Offbeat, News, Humour, Hollyhocks, Genitalia, Italian, British, Flatulence
Alternative Title: Hang On To Your Hollyhocks, The Wind Of Change Is Upon Us
One of the last bastions of coarse male behaviour has been dealt a death blow in Italy, where the land’s highest appeals court has ruled it is a criminal offence for Italian men to touch their genitals in public.
For the average Brit the practice is a rather innocuous if less than pleasant sight brought on by a desire for downstairs comfort. A champion of the cause might be Jeremy Paxman, who has infamously spoken out about the standards of male underwear manufacture. He’s certainly got my support!
In Italy, however, there is another more bizarre reason for the practice. We’ve all seen footballers from Catholic countries bob down on one knee and make the sign of the cross during televised football matches, but in the land of pasta it has been the practice to grab hold of, and tug one’s privates when a funeral cortege is passing as means of warding off evil. The mind boggles.
Of course we Brits are not without our own social problems. Lately, news items about flatulence have been causing a stink.
Recently, a woman who claimed she was taunted by colleagues because of her chronic flatulence yesterday lost an employment tribunal claim. And in a separate report a social club has written to member Maurice Fox, 77, informing him that other members found his flatulence problem “disgusting”.
Maurice can be seen here after he got wind of the news.
Perhaps Maurice and the unnamed woman could meet up for a pickled-egg and Guinness supper.
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It is reported that Michael Jackson has cancelled his forthcoming tour of Italy.
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