World famous for his work. Resonance. A sociology of relations with the world. (La Découverte, 2018), the German Hartmut Rosa is one of the most influential contemporary thinkers, committed to making the legacy of “critical theory”, a current of German thought of the 20th century, more optimistic.my century represented by Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969) and Max Horkheimer (1895-1973). Appreciated in his country for his critical analyses of society, since 2005 he has taught sociology at the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena, Thuringia.
What do you think of the results of the regional elections in Thuringia?
This has been predictable for some time. In Thuringia, where I live and work, the election victory of Alternative für Deutschland [AfD] It’s a real disaster. Here, the branch AfD regional The AfD is classified as right-wing extremists and “under surveillance” by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. With Björn Höcke, the party leader in Thuringia, we have practically the worst. The AfD won more than a third of the seats in the regional parliament. It now has a blocking minority that allows it to prevent constitutional changes or the appointment of judges.
According to the polling institute Infratest Dimap, around half of AfD voters have “a right-wing or even far-right worldview”. How can we explain the other half, who do not declare themselves to be right-wing, You have no problem voting for Björn Höcke?
If we take this survey seriously, we find ethno-nationalist and far-right thinking among one-sixth of the electorate, or half of the AfD’s results in Thuringia. Unfortunately, this is now the case across Europe, perhaps even globally. What matters now is not to permanently lose the other half of AfD voters. And, in order to be successful, the style of political discourse of established parties and mainstream media must change. Starting with the persistent reflex of labelling all those who are not on the political spectrum of Die Linke as Nazis. [gauche] to the CDU [droite conservatrice].
The general perception in Thuringia is that if you disagree with the government’s opinion, you are immediately branded a Nazi. If during the Covid-19 pandemic someone did not want to get vaccinated, they were a Nazi. Don’t you think that Vladimir Putin is the devil incarnate? You are a Nazi. And many people tell me that this tampon “Nazi” ennobles them. For them this means: “I am someone who thinks for himself and endures.”
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