Today #Germany will see a big win of extreme-right in two federal states, Saxony and Thuringia.
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Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:replied to kap last edited by
@kaputse Very bad for many non-privileged, non-white, non-cis people. We might feel protected by our privileges but that just means we don't care about those that need our help and support.
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Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:replied to Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange: last edited by [email protected]
Hence we will have to take the streets and protest wildly and loud and often. IMHO. As we did a few months ago. With millions on the street saying NO to the far-right.
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M. Grégoirereplied to Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange: last edited by
@jwildeboer This is principally about #immigration, right? I think that #DavidFrum has some wise thoughts (in the US context to be sure) in #TheAtlantic : https://archive.is/sG8V9#selection-1733.578-1733.704
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Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:replied to M. Grégoire last edited by
@mpjgregoire It's about a lot more and also there is an undercurrent of Russian influence. One cannot simply put all of that under an US-centric umbrella, IMHO. That actually causes more damage than good.
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M. Grégoirereplied to Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange: last edited by
@jwildeboer Well, I'm not going to be so arrogant as to explain European politics to a European. I do think however that the essay I linked to has some thoughts on immigration that might be of interest to you.
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Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:replied to Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange: last edited by
Many, many people in Germany are against the far-right. I am convinced it's the overwhelming majority. And they are passive until they see a way to make a difference. That's what I am hoping for and working towards. Our social-democratic party, the SPD should be at the forefront of anti-fascism, but they are stuck in being passive and tolerant of the growth of far-right, IMHO. So I became a member of the SPD and will become more active on a grassroots movement to change course ASAP.
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Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:replied to M. Grégoire last edited by
@mpjgregoire IMHO the immigration/refugee topic is merely a symptom of a deeper conflict, the growing disparity between the rich and the not-so-rich. The far right builds their momentum on an "us v them" with changing targets. Right now immigrants, soon the unemployed and disabled, then the non-conforming.
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Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:replied to Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange: last edited by [email protected]
And many will say that is a completely useless approach and that it's a waste of time and energy. They might very well be right. But I will at least try to do SOMETHING instead of sitting around and complaining, doing effectively nothing.
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Peter Jakobs ⛵replied to Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange: last edited by
@jwildeboer I would disagree, they're not passive, they are afraid that if they don't pick up the agenda set by the far right, they might be made responsible for potential terror attacks in the future.
So rather than just not pushing back against the fascist agenda, they actively play into it by saying "yeah, there is something here, so let's punish migrants to make sure we can't be blamed for being easy on migrants" -
Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:replied to Peter Jakobs ⛵ last edited by
@pjakobs The problem is that we typically end up with navel gazing and infighting among those that want to punch nazis instead of, well, punching nazis in the face.
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M. Grégoirereplied to Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange: last edited by
@jwildeboer Is disparity between the rich and the not-so-rich a major issue in Germany? I see that the Gini coefficient for household income in Germany is relatively stable for the last twenty years, and of course far below that of the US (somewhat below that of my own country).
World Bank Open Data
Gini index - Germany, United States, Canada from The World Bank: Data
World Bank Open Data (data.worldbank.org)
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Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:replied to M. Grégoire last edited by
@mpjgregoire Facts don't really matter, unfortunately. Especially in eastern Germany, the former GDR, there is a deeply rooted sentiment that they are poorer and being abused by the rich westerners. That they have been forgotten and ignored. That's why the far-right is winning votes. Because they pretend to care about their feelings. That they will fix it by getting rid of the immigrants and grifters. Which is of course bullshit.
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kapreplied to Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange: last edited by@jwildeboer
I know, but that's not what I meant: I am still hoping they will tear themselves apart because of their incompetence, doing nothing at all in the end.
If they can somehow omit that, it will even get bad for white, privileged, etc. as their politics are very anti working class.
But yeah that's also not what you meant, I get your point. -
Jan Wildeboer 😷:krulorange:replied to kap last edited by
@kaputse The one thing is how the noAfD does politically. That will be a shitshow, we both know. But the more important is the question what will change "on the streets". Will violent far-right people feel empowered to attack things they don't like? How do you deal with walking the streets as a non-privileged person, knowing that every 3rd person voted against you being part of society? That's the part I fear more than seats in a regional parliament