Originally, the term “blackmail” went hand in hand with the word “ransom”. It therefore had a positive connotation. It indicated the possibility of turning one’s life around or freeing a person from a situation of constraint or imprisonment. Over time, however, blackmail has become one of the most hateful verbs. It represents the situation of someone who has power and decides to exercise it in a sneaky, oppressive, coercive manner. Is there a more ambiguous and slimy person than a blackmailer or a blackmailer-female? Probably not, even if blackmail seems to be the hallmark of our era.
This is testified by the latest essay by Marcello Foa , not by chance entitled La società del ricatto (Guerini e Associati, 2025, pp. 192, also Ebook) in which the well-known journalist and writer – for some years President of Rai – questions himself and questions us about one of the silent pathologies that poison our time: blackmail . It is an evil that acts in an underground manner, that is rarely diagnosed and in most cases is simply ignored or denied, out of superficiality or convenience.
"Something is wrong in our society," writes Marcello Foa, "it's as if a mysterious virus had entered our body. A sneaky virus that strikes us in a subtle, progressive, almost invisible way. It doesn't kill us but ruins our existence, empties our values without us realizing it, because almost no one identifies it as a systemic evil. That virus has a name: it's called the "culture" of blackmail. Yes, we have also become, unfortunately, the society of blackmail."
As Foa tells in his book, blackmail is now widespread at all levels: from politics, which has become treacherous and brutal and often aims above all to denigrate its opponent, when it has not put him in check with wiretaps and underhand accusations, to international relations with the prevalence of the law of the strongest. It crosses the world of economics, to the detriment of small and medium-sized entrepreneurs crushed by loans and debts, and contaminates the world of work, inhibiting the recognition of merit and the valorization of talents. It even penetrates our intimacy, managing to ruin our sentimental and family relationships, presenting itself in the form of emotional blackmail.
In short, the art of blackmail finds a way to express itself in many ways and Foa analyzes it with a transversal and multidisciplinary approach that makes La società del ricatto an essay with an original approach, compelling in its narration and enlightening in its contents. An essay that manages to sensitize the reader and at the same time motivates him to react, because the logic of blackmail must be fought and can be defeated. How? Marcello Foa suggests a constructive approach, which starts from the awareness of the problem. Being aware of what is happening is already a first step to react. Going into the concrete in politics we must return to the comparison between ideas and proposals, so as to restore citizens' trust. In economics we must begin to fight monopolies, thus giving back space to the true free market, to competition and creativity, as taught by a great master of classical liberalism, Luigi Einaudi. In the workplace, companies must return to valuing merit, while on a personal level we must make an effort not to underestimate the traps of jealousy and emotional blackmail. Cultivating authenticity and mutual respect is the antidote to the blackmail society and the first step towards building the redemption society.