To the newly-elected President of the United States of America, Barack Obama:
Dear Mr President,
I guess that two days after your election you wouldn’t expect an apology, especially from an unassuming blogger who usually writes about art, fashion and style. But I think you deserve one. No, I’m not here to apologise for any comments made by myself or other bloggers about the style adopted by the candidates during the recent American election campaigns.
Indeed, I intend to apologise for what Italian Prime Minister (hopefully a title that will be preceded by the adjective "previous" very soon…) Mr Silvio Berlusconi said yesterday while speaking at a joint news conference in Moscow with President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia. The world might come to an end before Berlusconi apologises about something he has said/done in his life (the verb "apologise" and the noun "apology" do not exist in his very personal glossary), so I’d better do it in his place.
Rather than defending him like his political allies have done yesterday, pointing out how he was just "joking", I’d like to highlight that making silly jokes and comments or offending his political rivals is what Berlusconi does on a regular basis as he doesn’t usually have a single clue about their political programmes that might help him commenting/criticising the latter (well, he hasn’t got very clear ideas about his own political programme, how could he have any idea on someone else’s programme?). In the past he has already attacked other rivals for being too handsome or for looking too miserable (I have already explored this issue in a previous post).
Surely, a man who had plastic surgery and multiple hair transplants to look younger, who also wears a jacket padded in strategic places (see this post to analyse further this mysterious issue) and welcomed in the past the British Prime Minister in a bandanna as if he was going to the beach, a man responsible of such horrendous fashion crimes (and of many other crimes he will never be condemned for as he changed the laws to avoid ending up in jail) should have the decency of shutting up, but, try to understand, this is a man with a big mouth and a very small brain.
So it’s only natural that such a man called you "handsome, young and suntanned" and commented upon your election as "hailed by world public opinion as the arrival of a messiah". The latter actually deeply disturbed him as, you see, he thought HE was the messiah. Try to understand him, this is just a man who has sadly realised he won’t be able to behave like a clown as he did with his partner in crime George Bush, a man who knows the era of Trans-Atlantic cabaret is over and who is therefore using his last weapons, offensive jokes.
Throughout the years Berlusconi has been in power, he has caused extremely embarrassing diplomatic accidents: in 2002 he called Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark "the best-looking prime minister in Europe", while he claimed in 2005 he had used his "playboy tactics" with President Tarja Halonen of Finland to ensure her backing for Italy to host the European Food Safety Authority. Though I have always been extremely embarrassed by what he said, this time I am also deeply worried and concerned by the ambiguity generated by Berlusconi’s message and by the way he offended with his words also the Italian multi-cultural society he should be representing.
In the past I often thought his comments were just the words of a very ignorant egomaniac that should have been working as a comedian or as a tabloid journalist, writing vitriolic comments about particular celebrities looking fat/thin/miserable/depressed etc. This time, though, I think Mr Berlusconi has managed to go even further. Too far in fact.
So I have decided to apologise in the name of all those Italians – and I can assure you it’s the majority, notwithstanding the fact that the racist and embarrassing government in power in my country wants the world to believe we are a silly minority – who have seen your election as a welcomed change and have heard your speech with genuine hope. Yes, I do apologise for having a clown as a Prime Minister who dares ridiculing his own country while offending the leaders of other countries with his sensational gaffes.
Your message and your ideas have generated hope not only in the hearts of the people who voted for you in the U.S.A., but also in the hearts of young people living in Europe and in particular in my country, who at the moment do not have many hopes when it comes to education and job prospects thanks to a government led by a man who is old, ugly and sports a fake suntan.
Mr Berlusconi is just envious and his ministers are a bunch of clueless sheep. Just think that the Italian education minister recently claimed she drafted the new education decree that establishes severe cuts on public education and research funds while being inspired by your political programme (maybe her English is not as good as Berlusconi’s…).
I just hope that the winds of change that are blowing in the United States will reach Europe soon and sweep away the ignorance, racism and arrogance still ruling in my country. The young, bright and cosmopolitan minds of my generation can’t stand anymore of being literally suffocated by such negative forces.
Wishing you all the best during your Presidency,
Anna Battista, Irenebrination, also known as "an imbecile without any sense of humour" (this is how Mr Berlusconi called those ones who criticised his recent remarks about you).
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