web counter
LEXO PA REKLAMA!

SHKARKO APP

App Store
Google Play

The unpaid dinner…

2023-08-18 07:30:00, Opinione Lutfi Dervishi
The unpaid dinner…
Illustrative photo

A dinner at the well-known restaurant Guva in Berat produced more "news" and likes than the SPAK arrest warrant for 8 former officials involved in the sterilization file.

 Four Italian teenagers, smiling and full of energy, enjoyed the Albanian cuisine, complimented the staff on the quality and when it was their turn to pay, they secretly left the restaurant in a hurry. The unpaid bill of 80 euros!

The staff of the restaurant were left confused, not only by the sudden departure, but also by the courage of the young people.

Staff posted a short video on social media showing the teenagers leaving the restaurant.

"Our staff wishes these Italian "gentlemen" happy holidays and do something good with the UNPAID lek in our restaurant!!!".

So far nothing extraordinary. More than the financial loss, the post expresses disappointment with the behavior of teenagers.

Portals with the speed of July fire in a heather forest took this "event" and "decorated" it with sensational, generalizing and denigrating headlines.

The narrative quickly shifted from a minor act of wrongdoing to a larger narrative.

While the action of the youth is reprehensible, the media instead of the paintbrush took up a big brush to paint with headlines an entire people and a country and what? Italy, the homeland, and 700 thousand Albanian immigrants over the years.

Can an isolated incident fill the news gap of a hot August day?

Social media is known for its sense of sensationalism and polarization, but portals with an influence on opinion could be careful not to fall into the trap of generalizations and stereotypes.

Perhaps the restaurant itself could serve as a catalyst to correct the taste of the bombastic headlines.

I'm curious if the restaurant were to post "I write for 4 Italian teenagers and not for "Italian tourists" would it become as viral as the video?

The media has the power to shape perceptions, influence debates, and create or undo stereotypes. While the act of the four young men was wrong, it can also serve as a reminder that a single event cannot generalize people and places. You can't tie the forest with a rope...





Lajmet e fundit nga