Not a good day for the Brazilian people. Whatever you may think of Lula and Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro Jr.’s plans to pardon his father from his 27-year prison sentence cannot be in the spirit of a democratic system. Let’s see what the runoff election on October 25 brings.
•
66
•
@flyingsquirrel Anything is better than a communist in power! Whether Bolsonaro Jr. would do a better job remains to be seen, but just look at Europe to see where left-wing politics leads… 📉
•
22
•@BavarianLion I don't agree with that, not even with calling Lula a communist, but whatever. 🙈 You can see how "great" things are going in the U.S.—Brazil is currently heading in the same political direction.
•
55
•@flyingsquirrel I didn't say that the opposite of communism is better 😉 I consider myself a liberal conservative!
Of course, I accept other political views, as long as they aren't extremist!
And even extremists must have a certain degree of freedom in a democracy, as long as they don't commit any crimes! Even if that’s sometimes hard to accept, in my opinion, individual freedom is the highest good!
Of course, I accept other political views, as long as they aren't extremist!
And even extremists must have a certain degree of freedom in a democracy, as long as they don't commit any crimes! Even if that’s sometimes hard to accept, in my opinion, individual freedom is the highest good!
•
11
•@BavarianLion In principle, I agree with you on that. The problem is often that extremist groups, in some cases, reject or oppose the fundamental democratic order. And that alone makes them directly liable to prosecution. As far as I’m concerned, the impending pardon of Jair Bolsonaro by his son Flavio—should he win the election—from his 27-year (justified) prison sentence has nothing to do with democratic values either.
•
11
•@flyingsquirrel Basically, I agree with you on that, too! It’s the same thing Trump did when he pardoned the people who stormed the Capitol!
What I meant by “extremists” and “freedom” is actually this: If some crazy neo-Nazis want to march through Dresden in February and aren’t breaking any laws in the process, then in a democracy, something like that shouldn’t be banned across the board—and the exact same thing applies to far-left extremists who might want to demonstrate in support of communism!
I reject blanket bans just because someone has a different (albeit stupid) opinion! 🙂
What I meant by “extremists” and “freedom” is actually this: If some crazy neo-Nazis want to march through Dresden in February and aren’t breaking any laws in the process, then in a democracy, something like that shouldn’t be banned across the board—and the exact same thing applies to far-left extremists who might want to demonstrate in support of communism!
I reject blanket bans just because someone has a different (albeit stupid) opinion! 🙂
•
11
•@BavarianLion You're right about that. Now I understand what you mean. As long as no laws are broken at demonstrations like these, we have to tolerate them, no matter how ridiculous the causes may be. It's even better when the whole thing stays peaceful, even in the face of counter-demonstrations. :)
•
11
•@flyingsquirrel I go by the saying: A democracy must tolerate even stupid opinions 😉 Personally, I don’t like either right-wing or left-wing extremism, but I think it’s wrong to silence these people across the board!
For example, I’m also against banning the AfD (I’m more of an FDP supporter myself), but banning them would actually give the AfD even more momentum because it would allow them to portray themselves as victims of political persecution!
For example, I’m also against banning the AfD (I’m more of an FDP supporter myself), but banning them would actually give the AfD even more momentum because it would allow them to portray themselves as victims of political persecution!
•
11
•@BavarianLion Silencing a third of the population through proceedings to ban the AfD is an even worse strategy, especially when, like the CDU, you aren’t offering any real solutions to the problems yourself (in my opinion). :D No wonder the CDU is slowly but surely disappearing into political no-man’s-land. My guess is that this trend will continue. The whole situation is further exacerbated by the fact that the age of their electorate tends to work against them over time. At the federal level, I agree with you regarding the ban proceedings; at the state level, I’m less convinced that banning the AfD—especially in states with a strong far-right presence like Saxony-Anhalt—would be the wrong move. But if, after years, the ban were to go through, the political views of the population wouldn’t simply disappear, and people would feel even more betrayed by the mainstream parties. In short: Parties need to move with the times and listen to the people instead of banning their political views. I completely agree with you on that! :)
•
11
•@flyingsquirrel But in my opinion, that’s a “typically German” way of thinking! If you just ban something, the problem is solved.
It’s the same as with biker gangs like the Hells Angels (the ban on vests)—if someone is a criminal, they’re still a criminal even without a vest. And before a debate on principles gets started here: No, not all bikers are criminals, but there are plenty of “shady characters” in the 1% clubs!
It’s the same as with biker gangs like the Hells Angels (the ban on vests)—if someone is a criminal, they’re still a criminal even without a vest. And before a debate on principles gets started here: No, not all bikers are criminals, but there are plenty of “shady characters” in the 1% clubs!
•
11
•@BavarianLion Yeah, that's right—when it comes to the idea of "It's banned, so the problem's solved," there are a few more examples that come to mind. xD
•
11
•