Il mondo incerto. Lockdown tra rischi e rituali

During this second lockdown (October-December 2020) the most common feelings, as shown by an ethnographical study, have been anguish and agony. In these months, loneliness prevails everywhere. The major obstacle that arises – and the most difficult to overcome – is the economic crisis. With the exception of the leisured and most protected classes, poverty is now generalized. This led to the revival or resumption of traditional or “classic” forms of solidarity. Family and mutual parental aid networks started working again. Two separate kinds of uncertainty have characterized Europe, and especially Italy, in this period. The first is “institutional”, and concerns the political actions of the governments, which have often proven inconsistent (bestowing holidays bonus and “state cashback” to promote economy, and then complaining about people crowding on the beaches or in the streets). The second involves the citizens, confused by these different contradictory signals. The response has been extremely varied. Sometimes with self-destructive effects (among young people, for example). Others showed a silent despair, faced the difficulty with indifference, or implementing attempts at normality.