Is Italy really a developed country?

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jburdett

5 red gems, warning level 8.

The value of your opinion < used toilet paper.

6 posts and going around suggesting that Italy is an underdeveloped country? A down syndrome kid would be embarrased by your lack of intellect.

EDIT: If you're going to neg rep me, at least be brave enough to leave your name.

Reply 21

clairedavies

There are huge regional differences in Italy. Depending on the criteria, I suppose some areas would be classified as "developed" and some as "undeveloped". However, the effects of the earthquake are entirely irrelevant.

Reply 22

caw123

jburdett

This may seem like a very silly question, but in light of the fact that at least 207 people have died and 1,500 injured in the Italian earthquake, is Italy really a developed country, as it couldn't deal with an earthquake?

Is Japan a developed country?

The Kobe earthquake killed over 6000 people in 1995.

Reply 23

StarsAreFixed

The Mezzogiorno region is not as developed as the Northern half of the country, but it has improved. I'm not sure if it still carries an Objective 1 EU status. Rome and the North are developed. If an earthquake of that scale hit a similar-sizes city in the UK, it would be roughly the same, perhaps even worse because of the higher population density.

Reply 24

coldfusion

The USA suffered much worse earthquakes, therefore it doesn't really prove anything

Reply 25

Saiming

Uh, oh oh I got another question. Is the US a developed country? I mean there is always such a high death toll when the hurricane season comes.

*facepalm* damn people are stupid.

*EDIT*
Crap, coldfusion beat me to it xD

Reply 26

burninginme

To add, statistically, New Zealand is much less developed than Italy, in both public services, education and actual per capita wealth. Compared to Italy, NZ looks like a relatively hard up country when you compare the statistics. Hell, statistically, NZ is less developed than Greece.

However, OP, would you consider NZ to be an underdeveloped country?

Reply 27

faber niger

Of course.

Is America a developed country, because it dealt pretty badly with Hurricane Katrina?

Reply 28

BJP

there is a massive north/south divide in Italy as I understand. but then again you could argue that the same situation exists in GB..but no one calls our North 'underdeveloped'.

Reply 29

burninginme

BJP

there is a massive north/south divide in Italy as I understand. but then again you could argue that the same situation exists in GB..but no one calls our North 'underdeveloped'.

People in the UK can be very insular in that respect though, many people here seem to think the only countries which could possibly be worth anying are America and the UK, and possibly Australia, NZ, and Canada.

I've met many people here who almost regard France and Spain as third world countries, which is grossly misinformed. Considering France is certainly as wealthy as the UK, if not weathier, far more developed infrastructually, and Spain is certainly no worse off, statistically, Spain is as developed as the USA.

I'm not quite sure what developed these stereotypes, prehaps in British peoples minds, only English speaking nations could possibly be worth anything? As I've said, some deprived parts of the North don't look worlds away from deprived parts of Southern Italy. When British people go abroad, they're often shocked at how the prices are similar to the UK, I mean, what the hell do they expect, Morocco or something?

Reply 30

cactussed

BJP

there is a massive north/south divide in Italy as I understand. but then again you could argue that the same situation exists in GB..but no one calls our North 'underdeveloped'.

But Sicily and our north are completely different - in Sicily loads of blocks of flats just stand empty because people cannot afford to buy them, and the houses they do live in are pretty basic. Whereas people in the north here still largely live in sturdy accomodation with acceptable living conditions.

In fact, comparing Malaysia to Sicily, I would say Malaysia is more developed. But not many would really call it a developed country. Even Harare is quite developed, with tarmacked(sp?) roads and everything.

Reply 31

electrix

The upper half is very developed and is a beautiful country. The south is poverty personified- I stayed in Naples once and saw a dead body of an immigrant while others walked past.

Reply 32

burninginme

cactussed

Let's be fair though, the comparison isn't really valid, the reason is because there are simply too many flats in Sicily, because they were built with the intention of foreigners buying holiday homes. However, since the recession, no one can afford it, so they stand empty.

That doesn't mean the locals don't have homes, they probably have similar sized flats, or houses, but when you've got more flats than families on Sicily, of course they're going to stand empty. I can assure you, if the UK started building flats to a higher level than demand, they'd stand empty.

What do you call basic though? The houses in Sicily are certainly no worse than what you'd find on some rough old ex-council estate up North.

Reply 33

burninginme

electrix

The south is poverty personified- I stayed in Naples once and saw a dead body of an immigrant while others walked past. I stayed in Naples once and saw a dead body of an immigrant while others walked past.

I see you're from Glasgow, would you honestly say that the roughest parts of Glasgow aren't as rough as parts of Naples? It was probably some fued tbh, has there honestly never been a dead body lying in the street in Glasgow? It's hardly a common occurance.

Reply 34

GodspeedGehenna

jburdett

By that logic Japan should be an LEDC.

Reply 35

Xang Lee

Yes, without a doubt, and their education system is better than ours.

Reply 36

cactussed

burninginme

Well OK, I suppose the recession has played its part in that.

And when I say basic:

I doubt you'd find many houses like that, with such cramped conditions, in the North. I know not all houses are like this in the south of Italy, but they're there and people still live in them.

Reply 37

Hedgehunter

TheKunstMonkey

The south's not that developed, the mafia steal all the funds and such, and it's quite a backwards frontier (Generally speaking). I'd speculate at least someone died in some kind of earthquake in the rather developed San Francisco Bay, or in Japan or somewhere. When Mount Saint Helens exploded in 1980 America was pretty undeniably a developed country, yet 57 people died, and I think volcanoes are quite alot more obvious to spot than earthquakes (and the damage probably arrives abit slower).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgRnVhbfIKQ&feature=related

Reply 38

burninginme

Also, why does no one ever call the US an underdeveloped country? Some people in the US live in terrible conditions that even some of the poorest Southern Italians would scoff at, ever seen some of the rough trailer parks all over the place? And they're actually Ameicans, some of the illegal immigrant ghettos make you wonder how a person could actually stay alive in them.

Yet you get no one claim the USA is poor. I had this attitude that some countries are inheriently inferior regardless of the reality. It's a common attitude in Britain and it really pisses me off.

Reply 39

burninginme

cactussed

Well OK, I suppose the recession has played its part in that.

And when I say basic:

I doubt you'd find many houses like that, with such cramped conditions, in the North. I know not all houses are like this in the south of Italy, but they're there and people still live in them.

I admit, that's not very nice. However, they make look rough from the outside, but are they really any worse than what you'd find in an old, delapidated tower-block built in the 80s?

Also, that's certainly no worse than some "trailor parks" some Americans live in.

I'm not trying to suggest those houses are good living, but I'm guessing that's some of the poorer people in Southern Italy, and several of those houses do actually have satelite dishes, implying a certain amount of disposiable income.