COVID-19: serological tests, snake-oil, eggheads in Italy

Pure irrationality, same irrationality that over the years led desperate people to believe in the “Di Bella method” or in the Stamina method to cure cancer or even before that in the “Filipino healers” and other forms of medical superstition spreads in the times of COVID-19.

“Serological tests” for the self-diagnosis of the presence of antibodies specific for the Coronavirus are now on sale. Still, notwithstanding their doubtful effectiveness, they have great commercial success. These tests do not claim explicitly to have a 100% guarantee of actually identify the presence of COVID-19 and make clear that only a physician should administer it. But as they are freely available online, they “cash in” the public hysteria of being able to know “if they have taken the virus”. Continue reading “COVID-19: serological tests, snake-oil, eggheads in Italy”

COVID-19: fake news and individual arrogance

Like many people, I often talk about COVID-19 and its impacts in various areas. By academic and professional habit, I try to do so by applying three criteria:

  • to talk about things I have direct knowledge of, to ask for explanations (explanations, not “clarifications”),
  • when I have to draw conclusions of my competence that require non-legal knowledge,
  • to avoid talking about topics outside my area of knowledge.

This attitude, proper of people accustomed to reasoning on a logical basis, is less widespread than one might think and not (only) out of ignorance, but out of a form of intellectual arrogance in the name of which the fact of having competence in an area self-attribute title and authority to talk about whatever topic comes on the floor. Continue reading “COVID-19: fake news and individual arrogance”

COVID-19: Italy between USA and China

This article published by an American information blog is interesting because it shows how national interests lead to “biased” conclusions.

Indeed, as the author of the article points out, the “generosity” of China towards Italy is far from disinterested, but from here to hypothesize that China has even first promoted the contagion by pushing Italians to hug the Italy-resident Chinese and then send aid to strengthen control over our country there is a huge logical and factual gap.

Although the Italian Government is not proving to be in its finest hours, it is fractiously “questionable” to say that

It wasn’t chance. It wasn’t age. It wasn’t overall health, and it wasn’t the good-hearted nature of the Italian people that caused the virus to ravage their nation. It was a leadership who are now under the thumb of the Chinese government.

The entire focus of this analysis is the relationship between “bad Chinese” and “Italians sold by the Government to the foreign powers”. Still, it fails to evaluate the outcomes of the USA strategic choices based on “disengagement” from the EU and the adoption of aggressive behaviours – such as customs duties – towards Countries like Italy which are (still) allies of America, but of which America is no longer.

If the concern that China may take advantage of Italy’s miserable economic and political conditions should rightly be exposed, it should also be made clear that this has been – or will be – possible also thanks to the American administration’s “disengagement” from the European and Italian scenarios.

To look at the issue from a philosophical perspective: when somebody creates a void, he cannot complain if someone else fills it.

Power, like Nature, is haunted by horror vacui.

COVID-19: marketing and advertising in Italy

The number of advertising campaigns and e-mail communications that, more or less directly, use the COVID-19 as a narrative element is increasing. I don’t “name names” because I’m interested in trying to classify the strategies adopted by the various advertising agencies and by the “DIY-marketing-experts” rather than “giving votes” to this or that essay in business hypocrisy. Continue reading “COVID-19: marketing and advertising in Italy”

COVID-19: social disorder is gaining momentum in Italy

Like a health infection, the public disorder should be stopped as soon as the first hints of antisocial behaviour appear. Failing to do so means to let a social pandemics to grow undetected until strong police – and possibly, military – crackdown will be the only (non)solution to restore the “peace of the land”.

There have been several warning tales in the last weeks. In Palermo (Sicily) a mob of twenty people assaulted a supermarket), in Bari (Puglie) criminals robbed a food transport, in Pescara (Abruzzi) a young homeless assaulted a 63-year old lady and stole her shopping bag and in Milan (Lombardy) food-delivery raiders are victims of assaults and theft of the merchandise they carry. Furtherly, media reported an increase of COVID-19-related scams and swindles). Still, the Government is doing nothing but “issue warning”. Continue reading “COVID-19: social disorder is gaining momentum in Italy”