Culture
ODD FACES •
Giuseppe Culicchia: “The Italian version of ‘woke’ has only won over a select few”
Author of a ‘dictionary of hypocrisies’ stemming from political correctness (‘E finsero felici e contenti’), the writer remains true to his ironic yet serious non-conformism: “Prudence would suggest observing developments over a longer period. If, however, we’re talking about ourselves, I don’t think the ‘woke’ movement has had much of an impact.”
Italian-style ‘woke’? An elitist phenomenon, but writer Giuseppe Culicchia would not venture to dismiss it outright, despite the flurry of condemnations that rained down – with orchestrated timing – following a quip by the American Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The author, who six years ago penned a ‘dictionary of hypocrisies’ stemming from political correctness (‘E finsero felici e contenti’), Culicchia remains true to his ironic yet serious non-conformism, which still stands out as an oddity in cultural circles.
If ‘woke’ is no longer in fashion, what remains of it?
I really don’t think it can be written off just yet in the United States, where the first seeds were sown as far back as the late 1960s. Ocasio-Cortez’s statement singled out the ‘1.0’ phase of ‘woke’, but it was not a blanket rejection. Prudence would suggest observing developments over a longer period, looking beyond the immediate reactions fuelled by the rush to comment. If, on the other hand, we’re talking about ourselves, I don’t think ‘woke’ has had much of an impact.
What makes you think that?
If I were to discuss intersectionality here in Turin with a resident of Barriera, or with a passer-by in Quarto Oggiaro in Milan, I am certain I would arouse very little interest, because these are people who have quite different concerns. ‘Woke’ thinking has made inroads into academic circles and the cultural industry, but not amongst the very people it was primarily intended to address. It is the usual disconnect between the revolution’s vanguard and its supposed protagonists. Those living in hardship or precarious circumstances have never given a second thought to whether to use the schwa, whilst in the United States the effects have been devastating: even asking ‘where are you from?’ could constitute a microaggression. People were walking on eggshells, and this is one of the reasons why Donald Trump was re-elected.
Does this backtrack also apply to ‘cancel culture’?
Here, it seems to me, it has taken root most of all in the poor statue of Indro Montanelli. Otherwise, if we were to re-examine the past through the lens of our Zeitgeist, we would have had to tear down Fascist architecture as well as the countless monuments erected by inquisitorial popes, depraved Renaissance lords and cruel Roman emperors. These may be witticisms, but those who claimed that the little poem read by Amanda Gorman at Biden’s inauguration in 2021 could not be translated by white people were dead serious – just like those who cast Black actors in the TV series ‘Bridgerton’, producing a historical falsehood and, to top it all, leading people to believe that racism did not exist amongst the English aristocracy of the early nineteenth century.
Some commentators even speak of ‘judicial wokism’. For example, in the case of the man accused of sexual assault in a convenience store in Turin, who was not remanded in custody.
Had the victim been a white Westerner, the incident would have sparked far more heated protests. There is an acute sensitivity within progressive circles, yet this suddenly fades depending on the circumstances. While it is right to respect all cultures, there are countries where homosexuals are hanged and patriarchy reigns supreme: this cognitive dissonance is often ignored, with a measure of hypocrisy that has become part of everyday life for years. More generally, it is plain for all to see that a double standard prevails: what applies to some does not apply to others.
Are there any specific details?
At the 2023 Book Fair, protesters prevented Minister Roccella from speaking. Had the protest been organised by right-wing youths against a left-wing minister, it would not have been regarded as dissent, but as thuggery.
There is also ongoing controversy over the presence of certain publishers at book fairs, and there was a proposal – which was subsequently scrapped – for an ‘anti-fascist licence’. Didn’t this happen before?
At the Salone, the stands of Sensibili alle foglie and Edizioni di Ar were hosted. This is democracy. The paradox is that this was the case until the right came to power. It is no coincidence that in Rome, Veltroni was able to name a street after Paolo Di Nella, a murdered MSI activist, because he was a left-wing mayor, despite the criticism he faced.
Is it true that right-wing voters are less educated, as Bonaccini claims?
However, Mr Montale did win the Nobel Prize.
So is it a cliché?
Clichés often reflect reality: it is a well-established fact that the Left wins in restricted traffic zones (ZTLs) but no longer in the suburbs. Thus, having lost its core electorate, the left latches onto ‘woke’ culture because it appears to be a left-wing phenomenon, but with dramatic consequences: the very political faction that once led the fight against a prudish Italy that censored Last Tango in Paris ends up condemning it itself. Due to a sudden surge in moralism.
Is this battle more about form or substance?
It is often a matter of words. For some time now, there has been a trend towards ‘cleansing’ language: we have replaced the word ‘dismissals’ with ‘redundancies’; civilian victims of war are ‘collateral damage’. Reality is anaesthetised, yet it remains the same under a different name: the acronym ‘GPA’ (Gestazione per altri) does not alter the fact that it is surrogacy. If the choice of words were enough to change things, many of these ugly practices would no longer exist, but political correctness often borders on a mere facade or a passing fad. Like asterisks, or ‘resilience’, because language, fortunately, is not changed from above but from below.
Has the ‘woke’ movement done any good at all?
There is no doubt that the world has considerable room for improvement, but please let us read "Heart of Darkness" and the "Iliad" in peace, without being accused of racism and toxic sexism.