farmer's children.
He re-enters the fire, and emerges with the second child.
A third time the Italian POW enters the flames and blinding, choking smoke, and emerges with the third child.
He then collapses onto the ground, gasping for air, skin scorched, and barely recognisable as a human being: so damaged is he by the flames and smoke he has endured.
Four agonising days later, the Italian POW is dead from the injuries caused by the fire.

As was said at the time: "...few would have braved such a fire twice. That this man braved the inferno three times says much of his great courage, and says still more of his humanity." The quote is from his obituary, apparently written by the Camp Commander of the POW Camp the Italian had been housed at before volunteering to work on the farm.

So, Marco; take from this little piece of history that there are those of whom your Italy should rightly be proud. The POW in the above event is one of many.

Kind and Respectful Regards Marco, Uyraell.

[doctormax]

I like Italians myself I was hitchiking many years ago and i got a lift after my Fiat panda broke down off of this family of Italians who were rushing back to leave back a rented car to Dublin. So we are talking all the way up from Galway and they are going to me do you think we make it and I said sure we will. So they are going Martin well they had found my name out anyway after the chat and the jokes. we got ten minutes to leave the car back are its another day we need to pay and i say well your three minutes from the place. they were stunned how we going to do it there is no way we are going to get there in time and I say ah yeah see you turn up this road here it goes straight to the place rather than go the reckomnended way they had picked out on their map. So we get to the place and with seven minutes to spare. and we didn't break any laws on speeding are jumping lights are anything. I have to admit at the time i worked with the brother delivering furniture all over Dublin so kind of knew every little quick route around Dublin

[Zathros]

3000 people on that ship and around 1000 crew members, I don't mean to sound harsh but, I don't think that's really all that bad, that many people evacuated from a listing ship, it could have been much worse from people panicking and trampling each other. That can happens at Soccer games, religious events (trying to be non-specific here), anywhere we're there are large groups of people. We have had more die from people running out of a burning bar in this country, (U.S.A.). The captain's idiotic maneuver is another issue, that would be like blaming all of America for some of our recent Government officials. It's not like we voted them in, well, actually we did, but at least a lot less people got injured, or killed.

[rbeach84]

Marco, all peoples have countrymen who have suffered from the common (universal?) human tendency to sometimes be foolish. I dare say we *all* have been foolish at some point in our lives. The difference is in the consequences. Folks who work in serious professions have much less room for being foolish or stupid because others are hazarded by their actions. Understanding this perspective is what makes you perhaps different from the Costa captain who forgot his place and his responsibility. Certainly you feel shame, but it would be misplaced if you put it on your back. Anger perhaps is what you feel, not only for the awful result but also for the way you may see the world's eye on Italia. But it would be foolish to paint everyone with one light. More so the world wishes to aid and comfort such tragedy as much as wishing to understand it.

We have all been there, looking on in disbelief, and then should remember the moments of exactly the opposite situation when we have had pride in our countrymen or just humankind. I believe the mass falls to the side of courage more than to cowardice.

Try and see the truth of not just this event or this one man but of the everyday of us all - and learn from it. We can hold to our hearts both the evil and the good that is in us all and decide which will be released at any moment. Sometimes we are merely incorrect, sometimes horribly wrong.

History speaks of how men have repeatedly lost their way and then returned again. That is growth, that is what we are. Perhaps one day, the lesson of sacrifice and courage will be universal, but we tend to be short-lived so it takes a very long time for the species to learn the lessons we learn as individuals, often at the last breath. Part of life, part of the grind. Forward, then back and so it goes.

Perhaps this captain will learn now and stand forward and admit his wrongs and accept the results. We can only hope, for in that would be a small measure to salve the wound. So, no shame, but prayers for those lost and those hurt, instead. Perhaps pride in those that did good that night and treated the soaked with compassion and trust. Pride for the Coast Guardsmen who even now dive to salvage bodies, if that is all there is to save. There is much for hope even in this sorry, broken ship.

[legal01]

Its impossible to impute blame on yourself for the actions of one person, nationality is irrelevant, it is the actions of the man himself that counts and only he can take responsibility and blame for his actions and not you.

[strk]

Heroism, passion and love of the music:

Drowned violinist on doomed Italian cruise ship, the Costa Concordia, helped children to safety before he was lost* - NY Daily News (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/drowned-violinist-doomed-italian-cruise-ship-costa-concordia-helped-children-safety-lost-article-1.1008315)

Rest in Peace!

[THE DC]

Marco,

I respect your sense of social responsibility and appreciate your indignity over the recent events, but I encourage you to consider that this has less to do with a particular country or nationality, as it has more to do with a growing loss of shame, for selfish or self-centered behavior. There has been a growing tendency to ignore and even celebrate such acts of narcissism, which leads to actions that embarrass whatever group a particular individual represents. Too often, after a person has decided to prove themselves unwilling to stand up to the test of their moment, we let that demoralize us.

This, again, isn't an Italian thing but a social zeitgeist that has been developing and heralded. Attention getting has replaced accomplishment, and opportunism over courage. Character has too often been supplanted by being a 'character,' and those of substance that try to make a difference often ignored in favor of the least capable but loudest voice.

You are not alone, as this isn't an Italian thing; its a human one. We all have to start deciding whether the word 'values' is related to actions and conviction or if the word is now only related to bluebook determinants of price pointing. We must demand that our leaders incorporate values into their decisions and actions and hold ourselves accountable over who we allow to influence our lives.

In that way, we must begin to recognize our own role in our disillusionment over the lack of conviction in those who fail us when the test of character comes to light. Perhaps, just perhaps, we look too often to others to represtn us, or to carry the torch to the heights of promise. Maybe the failure of others, as exasperating and irritating as it may be, should reflect our own dependence upon them to reflect what we want to see in ourselves. Maybe, just maybe, we need to be the ones willing to bear the flame for others.

As you appear to be a man of deep conscience, I hope you'll influence others to recognize that their value needs to be more than a repository for oxygen and a producer of Carbon Dioxide, and that they should work toward finding a way to make tomorrow just a little bit better for those nearest them. If we stop looking for heros, and decide to become one, incidents like the one that has frustrated you will become the exception, and we'll all be more proud of ourselves, our heritage, and the future that we are determined to make for those we leave behind.

Make a difference, my Italian brother! We need people like you to turn that angst into energy driven conviction.

Slainte,

The DC

[Sakrison]

My wife and I visited Italy a couple of years ago and everyone we met was kind, friendly, welcoming, and delightful. One idiot, one coward does make a nation. We loved our time in Italy and will come back again and again.

[NimitzFan]

Marco,
We should never judge a person based on their nationality or other factors of origin. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr pointed out, we should judge them based on the "content of their character."

As it happens, the news has pointed out the behavior of another Italian Captain also aboard the Cost Concordia that night and his behavior is in stark contrast to that of Captain Schettino. Among several other accounts, Der Speigel points out The Doomed Costa Concordia: A Maritime Disaster that Was Waiting to Happen - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International (http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,810761,00.html) that the captain of the Costa Concordia's sister ship Costa Serena was also aboard - catching a ride home. When things became critical and Captain Schettino seemed unable to make decisions, Captain Roberto Bosio took command and issued the orders directing the successful evacuation of the ship. Costa Concordia hero Roberto Bosio calls captain Francesco Schettino 'a disgraceful man' | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2088234/Costa-Concordia-hero-Roberto-Bosio-calls-captain-Francesco-Schettino-disgraceful-man.html)

I can have some sympathy for Captain Schettino. He froze in the situation being faced with making the ultimate decision for any ship captain, and he didn't deal with it well. Among other things, I worked in EMS answering 911 calls for nearly 15 years. Something I saw over and over was that few people can predict how they will behave in the sudden impact of an actual emergency. Even with my training and field experience, when my own wife suddenly suffered a life-threatening brain hemorrhage, I initially froze. Fortunately my training kicked in and I was able to act properly, and thank God she made a full recovery!

It's far too easy to condemn Captain Schettino - I urge people to be gentle. Just as Captain Bosio showed, in emergencies, sometimes people react appropriately, and sometimes they don't. Fortunately Captain Bosio was there when he was most needed and the Italian people should be proud of him.

[Spaceguy5]

http://garciamedia.com/images/blog/Chicken_of_the_sea_thumb.jpg

Terrible. At least he'll get what he deserves.

[Sammuel]

Im a first genaration Italian American, with family and friends still in the old country. We come from better stock then the so called Capt. Not to worry Marco. Lets look at what great things our country man have done in the past and the future.

Every nation has its champions and they have there chimps. He for sure is a chimp! Be proud Marco and happy!

Sam

[marco1971]

I understand your position statements, saying that not all Italians are like Scettino (thankfully). The fact is that it is not an ordinary person, the people had entrusted to him going on that ship, and that coward has abandoned the ship with all its officers, leaving only several passengers. My indignation is due to the fact that occupy many important positions of responsibility, without having the skills but only recommendations.
Unfortunately, this situation is like a cancer that has infected our society, and frankly I can not see the end of the tunnel.
The cases of heroism that you took for example are very important but are made by ordinary people and as such are rightly emphasized, but there are no cases of ordinary activities that serve more than just cases of heroism. If everyone is responsible in cases of heroism would be much less. This is my thought that will remain a daydream.

Marco