
A young woman sings from the window in Milan, Italy on March 13, 2020. Some people in the country asked the public to stand on the balcony and sing or play something, to make people feel united in the quarantine. (Photo: Mairo Cinquetti/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
'A Kind of Triumph of Spirit': Locked Down Italians Singing From Balconies Inspire Hope Across World
"This is why so many people through many centuries fall in love with Italy."
Italians under lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak crisis have inspired people around the world by singing and creating music together from balconies despite not being able to leave their homes.
A montage video showing Italians serenading one another in high rise apartment buildings and playing music together was "a kind of triumph of spirit," as one Italy-centric Twitter account put it on Friday.
Videos have poured in from across Italy:
Similar displays took place in Lebanon:
And in Spain, people took to balconies to clap and sing together:
In January in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak is believed to have begun, residents chanted "jiayou," or "keep up the fight," for the city and its people.
Spanish people under lockdown have also taken time every day to celebrate the efforts of health professionals in the country, as Chef Jose Andres shared on social media:
The unprecedented nature and threat of the coronavirus outbreak has led to "social distancing," or a self-imposed quarantine, in most countries in the world in order to slow the rate of infection. But such radical changes to everyday life can come with consequences to one's mental health and immune system, as the University of Washington's Center for the Science of Social Connection director Jonathan Kanter and university PhD psychology student Adam Kuczynski noted on Monday in an article for The Conversation.
"In times of stress and illness, being deprived of social connection can create more stress and illness," Kanter and Kucynski wrote.
By reaching out to one another with song and music, Italians--and others around the world--are seeking out human connection.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Italians under lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak crisis have inspired people around the world by singing and creating music together from balconies despite not being able to leave their homes.
A montage video showing Italians serenading one another in high rise apartment buildings and playing music together was "a kind of triumph of spirit," as one Italy-centric Twitter account put it on Friday.
Videos have poured in from across Italy:
Similar displays took place in Lebanon:
And in Spain, people took to balconies to clap and sing together:
In January in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak is believed to have begun, residents chanted "jiayou," or "keep up the fight," for the city and its people.
Spanish people under lockdown have also taken time every day to celebrate the efforts of health professionals in the country, as Chef Jose Andres shared on social media:
The unprecedented nature and threat of the coronavirus outbreak has led to "social distancing," or a self-imposed quarantine, in most countries in the world in order to slow the rate of infection. But such radical changes to everyday life can come with consequences to one's mental health and immune system, as the University of Washington's Center for the Science of Social Connection director Jonathan Kanter and university PhD psychology student Adam Kuczynski noted on Monday in an article for The Conversation.
"In times of stress and illness, being deprived of social connection can create more stress and illness," Kanter and Kucynski wrote.
By reaching out to one another with song and music, Italians--and others around the world--are seeking out human connection.
Italians under lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak crisis have inspired people around the world by singing and creating music together from balconies despite not being able to leave their homes.
A montage video showing Italians serenading one another in high rise apartment buildings and playing music together was "a kind of triumph of spirit," as one Italy-centric Twitter account put it on Friday.
Videos have poured in from across Italy:
Similar displays took place in Lebanon:
And in Spain, people took to balconies to clap and sing together:
In January in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak is believed to have begun, residents chanted "jiayou," or "keep up the fight," for the city and its people.
Spanish people under lockdown have also taken time every day to celebrate the efforts of health professionals in the country, as Chef Jose Andres shared on social media:
The unprecedented nature and threat of the coronavirus outbreak has led to "social distancing," or a self-imposed quarantine, in most countries in the world in order to slow the rate of infection. But such radical changes to everyday life can come with consequences to one's mental health and immune system, as the University of Washington's Center for the Science of Social Connection director Jonathan Kanter and university PhD psychology student Adam Kuczynski noted on Monday in an article for The Conversation.
"In times of stress and illness, being deprived of social connection can create more stress and illness," Kanter and Kucynski wrote.
By reaching out to one another with song and music, Italians--and others around the world--are seeking out human connection.

