What Is an 'Umarell' and Why Does He Teach Us to Tell Fact from Fiction?
Why is it so hard to walk past a construction site without turning around? Or past a video where someone works deftly with their hands? Even if you’ve never held a trowel, your eyes are still drawn to it. This phenomenon has a name — Umarell — and it has already gathered its fair share of jokes, becoming part of folklore in many cultures. But this habit has a flip side — one that makes us vulnerable to online manipulation. This article explores why we love watching others work and how this knowledge can help you spot fake news.
You’ve almost certainly seen them. An elderly man with his hands clasped behind his back, frozen at a construction site fence. He hasn’t moved an inch for half an hour. Sometimes he shakes his head or throws a comment to a passing foreman: «At this rate, you won’t finish by winter!»
In Italy, he would be called an Umarell (from the Bolognese dialect for «little man»), and in Germany, a Baustellen-Kiebitze («construction site peewit»). In many countries, the phenomenon of elderly spectators commenting on other people’s work has become a running joke. But what if this is not just an eccentricity, but a fundamental part of human nature? Moreover, understanding the Umarell phenomenon could turn you into a professional fake-news debunker. Let’s dive in.
Why Do We Love Watching Other People Work?
There is a well-known Russian proverb: «You can watch three things forever: fire burning, water flowing, and other people working.» Watching someone work (digging, loading, laying bricks) is genuinely satisfying. However, this isn’t just born out of boredom or a desire to feel superior; it’s basic biochemistry.
- The Internal Betting Pool
Our brain is a prediction machine. When you see an excavator, your brain predicts for a split second: «The bucket is about to go down.» And — lo and behold! — the bucket goes down. For every pleasant surprise about how correct your prediction turned out to be, the brain rewards you with dopamine — the pleasure hormone. A construction site is a never-ending slot machine where you almost always win.
- Mirror Neurons
There are specific cells in our heads that fire up just by watching an action. You watch a worker deftly handle a shovel, and your brain thinks the shovel is in your hands. You gain experience without breaking a sweat, getting dirty, or taking any risks. This is an ancient learning mechanism: watching someone carve a stone axe is much safer than doing it yourself.
- A Love for Order
A muddy pit filled with scattered pipes causes cognitive discomfort. By watching the pit transform into a level foundation, you are witnessing the triumph of order over chaos, reducing this discomfort and giving you a sense of understanding what is happening.
- The Aesthetics of Mastery
Watching an experienced professional in action (the fluidity of movement, the rhythm, the economy of effort) activates the exact same areas of the brain as perceiving art. This explains why people love watching videos of artisans at work — from blacksmiths to painters — even if they have zero intention of ever learning the craft.
Cultural Counterparts of the Umarell Around the World
The fascination with watching construction work is familiar to people worldwide. In different cultures, it takes on unique traits dictated by local traditions and ways of life.
- Italy (The Advisor)
The Italian Umarell doesn’t just watch; he actively comments, critiques, and instructs the workers. He knows for a fact that «cement used to be harder.» He operates both solo and in the company of a few fellow «experts.»
In the province of Bologna, where the term originated, the Umarell phenomenon is regarded with warmth. It is considered a local landmark and a charming tradition — so much so that it has even made its way into the world of board games.
For instance, in 2021, a board game called «La Giornata dell’Umarell» («The Day of the Umarell») was released. Its goal is to guide your retiree through typical daily errands (a trip to the post office, the supermarket, the ticket kiosk) and be the first to reach the «Big Construction Site» (Grande Cantiere) to strike an expert pose — hands behind the back — and spectate.
In the city of Rimini (in the same province), observant retirees were taken even more seriously: local authorities officially hired them on a salary to keep an eye on construction sites. The seniors checked whether trucks delivered the promised materials, monitored waste removal, and even guarded the sites against thieves. In neighboring San Lazzaro di Savena, they established an award — hosting a ceremonial handover for the «Umarell of the Year» prize.
- Germany (The Inspector)
The German Baustellen-Kiebitze («construction site peewit») focuses less on the actual construction and more on the presence of yellow vests, hard hats, and safety signs. If they notice a regulatory violation, they won’t hesitate to call the police or file a complaint with a supervisory body.
- Turkey (The Tea-Drinking Spectator)
You will rarely find a Turkish Umarell alone. His headquarters is the coffee shop on the corner, and he operates alongside a group of fellow «grandpa-spectators,» discussing not only the construction but also the latest news over a glass of tea. In Turkish social media and news outlets, this pastime is often ironically dubbed “Milli Sporumuz” («our national sport»).
In early 2026, knowing the popularity of this hobby, a construction company in Turkey even created special viewing areas in the site’s fencing for anyone who wanted to watch the work.
- Japan (The Helper, Not a Spectator)
In Japan, the culture of observational leisure has taken on a social function, becoming part of the «active aging» concept supported at the state level. Instead of simply sitting at home, Japanese retirees contribute to the life and security of the city by patrolling the streets and keeping order in their neighborhoods.
A Lesson for the Fact-Checker: What Does the Retiree at the Construction Fence Teach Us?
At first glance, an Umarell is just an amusing character. But if you look closer, every one of us sometimes behaves exactly the same way when scrolling through a news feed. Just as the grandpa at the construction site sees only ten minutes of a worker’s eight-hour shift, we are often quick to judge an entire event based on a random fragment — a short video or a loud headline.
Here are two valuable lessons that the phenomenon of construction-watching can teach professional fact-checkers.
- Lesson #1: «I saw it with my own eyes» ≠ «I have established the truth»
An example from the life of an Umarell:
The observer sees a worker step away from the excavator, sit on the curb, and look at his phone. The conclusion: «The worker is slacking off, and construction is at a standstill.»
What the observer DOES NOT see:
— The excavator ran out of fuel or broke down.
— The worker is waiting for a surveyor to arrive for control measurements.
— The worker is on a legally mandated lunch break.
— The worker is consulting with the foreman over the phone regarding a technical issue.
Takeaway for the fact-checker:
Personal observation only captures the visible surface of an event. To establish the truth, you must at the very least:
— check the context (what preceded the observation, what is happening out of frame);
— obtain data from other sources (documentation, experts, other eyewitnesses);
— consider alternative explanations for the exact same observation.
When you see a short TikTok video or a news piece titled «City Hall Seizes Materials from Kindergarten Under Repair,» your position is that of an Umarell. You are seeing only 1% of the event. The other 99% (context, documents, underlying causes) are hidden from your view. Don’t invent reality behind the scenes. First, ask yourself: «What am I NOT seeing?»
Observation provides data, but it does not provide interpretation. Interpretation requires context.
- Lesson #2: «I’ve been watching this for years» ≠ «I understand it»
An example from the life of an Umarell:
A retiree has been watching construction sites in his neighborhood for 15 years. He knows what all the stages of work look like, how the machinery moves, and which workers are running late. He is convinced he knows more about construction than the young foreman.
What long-term observation DOES NOT provide:
— Knowledge of project documentation (why a specific material was chosen over another).
— An understanding of technological constraints (why a particular stage cannot be sped up).
— Knowledge of the estimates and budget (why this specific machinery is being used instead of a more modern alternative).
— An understanding of the compromises (between speed, cost, and quality) that were made before work even began.
Takeaway for the fact-checker:
Long-term familiarity with the external manifestations of a complex process creates an illusion of explanatory depth. A person confuses «I’ve heard/seen a lot about this» with «I understand how this works from the inside.»
It is crucial to distinguish between two types of knowledge:
1. Knowledge of narratives — what happened and when (e.g., «The worker was absent for 20 minutes»).
2. Knowledge of mechanisms — why and how it works (e.g., «It was his legally mandated break»).
On the internet, you can find people who «have been reading about politics for 10 years» or «have watched all the popular science videos.» They are confident they understand virology or economics at the level of the professors whose lectures they’ve watched. However, long-term viewing is not the same as a degree validated by exams or years of professional experience. Confusing «I have observed a lot» with «I understand how it works on the inside» is the primary trap of pseudo-expertise.
Prolonged observation provides only the external picture. To understand internal mechanisms, you need specialized training and access to sources that aren’t visible from the sidewalk.
Becoming a professional fact-checker doesn’t mean you stop being an observer. It means becoming an observer who is aware of the boundaries of their own perspective and remembers that there is a vast, unseen world right behind them.