There are words that are not easy to hear or even pronounce in these years . Among these, the words "thank you, West!" . Today, in fact, it is fashionable to denigrate our history and our civilization . All the good we have done, for ourselves and for others, is the supreme taboo of this era.
In schools, the true history of progress is no longer taught, which was born in our home and where Italy also played a role. Instead, in the squares and in contemporary culture we are under a permanent process.
In his latest essay, not coincidentally entitled Thank You, West! (Mondadori, 2024, pp. 348) Federico Rampini invites us to rebel against a one-way negative narrative, in the name of truth and history.
In this journey through the history of the last centuries and the geopolitics of the contemporary world, the editorialist of the Corriere della Sera delves into what the West has really been for humanity , providing a lesson in historical honesty that is urgent for the new generations: «I am frightened by the ignorance of many Westerners, especially young people, regarding the history of our civilization, and how much it has benefited the human race» Federico Rampini tells us . «We live in an age of conformism in which a title like mine is taboo, it must be censored . In many American universities I could not even speak , the West can only be spoken of to denounce its horrors and wickedness. Since I am a citizen of the world, a global nomad, I know from direct experience that other civilizations have a much more positive and respectful attitude towards their own past . If they are then governed by authoritarian regimes, the history of their origins is the subject of a proud narration. Only we are ashamed of what we have been. I wanted to go against the grain and I believe that this book is a restorative cure for our self-esteem. Moreover, I drew on the works of the greatest historians, I did not invent anything".
