4 ms·

Yes, that is a perfect example of how right-wing populism works, thank you for the demonstration: I say "right-wing populism went into overdrive and this hurt t

by hnbad 3y ago

Yes, that is a perfect example of how right-wing populism works, thank you for the demonstration: I say "right-wing populism went into overdrive and this hurt the election results of these parties" and you respond by saying I want to censor people with right-wing views and "silence" them. Attack ads are a fairly recent phenomenon in German politics which is why we don't see the overt kind you're used to seeing in US politics ("Congressman so-and-so wants to ban children from eating food. Vote NO on proposition 123 to save America") but we do get a ton of the same "post-truth" astroturfing on social media. The reason the pandemic is relevant is that there is a significant overlap between these movements at this time and the various conspiracies surrounding COVID, just as in the US where "horse paste" and "Fauchi ouchy" have somehow become words you'd hear mentioned in political conversations now. Note that I'm not talking about right-wing politics in general. There are still plenty of good old boring right-wing politicians in Germany. But in the proximity of the AfD (which can factually be described as including far-right extremist movements, just as Die Linke can factually be described that way for the left, though how those two things translate into actual threats of violence is a different conversation) we've seen a lot more emotion-focussed activism (e.g. Great Replacement references, "free speech", "traditional family values", etc) whereas on the left the closest example would be vegan activists (unless you think man-made climate change is a big lie).

FirmwareBurner 3y ago
>Yes, that is a perfect example of how right-wing populism works, thank you for the demonstration: I say "right-wing populism went into overdrive and this hurt the election results of these parties" and you respond by saying I want to censor people with right-wing views and "silence" them. Yes, this is a perfect example how political silencing works: I say everyone should get an equal voice, and you twist my words, and say I'm supporting right-wing populism. Bro, I never said YOU are trying to censor people, I'm saying the political situation in Germany is always trying to censor everything even remotely right leaning as if they're all Nazis. There's right wing, then there's the far right which are Nazis. Big difference, but in Germany you're not allowed any kind of right leaning opinions, and must be censored. Censoring one group by default is basically the definition of a dictatorship.
- sofixa 3y ago
  > Big difference, but in Germany you're not allowed any kind of right leaning opinion The fact that the centre-right economically and to a large extent socially, Angela Merkel, was chancellor for 16 years, and that the neo-nazi adjacent AfD exist proves you wrong. There's right, and there' s "let's deport everyone of immigrant descent" far-right (using an example from the French far right because it's a fun one I recall, no idea if the AfD also campaign for this). Surely you can see how they're different and why one is actually actively dangerous, especially in a country that knows all too well when you let far rightists get away with it.
- Kbelicius 3y ago
  > Yes, this is a perfect example how political silencing works: I say everyone should get an equal voice, and you twist my words, and say I'm supporting right-wing populism. You are the one twisting words here. Just like you twisted GP words in your previous post. GP did not say that you support right-wing populism but that your post was a perfect demonstration of it. This post of yours is also a demonstration of what GP was talking about.
  - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
    > GP did not say that you support right-wing populism but that your post was a perfect demonstration of it. Sorry, but what's the difference? That's being needlessly pedantic on a technicality. > Just like you twisted GP words in your previous post. I didn't twist his words because I was contradicting the political situation in Germany, not his opinion. And then he called my take as being "a perfect demonstration of right wing populism" which reinforces my point that you can't contradict the status quo in Germany and have a contrarian voice, without being called a right wing populist and people immediately bringing up the AFD even though you never did and don't even remotely support them. But since you all brought it up, the Afd situation in Germany is something that's real that should be resolved through education and public conversations and debates, not silenced and swept under the rug pretending it doesn't exist as that just makes the problem worse.
    - 3y ago

by hnbad 3y ago

FirmwareBurner 3y ago

>Yes, that is a perfect example of how right-wing populism works, thank you for the demonstration: I say "right-wing populism went into overdrive and this hurt the election results of these parties" and you respond by saying I want to censor people with right-wing views and "silence" them. Yes, this is a perfect example how political silencing works: I say everyone should get an equal voice, and you twist my words, and say I'm supporting right-wing populism. Bro, I never said YOU are trying to censor people, I'm saying the political situation in Germany is always trying to censor everything even remotely right leaning as if they're all Nazis. There's right wing, then there's the far right which are Nazis. Big difference, but in Germany you're not allowed any kind of right leaning opinions, and must be censored. Censoring one group by default is basically the definition of a dictatorship.

sofixa 3y ago
> Big difference, but in Germany you're not allowed any kind of right leaning opinion The fact that the centre-right economically and to a large extent socially, Angela Merkel, was chancellor for 16 years, and that the neo-nazi adjacent AfD exist proves you wrong. There's right, and there' s "let's deport everyone of immigrant descent" far-right (using an example from the French far right because it's a fun one I recall, no idea if the AfD also campaign for this). Surely you can see how they're different and why one is actually actively dangerous, especially in a country that knows all too well when you let far rightists get away with it.
Kbelicius 3y ago
> Yes, this is a perfect example how political silencing works: I say everyone should get an equal voice, and you twist my words, and say I'm supporting right-wing populism. You are the one twisting words here. Just like you twisted GP words in your previous post. GP did not say that you support right-wing populism but that your post was a perfect demonstration of it. This post of yours is also a demonstration of what GP was talking about.
- FirmwareBurner 3y ago
  > GP did not say that you support right-wing populism but that your post was a perfect demonstration of it. Sorry, but what's the difference? That's being needlessly pedantic on a technicality. > Just like you twisted GP words in your previous post. I didn't twist his words because I was contradicting the political situation in Germany, not his opinion. And then he called my take as being "a perfect demonstration of right wing populism" which reinforces my point that you can't contradict the status quo in Germany and have a contrarian voice, without being called a right wing populist and people immediately bringing up the AFD even though you never did and don't even remotely support them. But since you all brought it up, the Afd situation in Germany is something that's real that should be resolved through education and public conversations and debates, not silenced and swept under the rug pretending it doesn't exist as that just makes the problem worse.
  - 3y ago