Italy has a bit of a reputation for homophobia; I’m just saying what I’ve heard and not what I’ve actually witnessed. I watch a lot of Italian movies, as you know, and if the movies are a mirror of society, I’ve felt that Italy’s come a long way in accepting the gay community.
Has the movie, I Soliti Idioti (the usual idiots) changed my mind?
No – it’s just one movie, but it’s a very popular one. It was number one at the box office and now it’s the number one rented DVD. The reviews, however, are dismal, and I, for one, am sorry I ever watched it. (I buy everything, though – even the bad ones.) I’m not a fan of over the top political correctness and I would not be in favor of any kind of government censorship of a movie like this, but it’s my duty to inform you that I Soliti Idioti is disgusting on many fronts. It’s sexist, racist, homophobic, and just generally unpleasant.
The gay community has been speaking out against it, as it should, but I think that Ivan Scalfarotto, vice president of the Italian Democratic Party said it best:
The things that we have seen and heard aren’t acceptable in an civilized country. To say that gays are like women without periods offend not only homosexual, but also women, men and life. I Soliti Idioti speaks to kids at at time in which homophobic bullying wounds society, in which teenagers can’t stand the weight of it all and commit suicide.
I Love Italian Everything 