If we need any evidence for how Thilo Serrazin has poisoned the atmosphere in Germany we should just look at the hysterical reation to president Christian Wulff's speech on the Day of Unity. I read the speech and thought it was a rather bland effort replete with platitudes. But right-wing politicians and hate blogs picked up on one paragraph where Wulf extended a hand of friendship to Muslims in Germany:
"Christianity is of course part of Germany. Judaism is of course part of Germany. This is our Judeo-Christian history … But now Islam is also part of Germany," he said in his speech. "When German Muslims write to me to say 'you are our president', I reply with all my heart 'yes, of course I am your president'."
The simple statement of fact – Aber der Islam gehört inzwischen auch zu Deutschland. – reflecting the reality of 4 million Muslims living in Germany was simply to much for some.
Christian Democrat Wolfgang Bosbach, the head of parliament’s interior affairs committee, also said Islam could not expect to be put on the same level as the faiths based solely on the New and Old Testament.
“Islam has certainly become part of the reality of daily life in Germany, but we belong to a Christian-Judeo tradition,” he said.
On cue, hate blogs such as Politically Incorrect and Fakten Fiktionen erupted with glee and ridiculed Wulff for his "appeasement to Sharia". The Birther and "Amerika-Expertin" Gudrun Eussner posted obscene lyrics to the German National Hymn (Deutschlandlied – Baukran, Baukran über alles,über alles in der Welt, wenn er stets zum Schutz des Islam´nen Schwulen an den Seilen hält.) In this era of Sarrazin and Wilders the full spectrum of xenophobia is now visible: homophobia, racism, anti-Americanism and – anti-Semitism: a blogger known as Der Honigmann blames the Jews for promoting multi-culturalism in Europe and destroying German culture: Juden spielen eine „führende Rolle“ Multikult in Europa auszubreiten.
Vielen Dank, Herr Sarrazin!
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Sarrazin’s event in Munich was quite a success for him. Not so much for his opponents on the stage, who had to face the accumulated discontent of the audience with the political class:
http://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/muenchen/politik/sarrazin-wirbel-um-auftritt-in-muenchen-therapeut-und-brandstifter-1.1006734
I think this is Sarrazin’s most important achievement. So many people now get the idea that their ideas are far from isolated. Instead they realize that the political class itself maintains an isolated stance. Now all it takes is organization and the political class is bound to change considerably.
Glad you got your money’s worth, Zyme. Sarrazin has a brilliant business model: the poor, persecuted millionaire.
It’s awful the way everyone picks on the rich.
The fact that he is a poor persecuted millionaire shows exactly how far the political class and the people are apart these days:
While the political class caused him to lose his job and is about to kick him out of his party, the people are more than happy to fill his coffers with millions of Euros.
But the latter has nothing to do with the former. Or would you prefer the political class also being able to strip him of his property, to complete the arsenal of persecution?
Where does persecution begin in your point of view? Is public whipping necessary?
I’m curious about this mysterious “political class”. Who are they? Where did they come from? ACtually, they were voted in by “the people”. So, if you are unhappy with them, “throw the bums out” – as we like to say here.
Ah right we simply have to throw those parties out who make our laws. And control 16 secret services for the protection of the constitution on a state level plus a federal one. And control our public television. And have a significant stake in quite a number of private media, too.
Yeah, this is all we got to do. Come to think of it, why do the Italians never get rid of Berlusconi? Or why is it that the US are governed by two parties for centuries now? I get it, because once the people are discontent with them, they simply throw the bums out!
So what are you going to do about it besides commenting on blogs and enriching Thilo Sarrazin? It seems to me that the new social media technologies provide a great opportunity to circumvent the state-owned media and influence public opinion as well as organizing politically.
Look into the “Netroots” phenomenon in the US ( I am writing a paper on this).
You are right, this netroots movement certainly has significant potential in America to permanently change the diversification of public power.
For reasons that need further assessment this does not apply to Europe in general and Germany in particular.
Is it that online-movements are still associated with a lack of seriousness here?
To be honest, this is the only possible reason which comes to my mind spontaneously.
While people use the Internet for shopping purposes, watching movies, gaming, reading news just like our American counterparts, it is practically a politics-free zone. Why?
Come to think of it, it might have something to do with the extreme discontent with politics especially among those generations who are more active online (below age of 50).
What do you think of this?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/17/angela-merkel-germany-immigration-multicultural-society_n_765696.html
Very unfortunate, since up to now she was able to resist the populist sentiments.