tourist versus citizen
After being in Venice for three weeks now, I am finding myself feeling more like a local and less like a tourist. Although I have only lived here for a short time, I am empathetic for native Venetians whose lives constantly revolve around tourism. It does not take long to understand how overwhelming it feels to see the vast number of tourists that occupy the streets and feel consumed in the crowd. In addition, it appears that there are significantly less locals on the island than tourists, so I imagine they feel like outsiders in their own city. I have also observed that most tourists mindlessly snap photos around the town and do not take the time to appreciate the beauty of the city. In many instances, I have also noticed many tourists displaying great disrespect to the city. On our history walk to Piazza San Marco, the beauty of the square was tarnished with barefoot tourists splashing in the water. Their behavior at first angered me, but later I realized that their act was due to lack of knowledge. I would like to think they were unaware of the uncleanliness of the water or the disrespect it showed to an important Venetian square. This behavior exhibits poor citizenship because a good citizen would be informed of such social norms. I hope I can improve in my citizenship by becoming more aware of Venetian cultural norms and always showing respect to the locals and their landmarks.
The idea of citizenship is greatly explored by Aristotle. In his model he coined the phrase participatory citizenship: the active involvement of citizens to each contribute to the greater good of the society. This allows citizens to fulfill different roles and act as the gears that, when all turning in sync, result in a smoothly run society. I wonder how smoothly the Venetian society is able to run with the mass amount of tourists in comparison to citizens.
For example, in the Venice Today class we watched a documentary about the tourism in Venice. A local man who was interviewed described the harsh life of a Venetian; he was being evicted from his home because he could longer afford it. During this scene he opened his windows and pointed to his neighbors’ homes. He explained how his neighbors were from different countries and only visited once or twice a year. I asked Roberta if there was any government regulation on who is allowed to buy Venetian property and was saddened to hear that there is not. I personally find this ridiculous that the government does not have any regulation to ensure that property is kept within the Venetian society. At this rate, wealthy foreigners will buy Venetians out of their own homes and force them to the mainland. There will be no sense of Venetian pride because there will no longer be Venetians left to care about their society.
A huge issue in Venetian society is the tactless cruise ships that pass through the lagoon. Not only do they distract from the historic charm of the city, but they leave behind them a trail of smog that pollutes the city. It can be argued that cruise ships bring in tourists to contribute to the local economy, but at what cost? Also, are local Venetians the ones profiting from the cruise ship industry or is it high up executives at the cruise lines? These are questions I currently do not have the answer to, but I am hoping to research during my stay in Venice.
Habits are another important aspect of citizenship that we have discussed. Tourists who come through Venice usually do not stay long or see many aspects of everyday Venetian society. My trips to the markets in Rialto have been some of my favorite memories thus far. The streets are filled not only with food, but rich Venetian culture that has been a privilege to experience. It has become a habit of mine to visit the market to improve my Italian and help benefit the local economy. This habit is helping me to accomplish a goal of mine: to feel like a good Venetian citizen by the end of the semester. I have also found it helpful to consistently visit Santa Margarita on the weekends to try to meet locals. I have met a few friends that I have seen the past few weekends, and I hope to grow in these friendships. I hope that the people I have met appreciate my efforts to get to know them and their culture. It is interesting that many of the locals my age do not attend college and have already begun working. At home it is customary of hearing friends talk about working at a grocery or retail store, but here the types of jobs are much different. I have met a Murano glass salesman and a vaporetto driver, both of which are extremely proud of their professions. It is interesting to compare my friends in the United States to my new Venetian friends and notice these cultural differences. I hope to continue to meet locals that will help me grow in my understanding of Venetian culture as well as mold me into an ideal Venetian citizen.
The idea of citizenship is greatly explored by Aristotle. In his model he coined the phrase participatory citizenship: the active involvement of citizens to each contribute to the greater good of the society. This allows citizens to fulfill different roles and act as the gears that, when all turning in sync, result in a smoothly run society. I wonder how smoothly the Venetian society is able to run with the mass amount of tourists in comparison to citizens.
For example, in the Venice Today class we watched a documentary about the tourism in Venice. A local man who was interviewed described the harsh life of a Venetian; he was being evicted from his home because he could longer afford it. During this scene he opened his windows and pointed to his neighbors’ homes. He explained how his neighbors were from different countries and only visited once or twice a year. I asked Roberta if there was any government regulation on who is allowed to buy Venetian property and was saddened to hear that there is not. I personally find this ridiculous that the government does not have any regulation to ensure that property is kept within the Venetian society. At this rate, wealthy foreigners will buy Venetians out of their own homes and force them to the mainland. There will be no sense of Venetian pride because there will no longer be Venetians left to care about their society.
A huge issue in Venetian society is the tactless cruise ships that pass through the lagoon. Not only do they distract from the historic charm of the city, but they leave behind them a trail of smog that pollutes the city. It can be argued that cruise ships bring in tourists to contribute to the local economy, but at what cost? Also, are local Venetians the ones profiting from the cruise ship industry or is it high up executives at the cruise lines? These are questions I currently do not have the answer to, but I am hoping to research during my stay in Venice.
Habits are another important aspect of citizenship that we have discussed. Tourists who come through Venice usually do not stay long or see many aspects of everyday Venetian society. My trips to the markets in Rialto have been some of my favorite memories thus far. The streets are filled not only with food, but rich Venetian culture that has been a privilege to experience. It has become a habit of mine to visit the market to improve my Italian and help benefit the local economy. This habit is helping me to accomplish a goal of mine: to feel like a good Venetian citizen by the end of the semester. I have also found it helpful to consistently visit Santa Margarita on the weekends to try to meet locals. I have met a few friends that I have seen the past few weekends, and I hope to grow in these friendships. I hope that the people I have met appreciate my efforts to get to know them and their culture. It is interesting that many of the locals my age do not attend college and have already begun working. At home it is customary of hearing friends talk about working at a grocery or retail store, but here the types of jobs are much different. I have met a Murano glass salesman and a vaporetto driver, both of which are extremely proud of their professions. It is interesting to compare my friends in the United States to my new Venetian friends and notice these cultural differences. I hope to continue to meet locals that will help me grow in my understanding of Venetian culture as well as mold me into an ideal Venetian citizen.