It must be hard

I am back. I forgot to write yesterday, duh. I came across the news that Romano Mussolini died at the age of 78. He was the son of Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. I was thinking that must be hard. It must be hard growing up the son of a dead dictator. The guy was discredited, sold his nation's soul to Nazi Germany and ended up like a human pinata, hanging in the breeze as his own people strung him up.

Romano was only 17 when he last saw his father. I figure that there were those who would say that the apple does not fall far from the tree. Considering how his father ended up, like an apple hanging on a tree, as people pelted it with rocks, I am pretty sure he would not want that said about him. He was a jazz musician.

I wonder how difficult it was to carry the Mussolini name. I mean what about little Stevie Hitler? How was life for him? Or even son of Ceaucescu in Romania, would be a hard act to follow. I think at some level we would all like to be the dictator (It's good to be the king, thank you Mel Brooks) but who among us wants to be the son or daughter of the dictator. Life may be okay as a child there but the shit hits the fan when you become an adult.

Where is Idi Amin's son, Lionel? You do not here much about him. What about Castro's son, Duane? Only in Haiti did one get a good passing of the baton from Papa Doc Duvalier to his son, and bad sparkling wine, Baby Duck, er I mean Doc, Duvalier. Of course, son could not hold power like Pere, so he is in exile while his country continues to rot. Though the sad history of Haiti may be fodder for another day.

The point I am trying to make is that we should not be so hard on the offspring of dictators as they do not have it that easy. Of course, the power to say "Off with this head" and the means to have somebody carry it through may be a fair trade off. Enjoy the weekend. Ciao.