Buone notizie – Meet a Cute Dumbo-Octopus
By Susanna Calimani*
The doubt gripped me for some weeks: the choice between going back to my random-thoughts writing and staying in my mourning silence. In the last months a vast assortment of facts stole my words, one after another: before a word of astonishment, horror, disgust could be pronounced, something else would happen and steal words and attention.
The feeling of having reached a point where so much should be said, but it is so hard to find where to start from, that it is easier to abandon the undertaking. The Italian political situation that has cleared ignorance and aggressiveness through the customs of acceptance; the Pittsburgh attack, recalling Toulouse and the Hypercacher and many more, reminding us that Jews are never safe. And then the countless racist episodes in Italy, that burst into our normality, the silence of politics, the lack of official indignation and condemnation; the distrust in institutions when the evacuation of desperate homeless immigrants from the street is deemed necessary, but the evacuation of a building occupied by neo-fascists is not. The fury and rage against immigrants, as if they were responsible for all evils of their life. The seek for conspiracies everywhere; a political class that is not able taking responsibilities and always blames someone or something.
The constant quest of a scapegoat. Too many analogies with the past.
The weird feeling of being lucky because people in the street cannot see my difference.
Despite all this, together with the staff of Pagine Ebraiche International Edition, we have agreed that I will try to look at the bright side and try to find something positive to write about.
This week positivity is given by an animal: Dumbo Octopus. It is an octopus that lives at depths of at least 3000 meters below the sea level, it has ear-like fins and big eyes. It is extremely sweet and it is worth looking for “Dumbo Octopus” on YouTube because it is adorable. Currently I am trying to understand if I can keep one in my bathtub.