A COMPARISON: CONSUMERISM, CONCLUSIONS
Today I conclude this essay with some thoughts about shopping in the 50's in Dunkirk and in Sciacca.
Consumerism and jobs-buyer beware
Shopping for necessities in small towns in Sicily often requires a trip to a big store in a big city, just as I had to do before giant discount stores became the rule of the land in America. As then, there are a lot of cheap Chinese-made products available here, often in open air markets and from peddlers that go from town to town. The other alternative is top-of-the-line products in specialty stores, often established for the purpose of supplying expensive gifts for life occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, or special birthday gifts. But it is hard to find mid-prized products of good quality anywhere in small towns. I had a very hard time buying mid-priced heavy pots and pans. And some products are not available at all times in all locations as many things are considered seasonal. Do not try to buy clothes pins or room fans in the wintertime for they just are not available. Small towns in Sicily just do not have Wal-Mart!
And just like when I was a kid, there appear to be no real consumer protection laws, for ads on TV really DO lie about products, seemingly with no real repercussions. Fat Buster and astrology/magic potion advertisements on daytime TV are the ones that are the most comical to me. We regularly receive brochures with outrageous claims for products with no prices listed. The prices will not be revealed until you send in your order! Cynicism of products is learned and the concept caveat emptor was invented by the Romans here in Italy. It seems the general public accepts these anomalies, sort of like if they only dupe dumb people and they can get away with it, it is not all that wrong.
But despite all this I think the Italian love of business and style make Sicilians today much better shoppers than we were in the 1950s. Sadly, I predict supply and demand will see the end of all the tiny specialty stores here in Sciacca and more consumer-oriented cheaper mega stores like in the US. And I think that will be a real shame. Small personalized stores are a characteristic of small towns that I remember from the states in the 50s. The specialty stores here really do offer personal service for customers, though granted at a higher price. And they provide a niche for more jobs and more family employment.
For associated with consumer buying is the problem of lack of jobs, and especially, the availability of only low paying jobs. Unemployment in Sicily is such a problem that men often take on two or three of these jobs to make ends meet. This makes jobs for teens hard to get. I do not remember many jobs available for teenagers when I was growing up and today, ambitious young people have to leave Sciacca for job opportunities, just as young Americans did when I was younger. But contrary to what it was like in the 60s, when every American kid who was of age wanted to leave home, many young people in Sicily today WANT to stay home and live off of their parents to wait for the right opportunity. So much in the way of work here comes about because of having the right connections. Advanced education is of questionable value to many young people because jobs do not often come with a degree, and many youths go on to university only so they can prolong their period of dependence on their parents until they can find something better to do.
I do not remember stores being open on Sundays or holidays in the 50s, although the Sunday Blue Laws havent been in effect in the US for many years. In Sciacca, almost nothing is open on a Sunday and there are laws on the books to prosecute stores that do get greedy and open up. But just as in most everything else, bigger cities (mostly in industrial northern Italy) are closer to the American model, offering big stores with Sunday and holiday hours. The American model is creeping closer, as Palermo and Catania super stores now have Sunday hours!
CONCLUSION
In some ways I have been surprised at the modernity of modern day Sicily. The general level of prosperity here is very high compared to what I (and many Americans) would have thought for the old country. This is hard to tell at first, for in most villages the ancient stone houses and lanes have not changed for hundreds, even thousands of years. But although the outsides of houses are often unadorned plain concrete facades, the typical insides feature marble and massive wooden furniture, rich fabrics and interior decorator-type furnishings and wall hangings. Another huge surprise is the sophistication and the number of cell phones in use. Both are amazingly high here, for everyone from 8 year-old kids to grandparents has his own cell, and national statistics show there are more cell phones than family members. Surprising too is the sophistication of new car technology, an intelligent response to high gas prices here. The smaller size and alternate energy systems in them make you think that Sicilians are firmly placed in the 21st century.
But then, central heating is still not in use in many cold stones houses for the chilly winter months. Without central heating, I have been colder here than I ever was in the states, even in polar temperatures in the northeast. And there are even fewer clothes dryers per household. I remember my mother taking frozen solid sheets off of the clothesline.
So Sicily is a constant contradiction, but a familiar one for me. Some Sicilians mourn the slow development of their country and the foolish starts and stops of projects and wasted money of a bureaucracy more interested in form than function. Our friend Paolo visited relatives in the US 10 years ago and estimated it would take Sicily 30 years to catch up to the infrastructure and technology he saw then. I smile and mentally add to this 10 years another 10 to his 30 year estimate to make the 50 year separation between my childhood and now. This is certainly true in terms of making things work correctly by solving problems cooperatively. But I am thankful to be here in retirement to live my second childhood knowing enough to enjoy it.
Consumerism and jobs-buyer beware
Shopping for necessities in small towns in Sicily often requires a trip to a big store in a big city, just as I had to do before giant discount stores became the rule of the land in America. As then, there are a lot of cheap Chinese-made products available here, often in open air markets and from peddlers that go from town to town. The other alternative is top-of-the-line products in specialty stores, often established for the purpose of supplying expensive gifts for life occasions such as weddings, anniversaries, or special birthday gifts. But it is hard to find mid-prized products of good quality anywhere in small towns. I had a very hard time buying mid-priced heavy pots and pans. And some products are not available at all times in all locations as many things are considered seasonal. Do not try to buy clothes pins or room fans in the wintertime for they just are not available. Small towns in Sicily just do not have Wal-Mart!
And just like when I was a kid, there appear to be no real consumer protection laws, for ads on TV really DO lie about products, seemingly with no real repercussions. Fat Buster and astrology/magic potion advertisements on daytime TV are the ones that are the most comical to me. We regularly receive brochures with outrageous claims for products with no prices listed. The prices will not be revealed until you send in your order! Cynicism of products is learned and the concept caveat emptor was invented by the Romans here in Italy. It seems the general public accepts these anomalies, sort of like if they only dupe dumb people and they can get away with it, it is not all that wrong.
But despite all this I think the Italian love of business and style make Sicilians today much better shoppers than we were in the 1950s. Sadly, I predict supply and demand will see the end of all the tiny specialty stores here in Sciacca and more consumer-oriented cheaper mega stores like in the US. And I think that will be a real shame. Small personalized stores are a characteristic of small towns that I remember from the states in the 50s. The specialty stores here really do offer personal service for customers, though granted at a higher price. And they provide a niche for more jobs and more family employment.
For associated with consumer buying is the problem of lack of jobs, and especially, the availability of only low paying jobs. Unemployment in Sicily is such a problem that men often take on two or three of these jobs to make ends meet. This makes jobs for teens hard to get. I do not remember many jobs available for teenagers when I was growing up and today, ambitious young people have to leave Sciacca for job opportunities, just as young Americans did when I was younger. But contrary to what it was like in the 60s, when every American kid who was of age wanted to leave home, many young people in Sicily today WANT to stay home and live off of their parents to wait for the right opportunity. So much in the way of work here comes about because of having the right connections. Advanced education is of questionable value to many young people because jobs do not often come with a degree, and many youths go on to university only so they can prolong their period of dependence on their parents until they can find something better to do.
I do not remember stores being open on Sundays or holidays in the 50s, although the Sunday Blue Laws havent been in effect in the US for many years. In Sciacca, almost nothing is open on a Sunday and there are laws on the books to prosecute stores that do get greedy and open up. But just as in most everything else, bigger cities (mostly in industrial northern Italy) are closer to the American model, offering big stores with Sunday and holiday hours. The American model is creeping closer, as Palermo and Catania super stores now have Sunday hours!
CONCLUSION
In some ways I have been surprised at the modernity of modern day Sicily. The general level of prosperity here is very high compared to what I (and many Americans) would have thought for the old country. This is hard to tell at first, for in most villages the ancient stone houses and lanes have not changed for hundreds, even thousands of years. But although the outsides of houses are often unadorned plain concrete facades, the typical insides feature marble and massive wooden furniture, rich fabrics and interior decorator-type furnishings and wall hangings. Another huge surprise is the sophistication and the number of cell phones in use. Both are amazingly high here, for everyone from 8 year-old kids to grandparents has his own cell, and national statistics show there are more cell phones than family members. Surprising too is the sophistication of new car technology, an intelligent response to high gas prices here. The smaller size and alternate energy systems in them make you think that Sicilians are firmly placed in the 21st century.
But then, central heating is still not in use in many cold stones houses for the chilly winter months. Without central heating, I have been colder here than I ever was in the states, even in polar temperatures in the northeast. And there are even fewer clothes dryers per household. I remember my mother taking frozen solid sheets off of the clothesline.
So Sicily is a constant contradiction, but a familiar one for me. Some Sicilians mourn the slow development of their country and the foolish starts and stops of projects and wasted money of a bureaucracy more interested in form than function. Our friend Paolo visited relatives in the US 10 years ago and estimated it would take Sicily 30 years to catch up to the infrastructure and technology he saw then. I smile and mentally add to this 10 years another 10 to his 30 year estimate to make the 50 year separation between my childhood and now. This is certainly true in terms of making things work correctly by solving problems cooperatively. But I am thankful to be here in retirement to live my second childhood knowing enough to enjoy it.
posted by Sicilian Mama at 6:38 AM
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