It took just a single tweet for Romans to act, pick up brooms and trash bags and start a clean-up job on the streets of what is considered one of the world’s beautiful cities, the Eternal City called Rome.
A single tweet
The tweet, posted by Alessandro Gassmann, a popular actor, set the residents in the city to bring brooms, trash bags, and their wallets and start a clean-up drive, as Rome is fast-becoming a trash dump. The city has been receiving international criticism because of this as corruption has crippled the city’s garbage pick-up system, and had likewise affected their public transportation system. Gassmann’s tweet, hashtag #Romasonoio, which translates to “I am Rome” had local residents responding and uploading photos of their efforts to help clear the city of mountains of trash.
However, many of the people who volunteered were not ordinary residents who were seemingly moved by the tweet. Most of them are already volunteers associated with a group called “Retake Roma,” which had been working to keep Rome clean and beautiful since 2009. The volunteer group has a membership of 25,000.
It had been reported that even the anti-corruption mayor of Rome, Ignazio Marino, posted his own tweet, responding positively to Gassman’s call.
Detractors
While the tweet garnered favorable results and got people cleaning in response to the call, there were many detractors as well. They are not after Gassmann, though, but rather they think that such actions only veers the focus away from those who are literally responsible for the city’s messy condition, those people in power who were busy politicking. Other media reported that many people said they have paid their taxes so that garbage could be picked up, and they feel no responsibility to do anything else.
New York Times had printed a scathing article about the degradation of Rome. There were also many who have responded to this criticism, calling it hypocritical. They used Facebook to post photographs of New York showing piles of trash. The group has a membership of 5,700 and growing.
While it is difficult to mess with city politics, it is good to see residents responding to the call and showing their social responsibility by helping clean-up the city that is their home.
Copyright: ginasanders / 123RF Stock Photo
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google+
LinkedIn
Email