Mainstream politicians express alarm while lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt welcomes congratulations from Elon Musk

Mainstream politicians around Europe have expressed alarm after the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) swept to a historic state election victory in Germany, while nationalist figures cheered the result as a mandate for change.

While falling just short of an absolute majority, the AfD surged into first place in the Saxony-Anhalt state election on Sunday, exit polls ⁠showed, putting the far right within reach ​of power at ‌the state level for ‌the first time since the second world war.

  • SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    19 hours ago

    Humans learn. Really well, actually, which is part of the problem. Humans have metadeveloped knowledge such that we can believe things that aren’t true, or are only partially true, in order to manipulate views of reality. Our own emotions can drive faithful, real beliefs that warp reality.

    We do learn, pedantically. That is not necessarily the problem.

    The reason I’m inclined to chime in here, pedantically, is because I think it’s important to try to correctly identify the problem. Yes, “humans never learn” in subtext is true. But, because of how far telecommunications have developed, and now with AI and state sponsored psyops and all of that, we have to be better than the old statements like “humans never learn”, which, I believe, at this point, equates to a vague, overwhelming and demotivating thought ending cliche.

    Maybe, instead, say, “we must learn to overcome this”, because at least there, while still vague, presents a problem to be identified and solved, rather than pessimistically Eeyore’ing.

    We CAN do this, it just requires an intellectual vigilance and moral deliberation unlike we (humanity) have not seen in a long, long time.