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Communication Coaching: How to counter right-wing populist phrases

2019-09-22T17:52:35.173Z


When colleagues, relatives or friends suddenly push right-wing populist phrases, many people would like to oppose that. But how? The author Anne Otto explains how you can talk - and with whom.



The colleague knocking racist slogans. The grandmother, who likes the fact that AfD people describe the crimes of the Germans between 1933 and 1945 as "bird's shit". Or friends of friends who speak at parties of "alienation" and "lying press". From time to time, many people are confronted with conversation partners in professional or private life who express themselves in a right-wing populist or openly racist manner.

Some can hardly bear it, but feel helpless: "Many people are insecure, have developed in the past, no political debate culture and therefore do not know how they can come into conversation or demarcate against right-wing sayings," says Paulina Fröhlich, founder the initiative "Little Five", which has set itself the goal to oppose openly expressed right-wing populist views something. The team gives seminars and trains people in dealing with right phrases and attitudes.

1. Principle "Radical courtesy"

"The conversation techniques are ultimately easy," says Fröhlich. Most importantly, first of all, to find a clear attitude: Principle "radical courtesy". "We take our counterpart as a human being seriously, remain polite and do not judge others when they think differently from the political point of view, but in the matter itself we are consistent and radical, representing our positions with good arguments." To make it work and elsewhere, Fröhlich gives the following tips:

Stay calm and factual. Not to be provoked by the other person. Even if you cook inwardly - do not try to fall into moralizing indignation.

Ask open questions. Try to ask her counterpart with genuine interest as to what he thinks. For example, if someone says, "You're not safe in the street at night, because so many refugees are here," you might ask, "What makes you think so?"

Polite criticism politely. Follow usual feedback rules. So you can first tell which part of the reasoning or concern you can understand (for example, "I've been scared of going home in the evening, that's uncomfortable.") Then you say, "But I'm not bringing my fear with refugees in context." Then explain why you think differently.

Delineate and act. If your opponent rant racist, say politely but clearly: "What you say here is not for me. It is misanthropic." Even with derogatory terms such as "asylum tourism" you can intervene immediately: "When people flee or are threatened with death, I find it inappropriate to speak of tourism."

2nd double-talk

Talks about right-wing populist theses are quicker to verbal melee when they take place in public. This is the experience of Philipp Stefan, author and speaker for political education, of the initiative "Discursive". You can reach people much better in a smaller circle. "Two-way conversations are more successful than a dispute in front of an audience," says Stefan. His tip: In the group situation one says: "I see it quite differently than you. Do we want to talk about it in peace when there is time?" Then later, when others are out of earshot, you can come back to it.

3. Practice counterarguments

In a debate with representatives of right-wing populist theses, people should try to counteract the content, says Stefan, who creates a kind of cheat sheet with the participants in his seminars in order to be able to counteract the typically right-wing statements: "Because the arguments of right-wing populists are often similar, you can practice that relatively well. "

Phrase 1: "There are so many Muslims in Germany, that is dangerous for our culture."

Possible reasoning: Here it is first again to ask what worries about it. The answer could be: "German culture is lost ...." You can answer that: There are different people in Germany who have different hobbies, habits and religions. This diversity has always been part of German culture. In addition, religion is just one of many characteristics that makes up people.

If the other person replies that it does not want "this religion here, because our own religion is more important," you could become clearer: In Germany religious freedom, which is enshrined in the Basic Law, applies. Anyone who wants to restrict religious freedom is much more a threat to German culture than people of Muslim faith who exercise their established right.

Phrase 2: "Freedom of expression is threatened if AfD politicians or AfD voters are not allowed to publish their topics in public."

Possible reasoning: Who forbids the AfD's mouth? None. Supporters of the AfD as well as party members may express themselves and make extensive use of this right. Perhaps AfD politicians must make it clear that freedom of expression does not mean that everything one says is accepted by others without criticism and without contradiction. The AfD can position itself - but politicians of other parties and citizens may react and contradict it.

Even contradiction is part of freedom of expression. In addition, it is about whether what populists or right-wing extremists say specifically in a particular case is covered by the freedom of expression: Inhuman, incitement to the public or historical revisionism are not.

Phrase 3: "The refugees get the money, and the homeless go out empty-handed."

Possible reasoning: The two topics do not actually belong together, an apparent connection is propagated by right-wing populists only again and again. The budgets from which refugee aid is being financed in Germany are by no means deducted from the pots for the homeless or the unemployed.

As evidence, you can state that homelessness or under-compensation for jobseekers are not problems that have existed since the increased immigration in 2015. Of course, the welfare of homeless people is also important to one's heart. Only the connection was completely out of thin air. Right-wing populists often bring together things that do not belong together. If one recognizes this argumentation pattern, one can easily refute it.

4. "I can not leave it that way"

Whether a conversation makes any sense depends strongly on the opposite, says Froehlich of "little five". It is therefore important to observe the course of the conversation - and to adapt your own strategy to it:

To talk with the insecure: Many of the conversation partners are mainly concerned, have picked up right-wing phrases or represent them very emotionally - but are content to engage in a substantive discussion. Here is worth a detailed conversation in which you ask questions, find common ground and discuss controversy. Important: To argue too harshly can intimidate the insecure, then they often withdraw completely.

Talking to provocateurs: The interlocutor permanently removes provocative theses, jumps from one thesis to the next. On demands such as "Since when do you think so?" These people often do not go. You can try to keep the person argumentative about a topic - or make it clear that no substantive conversation is possible due to the topic hopping. Tip: Also ironic comments can take provocative slogans their sharpness.

Talk to people who express themselves misanthropically. The opposite expresses racist, sexist or violent-aggressive towards certain groups. Here a substantive discussion is no longer possible. Make it clear that you reject this attitude: "Stop it, that's completely wrong!"

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If someone expresses racialism, historical revisionism or violent fantasies, it is a good idea to take a very clear stand - and to say a halt. No matter in which context such sentences fall, Fröhlich from "Little Five" recommends to follow the following rules of thumb:

Clearly formulate a contradiction: with simple sentences such as "I can not stand it that way" or "What you are saying is inhumane, I do not want you to talk like that", you can take a stand.

Show red card: Set standards in terms of content, for example, refer to the constitution. That does not have to degenerate into Sunday speeches, but can also be provocative: "But that's exactly the same in the Basic Law."

Solidarity: Explain clearly that you are committed to the rights and dignity of all people - including the group that has just devalued their counterparts.

Stay calm and strong. Do not get carried away to hateful statements, but stay strong and show the other person that you are not impressed.

Limits of Freedom of Expression: If people deny the Holocaust or become verbally violent towards certain social or ethnic groups, you can designate this as sedition and point out that this is punishable by law.

Counteract: Reacting to misanthropic phrases is very effective. You do not have to act bravely or appear sovereign. The most important thing is that the message "It does not work that way" and "I do not share it" somehow comes across.

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5. Counter right-wing slogans in the workplace

Demarcation is also often the most effective tactic at the workplace. However, many people experienced that their colleagues in the metropolitan area or in the cafeteria would be silent when it came to right-wing populist slogans - even though they disagree completely, says Ursula Wawrzinek, conflict consultant from Munich.

"The reluctance is understandable at first, because the workplace is not a private place, and discussions about politics are tricky." Controversy quickly aroused the spirits and could lead to disputes that could permanently burden the team climate. However, Wawrzinek says, it is not an option to hold on to anti-human statements in the team - or to allow right-wing populist views to become office-compatible. Therefore:

Clarify where you stand: Meet right-wing populist colleagues or groups in demarcation mode. First, always make sure that you pay attention to the particularity of the office situation. For example: "Actually, we should now enter into a political discussion, but this does not fit into the workplace at all." Only so much of me: I have a completely different opinion on the subject. "

Looking for allies: If you do not know whether someone is still suffering from right-wing slogans from colleagues, it may be advisable to consult with like-minded people in one-on-one talks. If you find these, you can agree to take a common position in the next right-wing populist statement.

Include pre-laws: If the right-wing slogans or misanthropic statements do not stop despite being prompted, you can signal to supervisors that you have problems with them when colleagues express themselves in a discriminatory manner. This escalation to the top is a protection - even for employees who may be indirectly devalued by such statements.

Talking privately: If a right-wing populist colleague belongs to your private circle or if you are particularly good at talking or working with him, it may be useful to not just isolate oneself in the job, but also to have a political discussion in conversation. If that threatens to escalate, pull the ripcord in time.

In general, when talking to people on the far right, "If and how you can communicate always depends on the context," says Paulina Fröhlich of "Kleiner Fünf", "and it would be a good idea to recognize this and then a strategy choose. "

Source: spiegel

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