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Andreas Solaro / AFP - Getty Images
Italians hold candles as they demonstrate against government policy in front of the Pantheon, in downtown Rome, on April 18, 2012. Trade union's anger is growing in Italy over the government's reform measures and public outrage over a series of suicides linked to the economic crisis.
ASOLO, Italy – On Tuesday, Generoso Armenante, a 49-year-old former security guard at a convenience store in the southern town of Salerno, left home after having lunch with his wife – and quietly found a secluded spot where he hanged himself.
Armenante had been fired more than a year ago, and had been struggling to find another job ever since. Next to his body he left a letter: “I decided to end it because I am a failure. I can’t live without work.”
Unfortunately, he is not alone. Tens of other Italians have also chosen to take their own lives in response to the strain of the economic crisis and the consequent austerity measures.
On Tuesday, two other people committed suicide, apparently due to financial hardship. A 60-year-old businessman in Milan hanged himself from a tree after failing to repay his debts.
And a 64-year-old bricklayer in Salerno, who lost his job around Christmas, shot himself in the chest. He left a similar message: “I can’t live without a job.”
The three men are casualties of the debt crisis that has pushed Italy’s economy to the brink over the past year and put considerable strain on most Italians, especially those who own or work for small businesses. At least 34 people have killed themselves citing economic reasons since the start of the year, according to the Italian Association of Small Businesses.
‘If my business fails, I fail with it’
A dramatic hike in taxes, combined with large cuts in public spending, a clampdown on tax evasion and a credit crunch from banks have pushed many Italian businesses to the brink of bankruptcy.
Some have stuck to the old Italian script, griping about the government measures at the local cafe over a cappuccino and hoping for better times. But others have seen no way out, and have opted for death.
The most affected region is the relatively prosperous Veneto in the northeast of Italy, home of Venice and an abundance of businessmen.
Gianfilippo Oggioni / AP
Tiziana Marrone, right, widow of Giuseppe Campaniello, whose his picture is carried on a banner in background, and Elisabetta Bianchi take part in a demonstration to protest against Italian Premier Mario Monti's austerity measures, in Bologna, Italy, on Friday, May 4, 2012. Marrone and Bianchi claimed that their husbands committed suicide because of economic crisis.
In a part of the country that has had a reputation for skilled merchants since Venice was a maritime republic, as many as one in 10 own their own business. Some of the most recognized Italian brands, such as Benetton and Diesel, originate from the area.
“My business is like my family,” Massimo Zappia, who owns a window frame business in Asolo, a town about 20 miles north of Venice, told NBC News. “I feel responsible for each of my employees. If my business fails, I fail with it.”
Zappia, 42, blames the credit crisis for some of his woes as a small business owner. “These days it takes six months for banks to make their mind up for small loans of just a few thousand dollars. And as a businessman, I feel left alone.”
Struggling to ‘soldier on’
This feeling of failure and loneliness is at the very heart of acts of desperation among the business community in Italy. The message left by Armenante, the security guard who hanged himself on Tuesday is the same mantra repeated by workers and businessmen who either tried to kill themselves and lived to tell the tale or by those who thought about trying, but found other reasons to live.
Giovanni, who is in his mid-40s and also lives in Asolo, admits that he thought about ending his life after failing to repay a debt of $25,000. The self-employed plumber, who asked that his last name not be used, told NBC News that he only stopped himself because he didn’t want his family to pay for his mistakes, adding that he has a disabled son and a wife with a history of psychological problems.
“It was a dark moment, and I thought there was no way out,” he said. “They strangled me economically; I just can’t keep up with repayments. I got to the point where I couldn’t go back home and look at my wife and children in the eyes, and tell them I didn’t know how to carry on,” he said.
“There are moments when you think that there is an easy way out. It only takes a moment to die. But then you think of your family and you realize you can’t. You just need to soldier on.”
To help ease the problem, a workers’ association near Asolo started a helpline for people in distress. They received at least 60 calls in their first two months of activity, but say that it’s worried families who tend to call rather than the businessmen themselves.
“It’s their wives that call the most, because businessmen around here are very proud,” said Stefano Zanatta, president of Confartigianato Veneto, a local business association. “They wouldn’t admit to having a problem until it becomes so big they can’t tackle it anymore.”
Some, however, do call. “Once we got a call from a businessman who couldn’t even afford to send his daughter to school,” Zanatta said. “We offer them psychological support and financial advice before it’s too late.”
Zanatta says that he expected a dramatic hike in the number of calls during the month of June. That’s the deadline for filing tax returns in Italy, and the time when many businessmen may realize they just can’t survive the economic crisis.
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Europe fell hook line and sinker for the global warming scam and wasted billions of dollars tying to go "green" with higher priced alternative energy which isn't really green and certainly isn't as reliable as coal, oil and gas.
Then with all the "green" carbon taxes businesses fled Europe and jobs disappeared.
Obama bragged on Spain and its green jobs but forgot to say that for every one green job created 2.2 regular jobs were lost.
Throw in the socialist mentality of Europe where people think it is the governments job to do everything for them and you eventually run out of other peoples money.
People who never had to figure out how to take care of themselves woke up to a harsh reality and couldn't handle it.
I agree with the minimalist living. It will be necessary & it will be sadly rewarding to watch the wealthy get choked out of their compfy lifestyles to either make the jump OR join the slump. My family plans are to take a nice vacation before the dollar becomes worthless. Then, have one child only and live as minimally as possible. I am not afraid of loosing money because it has never meant that much to me.
Crystal-- The super-rich are not going to get choked out of their life styles. It takes money to protect your money and they have it.
Start with a constitutional amendment that requires government expenditures to be equal to or less than revenues.
Eliminate all government subsidies to all non-critical industries and all industries who show a profit.
Lock up the Social Security and Medicare funds so that those funds cannot be used for any other purposes than the original intended purposes.
Term limits for all elected officials, especially Congress.
Eliminate all lobbies and lobbyists.
Get rid of the "Super PACS" and their little brothers, "PACS" and limit all political contributions to $100.00 per individual and $1000.00 per corporation. Initiate a $1.00 surtax for elections to be divided equally among viable candidates. Place limits on the amounts to be spent on election campaigns and time limits on the length those campaigns may take. Personally I favor a time limit of which would start 120 days prior to the election and not a minute more.
Require all high schools to teach a mandatory two full semesters of "Civics" and the importance of Civics and of the participation of the electorate in the democratic process.
That's just for starters. If we can get that much done we can get down to the messy details later.
And, yes, I realize just how unrealistic this wish list is, and, no, I am not on drugs.
Suicide, just to get on topic, earns no respect. Sympathy to the families of the faint hearted who took the easy bow out of the play.
They write that "tens" of Italians have committed suicide. For a nation of 60 million people that's remarkably LOW!
Instead of "tens", America has "tens of thousands": Every year, more than 500,000 people attempt to take their own lives in the US and 30,000 of those attempts are successful.
Source: http://www.hivehealthmedia.com/depression-recession-unemployment-wealth-inequality-suicide/
you read my mind....see my post below.
Per National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): 11.3 suicides per 100,000 people in American - NOT ALL for financial reasons! Yes, 34K+ people committed this act, in 2007, so it varies year-to-year.
In fact, NIMH did not list financial reasons as a "risk factor."
I'm sure there were a number of them, but it is not listed, specifically.
Poor Italy, WOW....only 10 or so suicide deaths due to financial problems, not able to find work? I bet since the US economy has collapsed a few years ago (and NO it has not recovered) There have been HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS, or maybe MILLIONS of Americans that have committed suicide for the same financial reasons as these Italians. I bet the US government will give Italy a few million greenbacks to help prevent these suicides, yet do nothing at home to help our own people.
thanks msnbc for giving us a way out its funny that the media influences people and the media knows this so they tell us to kill ourselves for being "failures" for problems other people have created
I thought Italians in general were made of stronger stuff. Killing oneself because of economic hardship is stupid. Are they trying to solve the problem by killing themselves, or are they running from the problem? Surely, their self-worth is not defined by the amount of money that they have in the bank, right? I'm sure glad people weren't "offing" themselves after Madoff's fraud was revealed.
Where is Silvio Berlisconi......he has a lot of cash....enough to bring the Italian economy out of the brinks......
There's more like him in Italy.....the government will never go after the real culprits because the ones's in government are the real culprits......they rather get it from us because it's easy taking it away from the 99%.
As I watch this Debt crises unfold in Europe; I cannot help but consider , all these were Slave holding Nations; as Thomas Jefferson said ; under a just God we going to have to pay for This.
America is next!
God move in his own Time! America considers she has gotten away; God remembers all of his children's and their suffering under White oppression.
socialism + corruption + uneducated and lazy public = economic disaster. If you look at all the countries in deep trouble in Europe: Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, they all have these 3 factors in common. On the other hand, socialist European countries with honest politicians, as well as an educated public, are doing just fine, think countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Norway. It's not socialism that is the problem, it's the corrupt politicians, and a lazy, uneducated public that causes economic problems. Unfortunately, in America we have plenty of both, so socialism will never work here, unlike in Germany and Scandinavia.
CHRIS-749391 For PRESIDENT!!! Well said my friend. It's nice to know someone out there sees things for the way they really are.
The biggest business in Italy is the vatican,bet they don't pay a tax.And they have enough cash sitting around to bail out all of europe.But let see them lift a hand to help.
how can all these bankers get away with corruption? Citibank launders 100 million for drug cartels and nothing happens. No one prosecuted, Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan, Lehman Brothers and many more walked away with millions and no consequences. We need a President that's not pussy whipped to these bankers and will stand up for our rights. We the people vote for Presidents why not vote for the true runners of the country "The Bankers" . They take millions and my debit card gets cancelled for 30 dollars overdrwan WTF
All I can say about these suicides is "Coming soon to a town near you!"
I'll gladly help out that Italian model on the Fiat commercial if she doesn't have a job?
Forza Italia! I went to medical school in Italy and still remember all these ‘scioperos’ (strikes)
Italians organized to wield concessions from the government. To be sure, I never got into a residency program, while thousands of 3d world doctors did! So you can blame the immigrants or the greedy and unscrupulous Americans, who are in charge.
Birthrate control, relevant productivity and accountability – these are the keystones of efficient
society. In this modern world, with advanced technology, there shouldn’t be any ‘Great Depression’. If
there is, it’s because of mismanagement!
Can't live without work? Can't live without a job?
But the immigrants from ME and N. African countries are happy to live on welfare of those few who DO have a job--and breed more just like them.