Don't be an outsider, but give a voice to the excluded, broaden the community and spread positive values.
This is the most important aspect of the "mission" carried out by Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen, as explained by themselves in an interview with Otto e mezzo and other international journalists and broadcast yesterday during the program conducted by Lilli Gruber. on La7, on the occasion of the release of the book 'Renegades: Born in the USA', born from the homonymous podcast series that the two launched a few months ago.
"We both come from families of workers, families that never had high expectations - said Obama -. My being an outsider is more evident, Bruce is perhaps less an outsider than me. We have asked ourselves many questions in our lives: ask ourselves many questions , not being comfortable with the status quo, that defines me. I couldn't fit into a tribe, I needed a community. There are so many times when a politician tries to give himself a populist outsider status, sometimes with an attitude sincere sometimes fake, artfully constructed. The most important thing for me is not being an outsider, but wanting to involve more people. Are you interested in the voices of those excluded? Do you want them to count? A reasoning similar to that of Springsteen. "I didn't necessarily call myself an outsider. My father was out of work, I was worried. A man who had never found a precise location, it was heartbreaking to be part of that reality, to share the pain of being unheard., When I started writing I did it for the unheard voices, mine is the story of an outsider that tries to give voice to those who have never been heard: I made those stories my life's work and it still is ". Obama also spoke of the risks for democracy in the US." Democracy is a garden that must be cared for and if you don't take care of it, it falls apart. What we saw on January 6 with the assault on Capitol Hill was a symptom. One of the most important and disturbing trends is the erosion of facts as the basis of a common history. I don't want to be too romantic about the past,but there was a common ground among the political parties, for example on climate change or vaccination. Now there is an ability to artfully construct facts and this is the most corrosive factor of democracy: a considerable part of the country does not even believe in ballot counts, even when they are certified by their party ".
"I understand artists who leave politics outside of their work, I don't think it is necessary to be an artist-activist - underlined Springsteen -, I don't consider myself an artist-activist, rock music is the music of freedom. The most important thing. I did and try to tell stories that became part of a narrative. The people who come to my concerts have different points of view, I try to show them that they have common values. The hope is that this bond will last when they come back to their lives and acting as citizens in a nation ". "I don't lack sequins from my presidency, I miss having a supportive team of people who are really committed to solving problems," said Obama. "The happiest moments of my life are with my daughters.When I'm sitting with them and Michelle I listen to them talking and they are sunny, intelligent, sharp, they make fun of me. On my deathbed I will not remember the speeches I made, but holding my daughters by the hand, sitting together: these are the things I will say it was worth living for. "
