Fondamentalismo americano. L’attacco alle statue, al cinema, alla letteratura

Abstract

With the expression ‘American fundamentalism,’ this article refers to an ideological position widely shared in the United States, which can be found both in the humanities practiced at Universities and in public manifestations like the ones prompted by the Black Lives Matter movement in June and July 2020. A paradox emerges from such an ideological position: on the one hand, it vouches for tolerance and respect for every individual (something with which we can easily agree), on the other it promotes an intolerant attitude towards the differences of complexity, without which neither culture nor democracy can exist. It follows that an ideology which intends to defend past and present oppressed and discriminated minorities directs its attacks towards great philosophical and artistic works, the very pride of the Western world. The root of fundamentalism consists of the immediate politicization and sexualization of works that, due to their richness and complexity, and their beauty, defy the historical and ideological context which produced them and of which they retain some traces. Fundamentalism is a danger not only for art, but for democracy, too.