EDITORIAL

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016 is drawing to a close. The biggest news in this last part of the year is the election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, a surprise for all the opinion pollsters. The disturbing aspect of this choice by the American people – or more exactly, by a part of the American people – is, apart from all other considerations, the message that it sent, namely that in an election campaign you can behave like a racist, an arrogant misogynist, with phrases and perhaps actions that leave no doubt about the scarce respect (and that’s an understatement) for women, and be chosen anyway, even by women themselves.

Another aspect that gives food for thought, underlined on RAI News 24 by the journalist and expert on America, Antonio Monda, is that despite the fact that the top media and the world of Hollywood had given their endorsement to the Democratic candidate, Trump’s election showed that the opinion of the intelligentsia, the mass media and culture in general now count for nothing.

The sociologist Guerino Bovalino, in an interview with the blog Barbadillo stated, “I get the impression that many people decide to vote for an ‘obscene’, ‘disturbing’ leader like Trump more out of the desire to call everything into question than in the belief that the state of affairs will change. The total lack of faith in politics makes people prefer a blank slate rather than an eternal return to more of the same.” Perilous forms of populism are also spreading in Europe and other parts of the world. In Italy, like elsewhere, and perhaps even more so, ideals and visions of the world that were once the foundation and identity of every single party now seem to have disappeared. Fragmentation and the continual reforming of political groupings, with the destructive free-for-all, increasingly undermine faith in politicians, whose only desire seems to be winning or retaining power, concerned purely with looking after their own interests, instead of working for the common good.

There was another disappointment from America. We had an overwhelming love for Bob Dylan and, though listening to the criticisms made by some leading intellectuals bewildered by the Nobel award, we were overjoyed by the decision of the Swedish academy to accept the lyrics of the singer-songwriter as literary masterpieces, even though, as many people said, the words would not have the same power without the music. However, we were disconcerted by the rudeness shown by the artist with his unjustified delay in responding and the inept excuse of “other commitments”, with which he announced that he would not participate in the awards ceremony. It is one thing to give up a prize for ideological or political reasons, preferably explaining why, but quite another to display a clumsy snobbery that discredits a myth instead of enhancing it.

From Trump’s arrogance to Dylan’s rudeness, through to the coarse tones of many Italian politicians. It makes us want to launch an appeal for a 2017 in which to salvage ideals and values under threat of extinction: kindness, respect for others, the effort to spread a basis of education and learning on which people can construct rational choices, the defense and enhancing of a system of real democracy that seems to be in crisis everywhere.

Our Puglia, too, is heading towards the end of the year under the weight of unsolved problems but at least with the strength of its solid appeal for national and international tourists.

Bridge will continue to present the region’s breathtaking landscapes, its cultural treasures and the talent of its people. The majestic olive trees that cover the whole of Puglia have always been the symbol of peace. Punta Palascìa lighthouse, at Otranto, is Italy’s easternmost point, the one that on the 1st January 2017 will see the first dawn. They could be the ideal symbols of a cultural renewal, as well as a personal rebirth: our heartfelt wish for all our readers. Happy New Year!