As you may have heard, hotshot haute couture designer John Galliano lost his job following multiple incidents of making anti-Semitic remarks to patrons at a Paris bar. If Galliano can lose his coveted gig at Christian Dior for saying “I love Hitler,” certainly the Prime Minister of Italy should lose his for saying and doing much worse. But through years of embarrassing behavior in Italy’s top spot, from racist comments to current charges of paying for sex with an underage teen, Silvio Berlusconi still hangs on. He’s helped in part by a media empire under his thumb that frames the news in his direction. It’s a media-dominated state soaked in sex and cheap glitz, leaving a nation in a perpetual state of empty distraction. At least that’s the argument laid by Videocracy, an insider documentary that portrays Italy as a nation hypnotized by low culture.
WATCH VIDEOCRACY ON FANDOR:
In the film, Berlusconi comes off as a slick, savvy mogul who knows how to entertain the people better than anyone. But no amount of spinning can mitigate the raw ridiculousness of the following clips, each of which will have you wondering, “How is this guy still in office???”
2007: Berlusconi Taps a Meter Maid — or did he? This German-produced video captures faux-scandal footage of a Berlusconi impersonator getting it on with a policewoman in broad daylight. What’s remarkable is that millions of online viewers were convinced it was the real Silvio, even today. In retrospect, even if this had been real, it would rank among the least offensive things he’s done. (socialsamosa.com)
2008: Nice tan, Mr. Obama! Silvio caught a lot of flack for making light of the newly elected President’s complexion. Are his words racist or just stupid? You decide:
2009: Putting Angela Merkel on hold. Berlusconi’s history of dubious conduct with women goes all the way to the top of international diplomacy, as seen here, as he keeps the German Prime Minister waiting on the red carpet while he takes a call. Perhaps if she were nineteen and in a two-piece, she’d get his attention…
2010: Group Sex with Cartoon Girls. By last year the news of Berlusconi’s sexual exploits attained global prominence, as seen in this Taiwanese animated mock-news report of an alleged orgy that took place between Berlusconi and three women:
2011: Enough is Enough? With Berlusconi set to stand trial for alleged involvement with an underage prostitute at a “bunga bunga” sex party and paying to cover it up, it seems like his nine lives have run out. Jon Stewart runs through the full list of abuses accrued by the Berlusconi administration, and gets the (fittingly obscene) last word:
WATCH VIDEOCRACY ON FANDOR:
