And to be fully clear, thanks to it socialists have gradually become able to dominate the interpretation of political events and control the political discourse. Translated by Russell A. Berman, who has written a separate note here. Fixing those problems is a duty of society, i.e., the public, parties, media, institutions, etc. None of this is proven, but some politicians and much of the media treat it as if it had been proven long ago. Maaßen: Not at all, especially because “totalitarian” is not an issue for the Domestic Intelligence Service. An Interview With Morgan Maassen August 31, 2010 By SURFER Social icon website Social icon rss Social icon twitter. 10 June, 2020. Interview with … What is wrong is when people with non-extreme opinions are excluded from democratic debate according to the slogan: “We don’t talk with people like that.” The replacement of law by morality means that the democratic principle of the equality of opinions gives way to the undemocratic principle that “false” opinions have no right to participate. Maaßen: Yes: first because the law determines the limit that everyone accepts as a minimum. Every act of de facto censorship imposed by language police both harms the individual speaker, robbed of the right to express opinions, and damages the institutions of the legal order by undermining the constitution and the wider liberal democratic principles inherent in it. I am speaking about this on the basis of my experience as a former chief of intelligence services. It is … However, Maaßen approaches a somewhat different matter that goes to the core of democratic legality, the assertion of the primacy of morality over law (which echoes a theme from Carl Schmitt’s The Tyranny of Values [Telos Press Publishing, 2018]). I am talking about debate, not our democracy in general. His comments doubting a widely shared account of violence associated with anti-immigrant demonstrators generated controversy and his eventual dismissal. However, when despotism goes too far, there is a popular mandate to rebel in order to regain liberty, which is a human right. Yet “unwritten laws” are not really laws at all, and they certainly do not have the democratic legitimacy that adheres to a law promulgated by a duly elected government. It is no accident that social isolation is a typical characteristic of totalitarian systems. NOTE: This is a common Maven Interview Question that you must know.. 2. If she did not know that, then this is not really an example of proleptic self-censorship. Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience and show you more relevant content. For example, on the left one can call for economic expropriations or on the right advocate ending the right to asylum. It is worrisome for the character of German democracy if more than two-thirds of the citizens believe that they can only participate in public debate with restrictions. Of course, debate is an important element of democracy, but they are not identical. Maaßen: We have to differentiate. If there is something totalitarian going on in our society, shouldn’t the Domestic Intelligence Service (a federal agency comparable to the intelligence branch of FBI—trans.) The SPD has been surrendering to far-left positions for decades and has to struggle to distinguish itself from them. The legacy of the Merkel era may well be an ironclad unanimity in building a wall against the right, a “popular front” politics, instead of a principled defense of liberal democracy, against the extremism of right and left. 2. Is there still freedom of speech in contemporary Germany? I am deeply concerned that our legal state—the rule of law—is being more and more undermined by the rule of morality. Boris Palmer (born 1972), Mayor of the City of Tübingen, is a member of the Green Party, in which he occupies a relatively conservative position, especially on the topic of immigration, as evidenced by the title of his 2017 book, We Can’t Help Everyone. 6. Babbu Maan Interview on Farmers Protest: Farmers protesting at Delhi borders are getting immense support from the Punjabi singers and other prominent celebrities across the nation. We always select a series of images that we love and want to share with the larger Nomad community. The age of Latin American dictatorships belonged to the past, certainly in the southern cone and in Brazil, although not in Venezuela and Cuba. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. What is Maven? For example, when the CSU [Christian Social Union] declares the AfD to be made of up of “enemies of Bavaria,” or when government funds flow to the partially terrorist Antifa, or when the federal government, the media, and public institutions officially finance the “fight against the right.”. Her statement here gave expression to disappointment with the experience of the unification, its economic consequences, and the emerging political structures in unified Germany. Maaßen: In my view because rational debate, resting on convincing arguments, documentable facts, and the same rules applied to everyone, has been replaced by an irrational debate grounded only in narratives. Mohrenstraße, or Moor Street, is a street in central Berlin. The following interview was conducted by Moritz Schwarz and appeared in Junge Freiheit, on August 14, 2020. 2. Maaßen: No, on the contrary, that is exactly the totalitarian aspect. Eau Claire, WI. Interview with Anna Maaßen, EACP. According to the liberal account of this transition, from democratic optimism to pessimism in the face of repression, the backsliding is elsewhere: in China and Russia of course, but in effect in any other country that is judged politically suspect, including Modi’s India, Bolsanaro’s Brazil, and Erdoğan’s Turkey. Those who argue for the exclusion of “insubordinate” citizens argue that this is simply the natural reaction of a democratic society—a reaction that the taboo breakers themselves have provoked and which they could end at any time by changing their behavior. The Union [the CDU-CSU], FDP [liberal party], and the SPD [Social Democratic Party] have traditionally been the guardians of liberal democracy and ought to be leading the fight—but they are not. Power is the goal; morality is the tool; guilt is the narrative. 12 November, 2020. However, it is a different matter altogether if this occurs at the workplace, where it quickly becomes a matter of so-called “mobbing”—and employees have legal protections against that because ostracism on the job may impact one’s fundamental rights. This is why the interview with Hans-Georg Maaßen is important. By subverting democratic legitimacy, the primacy of values paves the way to genuine political tyranny, not only to moral tyranny. The data also corroborate Maaßen’s claim that the primacy of morality in the form of “political correctness” (according to Allensbach, 41% of Germans see it as having gone too far) is robbing people of their freedom of speech, and therefore undermines the constitutional order. Doesn’t it trivialize matters to talk about totalitarianism, as long as it is only a matter of social rather than state repression? Subsequent to this, the social-democratic members of the current grand coalition government called for Maassen’s dismissal. As I said, in the context of a liberal rule of law, it is the law that defines the limits of permissible speech, which is grounded in our Basic Law as freedom of opinion. Moody mornings at Sandspit. Trend zum Totalitären: Ich finde, wichtige Aussagen von Herrn Maaßen in dem besagten Interview der JF fehlen in diesem Bericht! President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the … 7 May, 2020. That is exactly the defining characteristic of totalitarianism, when debate is replaced by dogma and only “right thinking” people are allowed to participate. Interview with Montserrat Barriga, ERA. Craig-Atkins E, Jervis B, Cramp L, Hammann S, Nederbragt AJ, Nicholson E, et al. Processing Note: Processed by Brice Vircks in February 2020. A morally grounded act against positive law is only a last resort, not to be taken casually, and only in the face of dire circumstances and the threat of tyranny. It was wrong to assume that the formal end of the Soviet Union meant the end of Communism altogether or that Communist agitation would cease to undermine free societies. 4. So we are no longer a liberal society but already totalitarian? Maaßen focuses therefore on cases where individuals hold views contrary to Tocqueville’s “tyrannical majority” or what Ibsen referred to as the “compact majority,” a phrase that Adorno cited against what he recognized as enormous pressures toward conformism in general. Erasmus University Medical Center; Blocking CGRP in Migraine Patients – A Review of Pros and Cons ; Expert Antoinette Maassen van den Brink, PhD. Neurologist and Director University of Cincinnati Headache and Facial Pain Center. Across the turn of the century, global democracy stood on the shaky grounds of a neoliberal program that wrongly banked on progress in China, and that miscalculation became especially painful after the financial crisis of 2008. Bereits vor der Veröffentlichung des Albums gab es einige ausgewählte Konzerte dazu, eines davon fand am 14. First because a moralistic system of prohibitions is imposed on the legal system, thereby restricting the guaranteed freedoms. Seit 2019: Rechtsanwalt bei Höcker 2012 - 2018: Präsident des Bundesverfassungsschutzes 1991 - 2012: Bundesministerium des Innern, Bonn und Berlin By now, there are no longer genuine conservatives in the media and the institutions. Maassen, Adolph Hones, Kenneth W., 1898-1972 … And is it not held up by the American press as an example that others, including the United States, should emulate? Maaßen is not alone in his claims. It is a matter of a long-term process of erosion that cannot be repaired with a single political act, as some may wish. Demanding that citizens meet the standards of prescribed moral judgments robs them of the liberties guaranteed by law, in particular freedom of opinion. And this public self-accusation, with a tearful plea for forgiveness—it is somehow totalitarian. Watch Video Interview . 27 July, 2020. So this situation has resulted from a failure of the moderates who have surrendered to left-wing narratives rather than engaging in rational debate, with arguments, facts, and parity—how can this be overcome? Maaßen: It displaces the liberty. sound the alarm? AERTEC Solutions is exporting digitalisation technology to Poland. Instead, at most, the state provides the stable preconditions for individual choice: as ethical actors, we have the ability or even an obligation to do more than “just follow orders,” the self-exculpatory position of the war criminals at Nuremberg, but through moral acts freely chosen, not repressively imposed. Every year when iPhone launch rolls around, we release a new set of wallpapers for iPhone, Macbook Pro and iPad. Interview with Anna Maaßen, EACP. If one can accuse the moderates of something, it is that they did not recognize this soon enough. The very nature of democratic debate is precisely the fundamental equality of all opinions—with the exception of extremists, but one even has to listen to them. Interview Notes. Welcome to the world as seen by Morgan Maassen. Maassen is the man behind Bogus Blog and the winner of this year’s $5,000 Flame Grant from the Follow the Light … Published with permission. Maaßen: Despite all this, we still do have a democracy, and there are numerous possibilities to resist these developments. Amid busy schedules and long to do lists (this interview was conducted pre COVID-19), we were lucky enough to get a chance to catch up with Santa Barbara based photographer and videographer, Morgan Maassen. What are the consequences for a liberal society when the rule of morality undermines the rule of law? 53, 91. As Communism becomes acceptable—despite the experience of East Germany—the strategy of moral tyranny makes sure that symmetrical openings to the right are prohibited. First, the public distinguishes clearly between expressions of opinion in public and in private, and second, a significant majority regards the guaranteed right to freedom of opinion as contingent on the topic at stake. This extrapolation may seem counterintuitive, for one might assume that values-driven activists act only out of the best of intentions, whether their morality is utilitarian, pursuing the greatest good, or deontological in upholding irrevocable principles. The material consequences can be more significant, for example if your employer fires you or if you are independent or freelance and lose your clients. Video Interview 31 minutes How Fasting, Weight and Dehydration Affect Your Brain Elizabeth Leroux, MD, FRCPC. It is true that the law only provides a moral minimum. Maaßen: No, that is a misunderstanding. aertecadmin “The reaction capability of the aerospace sector in periods of crisis is a positive signal regarding the health of the sector.” Anna Maaßen, International Affairs manager, EACP (European Aerospace Cluster Partnership). But these tendencies do not just appear out of nothing; they are carried out by people and groups. Interestingly Karl Marx lived at number 17 in 1837–38 when he studied in Berlin (a plaque to that effect put up by Social Democrats in 1929 was removed by the Nazis in 1933), and to add to the historical irony, Marx’s friends in London would refer to him as “the moor,” while he gave his daughter the nickname “Hottentot” (Francis Wheen, Karl Marx [London: Fourth Estate, 2001], p. 152). The Covid-19 outbreak is seriously affecting the aerospace sector. Hans-Georg Maaßen (born 1962) served as President of Germany’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution, der Verfassungsschutz (in the text rendered as Domestic Intelligence Service), from 2012 to 2018. [3] Those claims of a reversion to GDR conditions go far beyond what Maaßen asserts in the interview, where he insists on the ongoing democratic character of the current German state. I do my part, as is known, by participating in the Values Union. When we judge the tyrannical moralists among us, we should not think of them as good-hearted saints but as iterations of Dostoevsky’s Grand Inquisitor. Maaßen: No, because sometimes a public pillory is much worse than a fine or an arrest. “Mohrenstrasse: Berlin Farce over Renaming of ‘Racist’ Station,”, Moral Tyranny in Germany Today: Comments on the Interview with Hans-Georg Maaßen, Corona, the Public Sphere, and the Credibility Crisis: A Note on Arnold Vaatz, Matthias Küntzel on the Iran Deal and Germany, Telos in the News: Pandemic Responses and the Risk of Dictatorship, Telos 194 (Spring 2021): Political Theology Today, The Telos Press Podcast: F. Cartwright Weiland on the Commission on Unalienable Rights, The Indian Farmers’ Movement 2020–21: Part III: Writing the Alphabet of Democratic Hope. The narrative wins. Subjects. . 3. This is not the case because of the primacy of the freedom of opinion that also protects extremist positions, up to a point. 3 May, 2020. By now they decide who is permissible and with which themes. As I said, it’s a matter of institutions across society that have willingly fallen in line, including the churches. OCLC #: 1243279034. UHC 298. Of course, every subsociety, such as a family, a club, or a firm, has its own social norms. However, the conservative wing of the government, which includes the extreme … Birk Meinhardt, Wie ich meine Zeitung verlor: Ein Jahrebuch (Berlin: Das neue Berlin, 2020), pp. Yet that is precisely the precondition of freedom. Renate Koch of the Allensbach Institute reported on a study concerning free speech in Germany, writing in the Frankfurter Allgemeine in 2019: “The population views freedom of opinion as one of the most important guarantees of the German constitution. . 5. Geschätzte Lesezeit: 10 Minute(n) Auch wenn Dirk Maassen bereits einige Alben veröffentlicht hat, so ist das neue Album Ocean doch ein besonderes, ist es doch das erste Album, das der klassische Pianist über Sony Music veröffentlicht. PLoS ONE 15(5): e0233107 . In addition, it assumes that the rollback of freedom is primarily elsewhere, while the institutions of the West are still treated as the gold standard of rights (despite the rise of populist parties viewed as threats). It is in any case true that basic individual rights are troublingly under attack in many countries, but it is therefore all the more important to recognize how they are also threatened in the heartlands of the Western liberal democracies themselves. That is what liberal democracy demands. Conservative groups, notably the Junge Union, the youth affiliate of the CDU, have protested against engaging a former Stasi informant for the surveillance of free speech. However, another aspect of this tension between ethics and law is relevant. In Berlin you have to explain to African guests for example why the name of “Moor Street” is a problem. Associate Professor of Pharmacology Erasmus MC, Netherlands. Maaßen has presented the episode as an effort by the left wing of the SPD to generate a political crisis within the governing coalition of SPD and CDU/CSU. What we are experiencing is the result of a chronic development that has been underway for decades. In contemporary Germany, however, Maaßen identifies a very specific narrowing of acceptable political opinion and therefore a proscription on articulating divergent opinions in public. by Marius Meyer. For if the electorate cannot discuss a topic freely, what is the democratic legitimacy of decisions taken by the government? We have to be frank about how the liberal democracies too have become incubators of illiberal tendencies. The fear of saying something “wrong” leads to people becoming even more circumspect than morality demands. Here’s another: the case of the restauranteur in Nordrhein Westfalen who recently hosted an AfD [Alternative for Germany, a new party on the right—trans.] Maaßen: The FDP hardly exists anymore. Maaßen: No. What can be done against these developments? Video Interview 37 minutes Weather, Food, and More: The Truth About Triggers Vince Martin, MD. Maven is a project management and comprehension tool. Therefore, expressions of opinion that respect this limit—which includes respecting the criminalization of rabble-rousing—must not be punished. For example, there was the television journalist who told me I sounded like a “right-wing populist” when I said that the right to asylum does not apply to someone arriving from a safe third state.