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Experience Report on the 10th Democracy Conference – How Citizen-Friendly Is Local Politics?The Partnership for Democracy invited to the 10th Democracy Conference within the framework of the federal program “Living Democracy!” on April 25, 2024, at the Konrad-Martin-Haus in Bad Kösen. Grit Wagner and Yvonne Richter attended because democracy matters to them. Here they share their impressions. Our experience and impressions of the 10th Democracy Conference in the Burgenlandkreis as part of the federal program “Living Democracy.” https://www.demokratie-leben-burgenlandkreis.de/10-demokratiekonferenz/ Yvonne and I both registered for the Democracy Conference and were invited to attend. We were generally interested in the topics and, honestly, had been looking forward to it for a long time. Certainly, we each have our own views and ideas about democracy. Nevertheless, we are both open to exchanging ideas with others and engaging in open discourse. With these expectations, we approached the event. The program and workshops already sounded very interesting beforehand. 10:00 AM – Welcome by Michael De Boor. This was followed by a keynote titled “How Digital Life Worlds Shape Political Thinking”. Okay, sounded interesting at first. It started with: "How do you deal with hate on the internet?" The answer was also given: the “right-wing extremists” are to blame, with the AfD (Alternative for Germany) named first. But it was also casually mentioned that hate also comes from the left side. Of course, only casually and quietly. Especially children and young people are said to be very susceptible because they assume anonymity online. Afterward, there was a discussion and questions. I also spoke up. I pointed out that the circumstances of recent years could also be a cause, where children and youth were excluded in schools due to rejected tests during the Corona times. I argued that perhaps some had sought like-minded people online out of frustration and exchanged their thoughts without much consideration. One should also look at the causes of corresponding and noticeable behaviors. My suggestion was skillfully pushed aside. A participant said: “Here they go again with the Corona crap.” The same person then addressed Ms. Weiser (organizer) with the words: “Who let these birds in here?” Unfortunately, we did not hear the answer (perhaps that’s for the best). After the short “3-minute” break, the panel discussion began. Guests were Ms. Vogel (CDU, Mayor of Eckartsberga, member of the district council), Ms. Schikor (Alliance 90/The Greens, member of the district council), and Mr. Jörg Freiwald (The Left, chairman of the Weißenfels city council, member of the district council). Topic: “How Citizen-Friendly Is Local Politics?” Interesting answers to interesting questions. In this case, we honestly appreciated the answers from all three politicians. All admitted they disagreed with current government policies. Especially Ms. Schikor was very likeable in her response, as she also noted that people without degrees are sitting in the government and that Mr. Habeck wore two different socks. He should perhaps turn on the light first before putting on his socks… Ms. Vogel spoke about local politics and its tasks. She emphasized the importance of local politics but also expressed dissatisfaction with the concluding words: “I can’t change that myself either.” This statement raised a question for me, which I was able to ask. My question: "Ms. Vogel, you and the other participants expressed dissatisfaction with federal politics. Wouldn't it be advisable to pass the mood and opinions upwards so that the government becomes aware that people are unhappy?” In her opinion, local politics is not responsible for this and she referred to state politics. I was not satisfied with the answer because I still do not know how citizens can bring their concerns upwards. Then there was a lunch break. Big praise to the kitchen and organizers because the event was really well planned organizationally. Now the workshops finally began. Yvonne and I chose the following: How Do Politics and Civil Society Stay in “Digital Dialogue”. Presenters were Janusz Z. and Max N. (fjp>media-FairSpeak – confronting hate online) Workshop 1: "How Do Politics and Civil Society Stay in Dialogue?" This workshop was dedicated to the importance of respectful exchange between politics and citizens. We were to discuss how "fake news" affects opinion formation and how local political representatives react to new challenges, especially in the digital space. Sounds good, and we looked forward to the discussions. First, a quiz started, and we wondered what it was supposed to achieve. Of course, there was discussion. But my attempts to start discussions were again successfully pushed aside. My question: "Why must every sign and emoji be seen as a combination of codes or be associated with something negative?” I didn’t really get an answer, and this point was not discussed. A shame, as I assumed discussions and different opinions were welcome. After the quiz, the topic “Busy Bee” came up and whether it should be considered sexist. That was the moment when we just shook our heads. I turned to my companion and said: “I feel like a 14-year-old teenager in a political education class.” I got the reply with a sly smile: “They just want to get you on the right path.” The man sitting diagonally in front of her turned around and she received a bitter, angry look from him. That was the moment for us and other guests to stand up and leave. Conclusion for us:The basic idea of talking about democracy, seeing different ways of thinking, understanding others' thoughts, and being willing to accept them, we both find very good. Openness to discuss things and the willingness for mutual acceptance are important foundations of democracy for us both. Unfortunately, we did not find that here. Instead, we were lectured about the guilt of the AfD, that the AfD supposedly understands better how to use digital media for themselves and that this must all be stopped. Since we were not interested in the AfD and sought discourse among people, we felt like outsiders because of our questions. Where do we belong, and who is willing to talk and discuss democracy with us?We are critics and citizens dissatisfied with federal politics. We want a community and peaceful coexistence with everyone living in this country. We wish for acceptance and tolerance. We long for peace everywhere in the world. We want balance in politics, decisions for the citizens of this country based on knowledge and experience. We reject selfishness and self-promotion by politicians and do not want self-proclaimed problem solvers with big words and no actions. Surely everyone imagines democracy differently. That’s why it’s all the more important to talk openly about it… Author: AI-Translation - Grit Wagner und Yvonne Richter | vor dem 01.07.2024 |
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