Democracy under pressure: Friedman warns of extremism and indifference!
Democracy under pressure: Friedman warns of extremism and indifference!
Last Saturday the New Year's reception of the state capital Wiesbaden took place, in which Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende and the guest speaker Michel Friedman cut central themes of democracy and social cohesion. Mende took the opportunity to reflect on the challenges of the past year and once again underline his commitment to democracy. In this context, Friedman asked a controversial question: Did the Democrats possibly overestimate themselves?
The event, which was well attended and attracted numerous prominent guests, including Minister of State Jürgen Decker and several honorary citizens, addressed the defense nature of democracy and the growing dangers through extremism and autocracy. Friedman urged that democracy was not inviolable and was threatened from the inside and outside. He particularly criticized the complacency of those who stand up for freedom and democratic system.
dangers for democracy
In his statements, Friedman expressed concern about a worrying shift in social discourse. He criticized the increasing normalization of extremist positions, such as the term "remigration", which is increasingly considered in political debates than legitimate. According to him, indifference is the greatest threat to democracy.In order to better understand the challenges that Western democracies are facing today, it is important to take Friedman's broader perspective into account for social developments. In an interview, the publicist and former President of the European Jewish Congress expressed his concern about autocratic states and burgeoning populism in Europe. In his opinion, many Western democracies have ignored the dangerous developments that can be observed not only on the continent, but worldwide since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
populism and pluralism
In his discursive approach, Friedman emphasized the responsibility of the democratic parties for the rise of populist movements. This phenomenon is not just a European problem; Pluralism, an essential feature of democratic societies, is also increasingly questioned in the USA or other countries. Like lpb-bw.de , populists do not recognize pluralism and present the people as a homogeneous unit, with others being devalued as a betrayal of "folk will".
Friedman advocates that citizens actively stand up for democracy and oppose authoritarianism and extremism. It is not just about rejection of extreme positions, but also about the entry for the values of the Enlightenment, which he sees as the basis for progressive society. The challenges that we encounter today are complex, and simple answers are not the solution - the dialogue and dealing with different perspectives are essential.
The New Year's reception ends with an urgent appeal to the citizens to campaign for democracy. The messages of Mende and Friedman to the defensibility of democracy and the need to actively act are more contemporary than ever.| Details | |
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