Techno Italia

 Letter to La Repubblica, etc. 

Caro direttore

Nelle settimane recenti ho accumulato alcuni termini inglesi apparsi sulle pagine dei maggiori quotidiani italiani. Oggi ho chiesto a ChatGPT di comporre una ode alla società italiana odierna usando termini tratti esclusivamente da questa lista. Il risultato:

Fast beauty, fast fashion, a tech delight

by GPT

Oh, the marvels of modern tech, a wild mix like a Halloween rave,

From smartphone whispers to influencer's wave.

In the realm of tweets and memes, a social underdog can find fame,

A sexy match, a cash punk, all playing the game.

In the city of bits and code, a leader rises, a top, not a flop,

Navigating the landscape, like a skater on a digital slope.

Serial killers of boredom, restyling the norm,

Escalation of trends, a fast-paced storm.

Big tech titans, a Twitter chatter,

In the realm of fake news, a climate changer.

Under 30, over 50, a diverse cast,

Queerness, gender, catching reactions fast.

Startup whispers and summit shouts,

A roadmap paved with tweets and doubts.

From voucher dreams to fiscal drag,

Tech's jolly del look, a body in the tag.

Stalking gadgets, a pusher's shock,

Beauty in bytes, a virtual rock.

From sex toys' mix to a manager's role,

In this techno era, we find our soul.

A quiet quitting shopping spree,

Dress code debates and app esprit.

Body shaming whispers, a downburst's spree,

Yet, tech weaves a diverse tapestry.

A trek through the emotional green,

YouTube stars and Suv sheen.

Rumors flutter like a camping breeze,

In the digital era, we find our ease.

Intelligence reports and fringe benefits,

Bird strikes and antistress hits.

Tech week's breakdance, beautiful minds' peek,

Leaking whispers, the fast-paced streak.

Bosses juggle baby games,

Wuiz shows and pop lives' flames.

A king's speech in a flash-mob's light,

Fast beauty, fast fashion, a tech delight.

In this tech symphony, a tabu's song,

Street food tastes, a bluff prolong.

Fringe benefits and aging's quest,

Tech's evolution, we're put to the test.

Live guards on the rail of progress,

Overbooking life, a quiz-game's finesse.

From derby races to green economies,

In the tech whirlwind, we find our harmonies.

Ermes Culos

Ashcroft BC Can

Der Friseur und der Nazi

 Just read this book, and a couple of reviews of the book. Am puzzled by why the reviewers overlook the paragrh on massmurderers on this page: 

Furlanament

 Momèns fà i stevi voltànt par furlàn un sonèt di Heinrich Heine, e i mi eri incjampàt su chista fraše: “Doch liebe Mutter, offen will ich's sagen…” La tradusiòn taliana di “offen will ich sagen” a è “dirò apertamente,” e chè ingleša a è “I will say openly.” Benòn. Ma jò i volevi vej na tradusiòn furlana di “apertamente,” e i ài volùt alora consultà il Grant Dizionari Furlan che par “apertamente” a mi à ufrìt—cun na volubilitàt da no crodi—dùtis li alternatìvis ch'i podìn jodi in ta la foto. Par “apertamente” i ài a la fin sielzùt “in maniera direta”; ma il bièl al è chistu, che par curiošitàt i ài volùt savej coma che la espresiòn “dirò apertamente” (o “offen will ich sagen”) a vegnarès tradušuda in furlàn dal ChatGPT (o da la inteligensa artificjàl), e il ChatGPT—sensa la minimisima ešitasiòn a mi l'à tradušuda cussì: “o voli dîllo furlanament.” Sì, pròpit cussì:  “o voli dîllo furlanament”! Alora, buna zent, s'i volìn èsi dal dut onescj’ o sincèrs in tal esprìmisi i vìn da dìšilu in maniera furlana—o furlanamènt. 

Editorial response

 Hi…

About your view of John Rustad’ s October 3 Legislature speech:

I really don’t think you need to be cynical to suggest that Rustad was making the point that if some expressions are not permissible in the Legislature, then they should not be permitted in an elementary school setting either. This is not cynicism; this is stating a truth, albeit a truth that may or may not be universally accepted. Rusted’s point may or may not be valid: true.

What, to me, is more to the point, is that in the rest of your article you seem to suggest that since kids are exposed to far more suggestive and explicit concepts and language outside the school setting (mainly through the Internet)—which is undeniably the case—, then we should not be critical of schools for doing the same, even if in milder doses. This argument seems to be based on the lesser of two evils principle. The principle is certainly fair when we have to choose between two evils, in which case most of us would agree that choosing the lesser one is morally the better choice. But in this case we are hardly faced with two evils. We are faced with the Internet, which by its very nature contains much that is of questionable value; and with schools, which, if they contain questionable matters, they contain them only because teachers and administrators allow this to happen. 

So the two evils principle doesn’t apply in this case. This means, really, that the Internet has little to do with this whole question. What is at the heart of it is whether or not schools should be involved at all with issues such as sexual orientation, with all that that implies. Without taking a position on this issue, I do wonder where parents generally stand.

No, please

 Letter to Squamish Mayor and Van Sun

Dear Mayor and Council.
I feel for the Squamish nation—as I feel for indigenous people everywhere—for the many ways in which they were harmed in the past at the hands of the colonial powers. I think I also undestand the hurt they must feel at being confronted in today’s environment by names of streets and towns and rivers and mountains that unavoidably remind them of those unpleasant historical events.
But historical events they are, and no amount of name changing is going to erase them. Sure, remove the names and many of us, indigenous or non-indigenous, will in time forget that these events ever happened. But is that a good thing? Do we really want future generations to go through life ignorant of the past—of what in effect made us what we are? (And, let’s face it, the list of—for some—undesirable names is long, and includes Vancouver, Fraser River, Juan de Fuca, Victoria, Prince George and many others, including, of course, Mt. Garibaldi as well as British Columbia itself, all of which in a very real sense define our province.)
Having said this, I personally, would welcome seeing existing names accompanying indigenous names. That would actually enrich our sense of history. So by all means, dear Mayor and Council members, go for it. Just—please!—don’t cancel the names we have all lived with for as long as we have been in this province. And as for Mt. Garibaldi, by getting rid of it you would simply make an awful lot Garibaldi hikers unhappy, which would really not be in keeping with the spirit of reconciliation, nor would it be a nice thing to do to those who see in Garibaldi a very interesting and positive historical figure.
Yours truly,
Ermes Culos

Rubiales and Jenni Hermoso

 The situation is simple: the spanish team wins the final of the World Cup. As the players step up, on to the stage, and as Hermoso stands before Rubiales to receive his congratulations, Rubiales, who seems understandably excited because his team had just won the coveted prize, pulls her head towards his and kisses her on the mouth. Scandal. The whole world is shocked. Suddenly Trump’s antics, the war in Ukraine and all else that‘s happening in the world stops.the KISS takes centre stage, FIFA acts and suspends Rubiales. The kiss comes to represent an offense not just against Hermoso but against all women. Rubiales, in kissing Hermoso treated her not as an equal but, condescendingly, as an object…

A comment. Women want to be treated as equals, both as people and as players. And that’s fair. Since equality is at the root of this case, let’s—just for argument‘s sake—invert the situation: the winners are a male team; at the end the players go up to receive their congratulations; one of the women giving out the medals, pulls one of the players to her and, feeling full, of enthusiasm, kisses him on the mouth. To this point the situations are identical. Would what would follow be equally identical?

A pronoun in distress

 Letter to Sci Am, Aug 23

Dear Editor

Z Paige L’Erario, a transgender neurologist, is of the view—a pretty logical view—that a doctor’s empathy, or lack of, can significantly affect functional neurological disorders in patients (FND). No one wants to quarrel with this view. It is reasonable enough. A doctor’s empathy can help a lot in relieving a patient’s stress. I fully agree with Dr. L'Erario. What about me, though? As an English teacher I was taught that a pronoun should agree with the noun it stands for. Yet here I am, reading in Z Paige L'Erario’s profile (Sci Am, July/August 2023) that “they are a graduate student” at Fordham University); and suddenly what I have always believed to be a sacrosanct truth comes crushing down: a pronoun is suddenly free to agree or disagree with anything it wants! Just imagine my initial euphoria! But, worse, think of the profound feeling of regret and shame I almost immediately afterwards felt at having passed on a non-truth to thousands of students over the years. How will I ever cope with this awful sense of shame! The stress is already setting in. I feel it. This is now my FND. Will Z Paige L’Erario (and Sci Am) ever have enough empathy to relieve me of this terrible ailment?