From political confrontation to the social skit, the step is short, especially in the wake of a divisive vote like the referendum. On platform X (formerly Twitter), the debate has also heated up in an ironic form, with a back-and-forth featuring the mayor of Genoa Silvia Salis and the satirical profile “Le frasi di Osho”, behind which is Federico Palmaroli.
It all started from a post published by the mayor to emphasize the value of democratic participation. Salis had recounted that she went to the polling station ideally accompanied by a quote from the partisan and founding mother Teresa Mattei: “The most important thing in our life is having chosen our side”.
A message with an institutional tone, which was however reinterpreted ironically by Palmaroli. The creator of “frasi di Osho” replied with a joke in Roman dialect: “I have a friend with a motorcycle”, playing on the theme of accompaniment to the vote.
The mayor's response was swift and maintained the same tone: “I think he voted no too”, she wrote, alluding to the outcome of the referendum. At that point, the counter-reply: “He’s an out-of-towner, he didn’t vote”, closing the exchange with an additional touch of sarcasm.
The skit, which quickly went viral, represents one of the most evident examples of how contemporary political confrontation moves on a dual track: on one side, institutional communication, and on the other, the social dimension, where informal languages and irony help amplify the visibility of the protagonists.
In the background remains the political data: the referendum has mobilized the public debate well beyond the technical contents of the reform, also transforming into a ground for narration and communicative conflict. And, as demonstrated by the Genoa case, even in an occasion of lightness capable of capturing the attention of thousands of users.
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