Gli Animatori: A Window into Italy's Young Adults

Working with the animatori these past few weeks, I have been intrigued to see that although many of them do not necessarily speak English fluently, their exposure to American culture is rather high. And it's not just the animatori who have shown that they are influenced by American pop culture and by the English language. When I spent a Saturday in Venezia I saw a sign encouraging people to take a "selfie" on the rialto bridge. How is it that the word "selfie" is recognized across so many languages?

Some of the first questions I am asked by children and young adults is about popular music. I am asked if I know Michael Jackson or Katy Perry. I am asked about American breakfasts and if the portions are really as big as they say. Does there really exist a supersize option in the American McDonald's?

What has been interesting to see is what filters through into Italian culture. A lot of mainstream music that I know many of us Americans volunteering at Grest would agree is not high quality. Most of the children at Grest have already learned many expletives in English either through television or the music that they listen to. Some English words are just used normally now: "okay", "top", "hi-tech". 

What is intriguing is that a good portion of the American music and television that is popular here is not necessarily recognized by Americans. I am working with two other Americans, one from Michigan and one from Connecticut. I am California and although we may have different genres of music that we listen to, different backgrounds, we all three have agreed that some of the selections of popular "American" sounds do not make much sense to us.

Where does Italy get its American music? How can a genre that is considered "American" sound so different than what it actually does in the United States? It is an intriguing thought about media, about which companies have connections to which films or songs or other American paraphernalia.