antimo_d

@alessioiride: I'm not convinced. If it were just as you say, there would have to be the Camorra in every urban suburb. I mean, there's organized crime wherever there's degradation, but the Camorra is very strong. After all, for the squads of affiliates coming from Scampia, Arzano and such, there are many big players from Casale, Marcianise, etc... places that don't share the same degradation and poverty, the same ugliness and monotony, yes. Talking about beauty doesn't mean taking the little beasts to school or showing them Leonardo's paintings, but letting them play, "hang out", have fun. A non-colluding Mimmo Dani can be more anti-Camorra than Saviano; Pino Montesano used to chat with the scummy people in the doorways during Carnival in Orta di Atella... in short, it might sound silly, but maybe we have fun.

@ Enea: look, I said goodbye! anyway Aloha (Haloa)!

As I said above, there is no saint, not even Saviano... for the simple fact that he himself is part of (like you, the issue doesn’t end at the Garigliano - oh, no offense, eh ;)) the complex system in which the camorra lives and feeds; therefore, to be extremists and "hairy" (as we say) we are all complicit, even in Scotland, everywhere; having made this bullshit premise... it’s obvious that there are ways and ways, so I don’t agree with alessioiride, and anyway I’m not offended by the impression Saviano brings (he didn’t give me that impression, neither in the book nor "live", anyway...)

As for Saviano and the mythologized character: I agree with kosmo; he knew that to do what he did and avoid getting killed, he had to shine a light on himself and keep it on as long as possible; even at the cost of losing his soul... I think this is what is happening, and this is how he reacts. But all the hype around Gomorra, hoping it doesn’t deflate as quickly as it inflated, seems to have served a purpose; at least here it looks that way... Probably the biggest sacrifice for Saviano lies in becoming a fool, and even the camorristi know this.
(P.S. a hug to _ dear friend_ ;))

Far from being a simple quip, as the judge confirmed to me, having had the fortune to accompany him by car, the crux of the matter was the same that Saviano highlights in his book: the camorra can be fought with maxi-trials, incarcerations, and the decapitation of clans, but it will rise again, because at its core lies a cultural problem for which these are merely palliative measures. The camorra (and crime in general) is closely linked in its logic to the ambition and capitalistic climbing (excuse me, I can't find another term... it's to give you an idea, probably we shouldn't limit ourselves to just capitalism...); the allure of the camorrista lies in being the one who chooses to live one day as a lion rather than a hundred days as a sheep, in accepting to rot in prison just to rise above the dirt... the point is to help everyone understand that you can rise above the dirt in other ways... You don't necessarily have to sprinkle ashes on your head to fight the camorra; the most important gesture of all is to make it clear that you can be well off even without "being someone." You see, here where I live, what I believe is lacking is color (as, I think, is noticeable in the film...) or people who bring it to light... "Facimm na festa" may seem like the quintessence of stereotypical Neapolitan indifference, but it is the smartest solution I envision for this land. Remember the guy from "City of God"? The boy from the gang who decides to leave to enjoy life? There was no other way to be more destabilizing for the hardcore criminals than to drain their deep anger.

As for the "ways" or the "solution," I remember when I met Saviano some time ago in a bookstore: in front of the irritated requests from the small audience about what to do regarding the "camorra problem" (both Saviano and Pino Montesano, who was with him, seemed to dismantle every proposal), I fondly recall Pino Montesano's response after a pause accompanied by the ironic smiles of the two and a small glance. Questions: "There will be something, associations, cultural initiatives, awareness campaigns..." Response: "Facimm' na festa"; continues...

So, the "either you are Saviano or you are complicit" issue. I agree with cptgaio, that it’s too extreme... no one is outside this categorization, not even Saviano (who, I believe, knows this well...): being without sin is an abstraction, a limiting point one can strive for but no one reaches; at the risk of appearing like the self-righteous jerk of the situation, the above does not negate the fact that one can act, oppose, in Naples as in Aberdeen, as much as one is able... Whether you stay, whether you run away, whether you come back, whether you are elsewhere...

I vote for the lycra underwear...

Come on, let’s spark a nice flame "old guard vs. new guard"... a gorgoforum!

and let's go... I will download! (it was a trick to join the reunion)