There is a thought, sometimes unconscious, that is poisoning our common life. The data from the Observatory for safety against discriminatory acts of the Ministry of the Interior confirm the drift that emerged in the latest news cases (see below): in 2019 there were 432 reports of discriminatory offenses against “different” people by race , sexual orientation, religion, ability.
“This feeling of being better than others, especially those who do not look like us, is a” disease “that has infected us since ancient times, when peoples called themselves with expressions such as” the strongest “or” warriors “” explains Marco Aime, anthropologist , author of the essay Pensare Altrimenti. Anthropology in 10 words (ADD Editore). “From that idea of superiority, which is the seed of suprematism, movements such as the Ku Klux Klan in America at the end of the 19th century were born and, 30 years later, Nazism in Germany, which preached the hegemony of the white race and Ariana “.
What remains of those ideologies?
“A certain cultural humus from which an idea of modern suprematism is born, which no longer has just a racial matrix: the belief that if you are white and, today, also heterosexual, rich, physically fit, you can do whatever you want, because you enjoy a presumption of innocence. On the contrary, the more you deviate from that ideal, the more guilty you are until proven otherwise ».
American President Donald Trump comes to mind
“Yes, in addition Trump has another characteristic that brings him closer to a supremacist ideology: he stands as the champion of law and order, as opposed to anarchy which, according to what he says, is promoted by like Black Lives Matter. But the situation in Italy is different, because we do not have centuries of oppression against African Americans behind us. Ours is a more recent and victimized racism, which makes us say “Immigrants steal our jobs” or “My home and not them”. Those who harbor xenophobic sentiments claim privileges as autochthonous, as if the rights are acquired for the place of birth and not for belonging to the human race ».
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And our welcoming spirit?
“It’s just a myth! History has never really put us to the test, so far we have lived in the bubble of “all white and Catholics”. Now, all of a sudden, we are dealing with migrants arriving from distant countries, moreover during an economic recession that scares us ».
Does certain policy also contribute?
«Of course, because he points to immigration as the cause of everything. But there is another factor. For reasons of age, the generation that experienced Mussolini’s dictatorship firsthand is disappearing, so today it is easier for gestures and slogans to resurface that 20 years ago would not have been accepted. I am thinking of the Roman salute or the proclaiming of some young people as “fascists”, who do not have a full historical awareness of what happened ».
It is not just immigrants that are targeted
“No, it is all individuals who move away from this idea of strong and abusive masculinity. Those who refuse to adapt to certain canons, as gay or trans, or because they prefer dialogue to force, as in the case of Willy Monteiro Duarte, represents a threat to the Machian codes. Therefore it deserves a lesson, according to those who believe in those codes. For such people the body becomes the central element of identity: gymnastic, tattooed, exhibited, as if to underline the return to a primitive and wild condition where the law of the strongest and of physical confrontation is in force ».
Especially women, victims of violence and femicides, pay the price
“Rape is the emblem of physical dominance: the protagonists are the body of those who violate and that of those who suffer. Many men still look at women with a sense of ownership: “You are mine and I decide for you.” It applies to the victims of sexual violence, but also to girls like Maria Paola Gaglione, attacked by her brother because she is in love with a transsexual ».
Why the fury against those who belong to the LGBTQ community?
«Because it undermines the manhood of one piece we were talking about. What male is the one who was originally female or the one who, in the eyes of certain alpha men, has effeminate attitudes? Not only. Even those who do not adapt to certain “methods” become a target. This is the case of the elderly man who in Vicenza intervened in defense of the girl beaten by her partner ».
Girl who then defended her abusive boyfriend
“It’s true. And if we think back to the history of our country, the beginnings of the Lombard League come to mind with slogans and trivial jokes that were also applauded by many electricians. The problem is that there is a system where being a mother, wife or sister of a dominant male makes you feel special, elevated on the social ladder. ”
Is taking to the streets against violence any good?
«It would take a real cultural revolution which, however, seems unlikely to me at the moment. The intolerant will always exist, everywhere in the world, and will always make the news. The mobilizations keep attention on certain issues high and, little by little, together with education in schools they change consciences »
