marc1seed Spectator democracy “Representative democracy” is a construct created with the intention of keeping the population away from real power. Exclusive excerpt from “Die extreme Mitte” (The Extreme Middle). We all know the feeling: we have elected our “representatives,” but we have no real influence on what happens. “They” do what …
Outdated paradigms The idea that military deterrence alone can guarantee long-term security is outdated. Anyone who takes a look at Germany’s defense policy can easily see its fundamental strategy: rearmament and the build-up of military strength. Supposedly not to act aggressively itself, but to signal to other actors: Not with …
Fifty Shades of Yellow The image of China in Germany and the US ranges from silly clichés to fear of a powerful economic competitor. “Yellow peril” or a bizarre wonderland like the China chapters in Michael Ende’s “Jim Button” books? China is one of the best-known nations in the West, …
The redistribution agenda Social prosperity cannot be created by policies that lead to the impoverishment of the masses. This dynamic also led to the current stock market turmoil. At the beginning of August 2024, there was a violent stock market storm on Wall Street. The most important US stocks plummeted …
The birth of a new culture The intellectual movement known as metamodernism attempts to reconcile the pursuit of universal truth with skeptical relativism. Exclusive excerpt from “Die Metamoderne” (Metamodernism). When a new era in intellectual history is dawning, it is not immediately apparent on the surface. It begins with a …
Generation Escape In our smartphone-based world, young people are left to their own devices and overprotected in the real world. The result is a feeling of despondency. In his book “Generation Fear — How We Are Losing Our Children to the Virtual World and Jeopardizing Their Mental Health,“ Jonathan Haidt …
Secured totalitarianism In his “Critical Dictionary,” Rudolph Bauer deciphers the language of a new fascism. Language and writing express thoughts and feelings. Sentences formed from words can flatter or hurt. When it comes to the use and meaning of terms, communication becomes a sharp blade. This applies to the private …
Super-fascism In her latest book, Lisa Marie Binder presents a description of the new normal. Since 2020, many people have felt that the world around them has changed. The “new normal” is fundamentally different from what we knew until 2019. Many have vaguely labeled this new normality “fascism,” while others …
New president, same old game Donald Trump’s election, welcomed by many, will not be able to eliminate the fundamental flaws in the US power system. Trump or Harris — this alternative was hyped up as a fateful election in which two fundamentally different political styles would battle it out for …
The lies of others Western countries are very capable of recognizing war propaganda—but only when it comes from the “enemy” camp. Sir Arthur Ponsonby established the guiding principles of war propaganda in 1928, looking back on the catastrophe of World War I. His analysis was self–critical and aimed at British …