The Arguing

One thing I have come to learn about Italians is that they know how to argue. They have about 10 different hand gestures that can all contribute to the arguing process and a common habit of interrupting each other.

I was sitting at work one day and in the next room some of the employees at the radio station started arguing. I wasn't alarmed becuase this happens frequently. But then it got to the point where one girl was literally screaming at the top of her lungs. I almost went out to see if the guy she was arguing with was threatening her with a knife or something. But then 5 seconds later when I went out she just smiled and said something along the lines of, "Lots of problems come up when you work in an office!" And then her and the guy she probably damaged one of her lungs in order to insult were completely fine a few minutes later. I would say I was shocked but I have learned early on that arguing does not mean fighting in Italy.

My host parents argue all the time at dinner but then they act completely normal once the argument is over. I commented on this to Anna, my host mom, the other night and said I loved how Italians could fight and then blow it over so quickly, but she claimed it wasn't fighting. She said that two people need to discuss their opinions or else they will end up going in two different directions, and not get to know each other for who they really are and what they really think. For some reason this stuck with me. At first I just thought Italians were hot heads. But what Anna said makes sense. They aren't afraid of being rejected by another person, so they speak their mind until they are heard. There is something that intrigues me about that idea, the thought that we shouldn't just sit idly by agreeing with others to avoid causing contention. Silence inevitably becomes agreement. And sometimes I don't agree. Maybe I won't go full-blown Italian, but I think they might be on to something here.