At a political event Sunday, Italy's billionaire Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said that young women should consider money when deciding which man to marry. "I said to a girl to look for a wealthy boyfriend," said Berlusconi. "This suggestion is not unrealistic." The notorious playboy — whose second wife, Veronica Lario, is currently divorcing him after a wave of sex scandals — added that women are lining up to date him because he's "a nice guy" and he's "loaded." He also said that women prefer older men because they think, "He's old. He dies and I inherit." What does the English-speaking blogosphere make of his dating advice? The reaction:
A new title: After "instructing Italy's bella signoras to go the sugar daddy route," says Tracy Clark-Flory in Salon, it's clear that Berlusconi has become "the world's dirty old uncle."
If you think that's offensive ...: Surprisingly, says Andrew Swift in Foreign Policy, Berlusconi's "questionable" comments about women weren't even the most "crass" thing he said that day — later, he made a joke about "Adolf Hitler's comeback."
Defining down tackiness: "Even by Silvio Berlusconi’s standards," says Nick Pisa in the Daily Mail, his statements at this event were "lacking in taste."
Rich? Yes. Nice? Not so much: Berlusconi is "definitely loaded," says Anna North in Jezebel. But with "14 subheadings" under the "controversies" section on his Wikipedia page, his claim that he's a "nice guy" is "debatable."
The joke's on him: Berlusconi may like to make offensive jokes, says Nick Squires in the Telegraph — but facing a parliamentary confidence vote later this month and a dismal public approval rating his sagging "political fortunes are no laughing matter."
