The Municipality of Bitonto will undertake to encourage all actions that aim at the well-being of its community, also increasing its sensitivity to the use of respectful and non-hostile language. The project constitutes an opportunity to rethink the ways and times with which we communicate, on the web and in all contexts (scholastic, administrative, political, aggregative, cultural, sporting, etc.) and to make everyone responsible (web users, students, teachers , administrators, politicians, etc.) to choose with care and respect the words through which real people interact, even on the web.
The “Manifesto of non-hostile communication”, developed by“Parole O_Stili” Associationis based on ten principles:
1. Virtual is real. I only say and write online things that I have the courage to say in person
2. You are what you communicate. The words I choose tell the story of the person I am: they represent me
3. Words shape thoughts. I take all the time necessary to best express what I think
4. Before speaking you must listen. Nobody is always right, not even me. I listen with honesty and openness
5. Words are a bridge. I choose words to understand, make myself understood, get closer to others
6. Words have consequences. I know that my every word can have consequences, small or large
7. Sharing is a responsibility. I share texts and images after having read, evaluated and understood them
8. Ideas can be discussed. People must respect each other. I don’t turn anyone who holds opinions I don’t share into an enemy to be destroyed
9. Insults are not arguments. I do not accept insults and aggression, not even in favor of my thesis
10. Even silence communicates. When the best choice is to remain silent, I remain silent.
«Words are important. We use many of them every day: in conversations, in debates, on the web. Let’s remember to choose them carefully, using a respectful language towards those who listen to us and read us – commented the mayor Francesco Paolo Ricci -. Politics, in this case, must be an example for the community, promoting appropriate public communication that is never offensive or violent. We are not talking about a necessary act and an end in itself, but about a manifesto that can really make a difference.”
«This membership is not a mere symbolic testimony, but it is a real political act. It is a political act in a historical period, in a cultural context, in a city, in a whole it seems to be conflictual and hostile – wrote the city councilor Rocco Mangini, president of the first council commission -. It is a political act that tries to reverse the trend that focuses on conflict, competition, oppression and division. This is a political act that invites us, instead, to work for cooperation, for respect for thinking different from ours, for mending the rifts in the Community. It is a political act that commits us to be more responsible towards the Community, to use the right words, wise silences and conciliatory attitudes.”
