Letters
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR •
The Campolarghisti singing in unison: thank goodness Donald’s here
Who wrote to the editor-in-chief, Claudio Cerasa
23 OCT 26
Translated by AI
(Photo: Ansa)
To the Editor – The Campolarghisti (albeit with some caution on Giuseppi’s part) have never hesitated to heap fierce criticism on Donald Trump’s questionable actions. However, they have consistently looked the other way whenever Trump has stabbed Ukraine in the back, particularly when he asked Zelensky to step aside and surrender to his friend Putin.
Giuliano Cazzola
There is, however, a misunderstanding worth highlighting. The Campolarghisti, currently in full anti-Zelensky troll mode—having spent the last four years in opposition criticising Meloni for being a Trump follower—now find themselves observing the criminal manoeuvres with which Trump is attempting to break Ukraine’s resistance, all united by a single, unspoken desire and a single, unmistakable chorus: thank goodness Donald’s here.
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To the editor – “Turning our gaze away from the smashed shop windows (and the terrified citizens, ed.) and keeping it fixed on the young people and their causes is the essential task of the moment. It is the very least we can do for them, by dispelling stereotypes and breaking the spiral of distorted debate that risks plunging us into the abyss of security-driven measures” (Concita De Gregorio, la Repubblica, 20 October). Concita, really?
Michele Magno
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To the Editor – Russian influences have led to inconsistencies requiring red-pen corrections. Regarding my interview with Franco Gabrielli, it should be clarified that the passage on AVS referred to the proposals of the former chief of police (which have found a receptive audience within this party). As for the government’s figures, here too, a Cyrillic bot has had a hand in the matter. Setting aside the irony, the percentages cited by Gabrielli concern the ratio of arrivals to repatriations. For Gabrielli, the grandiose figures (“assuming they are such”) refer to the number of repatriations over the past year. However, if we examine the entire parliamentary term—during which more irregular migrants arrived than in the previous one—the number of repatriations is proportionally lower, so much so that, as Gabrielli points out, in the last parliamentary term “they accounted for 13 per cent of arrivals, whereas in this one it is seven per cent”. A nod to Gabrielli, who has inspired us to coin this slogan: more substance and less hot air.
Carmelo Caruso
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To the Editor – The images of the violence that has swept through Milan raise questions not only about who committed these acts, but also about the society in which those young people grew up. There is a contradiction we struggle to admit: we ask young people to respect the rules, yet we live in a world that all too often rewards those who flout them. In my experience as a criminal lawyer, I have met young people who are very different from one another. I do not believe there is such a thing as a ‘lost generation’, nor that a label like ‘maranza’ can explain behaviour or personal histories. What strikes me, rather, is how difficult it has become to show young people a credible link between hard work, responsibility and success, and how this void is increasingly at the root of criminal behaviour at a very young age. Study, work, commitment and perseverance are the path to building a future. But what message does a teenager receive when they see that provocation and violence attract attention, that ostentation garners admiration, and that notoriety seems to have nothing to do with what one has actually achieved? The digital revolution has made this contradiction even more acute. The internet remains a triumph of freedom and knowledge. But the platforms that play such a significant role in teenagers’ development are not neutral spaces: they select, amplify and reward. Often, what captures attention does not coincide with what helps one to mature. Life becomes a showcase, success a sequence of images, and comparison with others a relentless competition. This is not about demonising technology, but about asking ourselves who is shaping young people’s desires and expectations whilst adults look the other way. There is also an even deeper paradox. We have rightly placed individual freedom at the heart of democratic coexistence, but we risk forgetting that being free requires, first and foremost, the ability to exercise self-control and respect others. Accepting rejection, enduring frustration, and allowing the time needed to achieve a result: these are essential experiences for becoming an adult. Yet we ask young people to learn the value of limits in an environment that promises instant gratification, where every desire seems to demand fulfilment. And all too often, adults themselves, rather than teaching their children to face the consequences of their actions, are quick to excuse every mistake. It is not enough, of course, simply to preach sacrifice. Those starting out from difficult circumstances must be able to find real opportunities to study, work and choose their own future. But even opportunities are not enough if we do not restore value to the journey itself, and not just to the outcome. When violence and looting occur, the response from the authorities must be firm and individual responsibilities must be established. Those who devastated Piazza Duomo must be held to account for their actions. But the police and the courts cannot heal a cultural rift on their own. We adults have a different, but no less demanding, responsibility: to restore credibility to those values that we continue to present to young people as fundamental, whilst not always being able to recognise them in our own choices.
Guido Camera