Quo Vadis Deutschland? Part IV German Society... Divided We Fall

• 

The division in German society draws a clear line in the geography of the country: East and West. The population in the East, due to their history of "real existing socialism" (in the GDR) and their discontent following "Reunification", tend to be more skeptical of the state, the media, and politics than the West population, which is often more favorably disposed toward the state and the media.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz denies there is any societal division in Germany. As if to justify this, he points out, "Most citizens readily agreed to be vaccinated." But he just ended up revealing where the new division is localized: in the COVID pandemic policies – which split the German population into two camps: critics of the regulations and vaccination objectors in one camp, and the cooperators and vaccination stalwarts in the other.

Yes, official statistics indicate that 70% of German citizens have been vaccinated. But the problem is not a quantitative one, but a qualitative one. Whether 70% are vaccinated and 30% are not does not, per see, polarize a society and cause division. This time the division was a deeply emotionalized, spiteful, and misanthropic question of faith: pro-vaccination groups vs. anti-vaccination groups; authority loyalists vs. authority skeptics. But this is merely a superficial description of the situation. In reality, something had occurred in the society that in the post-war period was unprecedented in its dimension and intensity.

At the beginning of the "COVID-19 Saga" in 2020, when the population was not yet swayed by the mantra "the dangerous pandemic," words of skepticism were voiced by some experts in medicine, who were soon joined by sociologists, journalists, lawyers, and others. Consequently, the media were suddenly flooded with horror stories from all over the world. Panic and fear were spread at an alarming rate... A minority still had questions and wanted explanations. The majority, afflicted with dread and panic, merely wanted to be protected. And the government, backed up by its mainstream media, issued restrictions that became more rigorous by the day.

The skeptics have continued to demand transparency, better communication, and comprehensive and accurate data. But to this day, the responsible institutions have failed in providing any conclusive statistics and information on the course of the COVID crisis and the effectiveness of the vaccines.

The questions, remarks, and arguments of those who criticized the restrictions and the abysmal lack of information were met with unabated abuse and defamations. In public debates on vaccinations and vaccination passports, the constraints of social behavior began to deteriorate quickly. The administration and the mainstream media formed a united front, and the majority of the population deferentially complied. Politicians, journalists, and celebrities from the fields of culture, medicine, and science provided catchwords and slogans for this campaign: the pandemic skeptics and critics of the restrictions were labeled idiots, conspiracy theorists, right-wing radicals, bullshitters, Nazis, scandal-mongers, enemies of society, "COVID deniers" (suggestive of "Holocaust deniers"), anti-Semites and so on... 

The social dimension of the damage caused by this polarization cannot be overlooked. Friendships, family relationships, and workplace relations were abruptly terminated whenever someone was identified as a critic of the COVID policies. They were deemed villains of society, potential perpetrators, and enemies of the state. The politicians and the mainstream media deliberately emotionalized society and appealed to people's basic instincts. For their cause, these very politicians and media hacks appealed to the public for "solidarity"... a fundamental need in human society that had been eroding for decades by ignorance and the ruling neoliberal ideology. The majority of vaccination devotees reflexively exploited the concept of "solidarity" among themselves so as to set themselves apart from the vaccination skeptics in a disparaging manner.

Now that these vaccines have been proven to be ineffective with many complications – ranging from minor to fatal – which can no longer be ignored or denied by the complicit media, the antagonism has calmed down to some extent. The vaccine devotees either pretend that nothing has changed or they present their over-zealous misconceptions as minor oversights. 

But while the critics of the restrictions and the vaccination skeptics hope for better times and a degree of enlightenment, they do not believe in any restoration of the social unity they had before the COVID pandemic. "The former convivial coexistence we had in the past is now irretrievable".

Two authors, Markus Klöckner and Jens Wernicke, compiled and published a collection of recent public statements made by prominent figures that convey the decay of societal values and ethics – just the kind of statements that defend (even by force) the "western values" of the "garden" against the barbarism represented by the "jungle"* beyond. Ultimately the book exposes a dangerous ideological development in Germany, the ultimate stage of which the authors clearly name at the end of the book: Fascism.

To cite some examples:

"I explicitly plead for social inconveniences to be imposed on those who voluntarily forego vaccination. May the entire republic point the finger at them."  – Nikolaus Blome, head of the politics and society department of the media group RTL Germany and online columnist for the news magazine Der Spiegel

"Anyone who harbours any doubts (...) should be met with 'civilised contempt'." – Jochen Rack, author, Deutschlandfunk.

According to a report by the scientific service of the Bundestag, "vaccination deniers are in fact criminals who, in the case of compulsory vaccination, may be subjected to coercive measures."

"The 2G regulation does not divide society. People who refuse to get vaccinated are dividing us. To be more precise, it is not a division, but the creation of a minority splinter group. The 'division' narrative is mostly used by vaccination opponents to portray themselves as victims. They are not." – Ingmar Stadelmann, stand-up comedian, TV and radio presenter

"We are now entering a phase in which the state of emergency will be the norm. We will always be in a state of emergency from now on." - Prof. Karl Lauterbach, German Federal Minister of Health (SPD)

"Our economy and social coexistence will collapse in a year's time if we do not achieve universal compulsory vaccination." – Dirk Rossmann, head and founder of the drugstore chain Rossmann. (Lo and behold – it looks like his prophecy is coming true... though not because of vaccination non-compliance... but rather because those very same politicians who were pushing vaccination – the coalition of SPD, FDP, and the Greens – are now pushing their suicidal policies against Russia and have created even more divisions in society).

"Would the division of society really be such a bad thing? After all, it wouldn't split apart in the middle, but pretty far down to the right. And such an 'appendix' ** is not strictly essential for the survival of the entire complex." – Sarah Bosetti, a TV comedian. 

The two aforementioned authors of this compilation and several other critics of the administration regard the actions of the policymakers and institutions during the pandemic as "criminal offenses" and want these individuals to face justice. However, they doubt that this will happen, as the German judiciary, otherwise praised for its "independence", is now seen as nothing more than a vicarious agent of the ruling class. The public prosecution department in Germany has never been independent but is "directive-bound" and subordinate to the Ministry of Justice.

The cited politicians and public figures condoning the state and media are not willing to offer a simple apology nor even to backtrack on their statements. They have even retaliated by calling the publication of their statements a "smear campaign" against them.

Of the series of traumas and divisions affecting German society, the one produced by the COVID restrictions and vaccination regulations seems the most bizarre. 

Another division, the causes of which are to be found in the neoliberal system and which is not reserved for Germany alone, is that between rich and poor, which I will not go into here.

Having not yet overcome this latest division, Germany has embarked on a new process of polarization: The Ukraine war and a hatred of Russia fuelled by the administration and mainstream media... which will have far worse and more long-term consequences. 

German society finds itself, once again, dominated by fear. A state of unease and apprehension has been extensively fomented by the administration and the mainstream media, which has affected those most faithful to the state and its media. The young generation is terrified of climate change and – by extension – the future. A great number of people are afraid of losing their jobs, having their careers damaged, and being intimidated or excluded if they do not conform to the propagated narratives. Another part is fear of the (now confirmed) negative effects of the COVID vaccines and the introduction of a general compulsory vaccination ordinance. Most are feeling anxiety about the current economic and political uncertainties. Everyone is afraid of the escalation of the war, which could lead to a global nuclear apocalypse or at least to the destruction of Europe. Those in power are apprehensive about uprisings and lawlessness as the consequences of their policies.

And... one must not forget the ubiquitous "fear of the other" – the undying traditional xenophobia (the fear of foreigners, Muslims, "Orientals", Asians, Africans, etc.) – which recently includes Putin and "his folk".

As we all know, "Fear Eats the Soul" ***... and this time fear is striking the Germans with full force from every nook and cranny.

 

Notes:

* This is a reference to that the statement made by Josep Borrell, Vice-President of the EU Commission: "Europe is a garden ... and most of the rest of the world is a jungle trying to invade the garden..."

** The TV comedian Sarah Bosetti, in her use of the word "appendix", drew on a quote by the SS doctor Fritz Klein who worked in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp and said in reference to Jews: "Out of reverence for human life, I would remove a festering appendix from a sick body. The Jew is the festering appendix in the body of humanity".

*** "Fear Eats the Soul" is the title of one of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's films (1974)