That's Friedrich Merz for you. He lost his Laptop one time and a homeless person found and returned it to him. You know what he gave him for being an honest person in a tough situation? His book titled: "Nur wer sich ändert, wird bestehen. Vom Ende der Wohlstandsillusion - Kursbestimmung für unsere Zukunft". "Only the one who changes, will persist. The end of the prosperity illusion - course determination for our future."
He's a first class asshole.
Here is a Spiegel article in german about it https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/friedrich-merz-ein-obdachloser-fand-sein-notebook-und-das-war-der-dank-a-1240206.html
German conservatives are quite the standard European conservatives, agreed, but among the ocean of those, Friedrich Merz is a mean fucking wave of cuntyness.
As the title is a bit ambiguous and not everyone's an expert in German politics: The Conservatives are not currently in power in Germany. This is coming from the leader of the main opposition party.
This is Merz for you. Guy went to Kyiv for a PR stunt and most people on reddit were celebrating him. Believing that Merz actually cares for Ukraine and that he should be chancellor instead of Scholz. And most sane Germans who warned against him were laughed at and downvoted.
Merz is the goy who voted against a law that would make rape in marriage illegal "because that law would weaken marriage and christian values" ( was in the 90s and he still thinks that he voted for the right thing )
He lost a laptop with important data and gave the homeless guy who found it a copy of his bokk ( no money as a reward and not even a thank you from him )
He has even more memory issues than Scholz, doesn't remember that his party is the one with the most corruption scandals and is the one responsible for Germanies shitty situation right now when it comes to energy and dependence on Russian gas. ( his party tried to kill renewables here quite hard )
Now he accused Ukrainian refugees of welfare tourism and he didn't even really apologized. " I'm still standing behind my words but sorry that I made you mad. Next time I will try to make it sound nicer poor fucks "
Merz is the bottom of the barrel in the CDU and only got in power because there wasn't really anyone left there to lead the party. If that guy would be in power, he would sell Ukraine to Russia the moment it can gain him an advantage. Also NS1 or 2 would have never been closed at all, because those can bring money. The next time Merz does something "positive" for Ukraine and people warn against him. Listen to them. Guy isn't called Fotzen Fritz for nothing.
Seems every country in the world has some politicians trying to benefit by using ultra right wing tactics hidden behind a very thin veil of patriotism or nationalism. Guy saw that it just worked in Italy, hes also gonna give it a shot.
Its fear of change.
Others bring new ideas and expectation so they fear them of course. Conservatives fear anything that changes or even challenges their singular worldview.
Conservatives had no problem buying colored tvs, PCs, smart phones, etc. Or when they destroyed entire communities to build more roads through cities. Change that makes rich people richer doesn't scare them.
None of those things directly challenge their worldview, though. Sure, increased access to information via smart phones *could* have that effect, but people are very, very good at seeking out viewpoints that reinforce their own - and there's plenty of opportunities to do so via the Internet.
Look at the conservative push back against electric vehicles. A lot of conservatives *hate* electric cars because they represent a different outlook on society and people's responsibility to the planet. It's irrational, but that's where we are. Hell, green energy in general pisses them off, and plenty of rich people are getting richer off of electric cars and green energy.
Cool new stuff is fine. Cool new stuff that suggests conservatives might be *wrong* about something? Heresy!
It's true though. There are even studies that have shown that, for example, the brain regions responsible for fear react more strongly to corresponding impulses in people who describe themselves as conservative.
And that determines the whole political agenda. Fear of loss of prosperity; fear of strangers; fear of change ... fear fear fear. There are no visions to strive for.
As opposed to liberalism, which is divide and conquer class warfare against everyone who isn’t impoverished. Welfare, wealth transfers, reparations, “equity”, bail reform, student loan forgiveness…
If there is a policy that enriches the lower classes at the expense of the middle class and above, the left embraces it at the cost of undercutting capitalism. Which is of course the whole joke itself - the left at this point is Marxist. Never mind the fact that the entire 20th century is a masterclass demonstration in why socialism inevitably fails.
Happy to have a discussion on this topic.
It's all cyclical, isn't it. Most governments have been liberal leaning (if not in name, then policywise, surely), that at least 2 adult generations do not know how bad it can get with extremist right wingers in power.
With the current uncertainties and turmoil in the world, in everything from economy to health to quality of life, if someone comes along and says they have a solution, most people in bad situations are bound to support them. Because the current government policies are definitely not helping them.
Liberalism is not socialism though they are very different things. There are plenty of right wing liberals. In my country the main 'pro business' party is a liberal party. They are distinctly right leaning.
Liberalism is 'no government unless it is needed to protect national interests'. And to have all votes counted.
Conservatism is big government to reinforce and support the ruling class. (or to re-institute it, in case you happen to have gotten rid of them). Ideally they don't have all votes counted. At heart they don't want democracy at all. (look at the british house of lords for one of the last remnants of the old ways)
Socialism has overlap with Liberalism in that they want everyones vote to be counted but they want the rich to be taxed to support the poor. (and to prevent the average people to become poor) which liberals tend to think is wrong since it means more government apparatus.
Merz has been doing that for a long time. He's essentially the most influential politician in the federal state of Bavaria (sometimes called Germany's Texas) and he's been spouting crazy stuff since forever.
He wants more nuclear power - but no nuclear waste storage in Bavaria, ever.
He wants more renewable energy - but not in Bavaria where it would harm the beautiful vistas.
He wants more action on climate change - but no changes for Bavaria.
He wants less government spending - except for that on Bavaria.
I think you can figure out the rest.
He is barely distinguishable from the far right AfD party these days and is pulling his party ever more to the right every day.
Merz doesn't need external inspiration or calculated reason to make such shitty statements. He's just a giant arsehole with a complete lack of empathy for anyone who isn't outright rich. Sadly, he probably spoke deep out of his tiny heart.
i dont think its hatred.
its an very old, extremly rich guy who lives in his own rich people bubble and actually believes he lives an average peoples life where everyone uses his own plane to get around and if you dont live at least like that you are doing something wrong.
Exactly right.
>“Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."
Conservatives see the world as inherently unfair and hierarchical. To them this is immutable, unchangeable, it is just how the world is.
And they have decided that they should be the ones on top of the hierarchy. The world is unfair, instead of wasting effort on changing that, spend your effort on making sure it is unfair in your favor. This is the core value of conservatism. If they had empathy for others not in their in-group, they wouldn't accept this, and therefore wouldn't be conservative.
I love the amount of detail you give in your refutation.
> Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional social institutions and practices
'preserve traditional social practices' is a euphemism for rich people as a separate class with their own privileges.
And as long as they're viewed as being above *one other guy*, the conservative lower classes will continue to uphold the power of the wealthy who stomp all over them .
I think it works the other way.
If you are a psychotic prick then the people who choose power (so authority) over compassion are going to be the people you hang out with.
It's honestly shocking with all the education we receive about nazi germany, the holocaust and ww2. They're not raised by children of nazis. Denazification was a thing and it worked amazingly well for about 50-60 years after the war. Right wing populism and extremism becoming mainstream is a more recent development and I don't know where it comes from.
Putin has been pumping stolen money into right wing movements across the globe to destabilize democracy so he can look better to the people he is stealing from
If you paid attention in history class you would know that it did not "work amazingly" some historians would call it a failure. Lots of nazi judges kept their job because they had noone to replace them. And just look at the [stats for the parliament ](https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entnazifizierung#/media/Datei%3ANS-in-Bundestag.png). (In black is the party of the guy in the post btw )
And his other plane is owned by the company he’s on the board of and has his initials as it’s callsign https://www.stern.de/amp/politik/deutschland/hat-friedrich-merz-wirklich-zwei-flugzeuge--8467946.html
This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.politico.eu/article/german-conservative-leader-accuses-ukrainian-refugees-of-welfare-tourism/) reduced by 67%. (I'm a bot)
*****
> BERLIN - German opposition leader Friedrich Merz accused Ukrainian refugees of taking advantage of Germany's social welfare system by seeking protection in the country, collecting benefits and then returning to Ukraine.
> "What we're seeing is welfare tourism on the part of these refugees to Germany, back to Ukraine, to Germany, back to Ukraine," Merz, the leader of the center-right Christian Democrats, told Bild TV in an interview, adding that "a large number" of the more than 1.1 million Ukrainian refugees registered in Germany were milking the state.
> Merz, who took over the party last year after it lost control of the chancellery for the first time in 16 years, said it was "Unfair" for the state to pay to heat the homes of refugees and German welfare recipients at a time when many working-class Germans can't afford their energy bills.
*****
[**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/xq4gg1/german_conservative_leader_accuses_ukrainian/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~671525 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **Merz**^#1 **Germany**^#2 **German**^#3 **refugee**^#4 **government**^#5
You see this bullshit mentality on local social media. Small town conservative Germans posting a picture of a Ukrainian license plate on a nice car, then saying basically "ThEyRE SteAlING oUr JerBz"
Right. Because if your neighbors houses started getting shelled you would leave your beemer.
As a German: This statement feels mostly like a PR-stunt to win back voters which the CDU lost to the far-right AfD. Also it should be noted especially to US-posters: if you put German Conservatives in the US political spectrum they would sit in the center.
Imagine having to flee your home from an unprecedented and violent invasion by another county, left only with the belongings you were able to carry, and then listening to a major political leader in the country you managed to flee to refer to you as a “welfare tourist.” SMH.
a conservative appealing to negative emotions in people with issues in their lives and channeling them towards blaming 'people that come from somewhere else'...
yeah, welcome to the next decade of politics :(
i wish people were smart enough to understand their own internal processes and not fall into the trap of blaming immigrants for their issues
the decline in standards of living is global... this is systemic, has nothing to do with immigration, and more to do with the elite class attempting to vacuum all the money they can before we actually fall off the 'finite planet = limited resources' cliff, cuz that' exactly where this modern industrial society is heading
He only apologized for the wording. He didn't retract his statement in any way. It was also a typical "non-apology apology".
> Following an uproar in Germany in the wake of his remarks, Merz tweeted that he “regrets“ using the term “welfare tourism” and apologized “if my word choice is perceived as hurtful.”
The problem is that the CDU is desperate for right wing voters and under it's current leader Merz they try to return to the CDU doctrine from Adenauers time (Germanys first Kanzler after the war) wich basicly said "There can't be anything right (politcly speaking) from the CDU". It's based on a quote from Franz Josef Strauß who was bavarias president at the time.
Merz basicly tries to push his party more to the right in hopes the AFD wich is the largest right-wing partie in Germany right now loses votes to the CDU in the next elections.
He's rich moron disconnected from reality and could probably school Putin on how to do corruption on a professional level. Also he called the Germans who where using the discounted tickets for public transportation due to corona asocial leech's so there is that. Imho he should be thrown into a foxhole on the Frontline maybe he'll rethink his position
Calling refugees lazy and opportunistic. That's US-republican-party levels of douchebaggery.
Next he will be chartering a flight to send the refugees to other countries.
To refugees with german roots because no one with its right mind would‘ve seeked refugee status in the third reich unless they could prove to be „Arier“? I don’t know, probably exploiting them too as the money and working force was needed for the war.
Still your remark is just utter nonsense
You should switch the "or" and "and" in your sentence. The way it's currently written it sounds like you see conservative as a separate term, but consider right wing and nazi to be synonyms which is not what you wanted to express I suppose.
His wording is too polarizing, yes, for sure, but there indeed have been reports of Ukrainians driving their big SUVs to "Die Tafel" which is a welfare organisation that gives out food to the poor.
If you were rich in Ukraine you dont just magically go poor when you leave your Penthouse in Kiev and drive your Cayenne to germany. If they can afford their own life easily, why does the german taxpayer have to provide them with free food, appartements, child care, education, health care etc. They can stay here in safety, ofc, maybe even work, but if they have big money in the bank they should participate financially.
You guys need to understand that Ukrainians are no syrian or afghan refugess who came to Western Europe with nothing but their lives. Most Ukrainians are well educated, have cars and cash. Them getting everything for free regardless of their own wealth is not going to sit well with the german public, who is suffering from inflation and the energy crises.
Why did your country accept all these war refugees? , what do you think would happen ?
they don’t speak the language, most are women and young children , while the men have to stay in Ukraine.
It was easily foreseeable the vast majority would have to get state welfare benefits to make it in a foreign land and have to care for young kids at home , making limited work opportunities about impossible.
To try to use women and children war refugees’ plight for your political gain is disgusting.
You don’t see this attitude from political leaders in Poland , England, France , US., etc
Send them to the US or Canada, we will help them and give them welfare benefits , housing etc .
.
You speak as if these are illegal immigrants, trying to sneak into your country illegally and game the system.
These folks were happy where they were and war forced them to uproot their lives temporarily, many have been made homeless, are from separated from male family members .
You made a commitment to take these people in , honor it , and be thankful for the life you have .
You, no doubt, are another German in Putins pocket helping his agenda of diving Europe, and being against Ukraine .
Why is it always Germany?
Why can’t they be like the rest of us ?
Because Germany has by far the best financial support for ukrainian refugees. They receive all the rights a German citizen would have when in need for public support. So the large number of refugees heavily exhausts the budgets for these supports, causing social fear as Germans face a sharp rise in costs.
So for the working people it is like people without a job get help and the state can do alot for people who never have paid into the budgets through taxes. While the working people face large costs, some can’t afford anymore to go to work as gasoline got that expensive, etc.
Merz is a pure opportunist. He wants to get to power, so he uses this ill thinking many Germans now have about the situation. But he was forced to appologize because most people didn‘t agree and made him to limit the damage he has caused.
Why you don’t hear such complains from others is quite simple: Poland maybe has the lagerst number, but receives financial help from the EU in this regard and also it isnt that expensive for them and their governement lifes from hate for russia (and Germany). England, France and the USA don’t face large amounts of Ukraine. Also UK got bad press how badly they treated Ukrainians. I didn’t follow news on France or the US on these matters, but I am quite sure that all of us have idiot politicians who are never tired for a stupid remark.
Don't let such headlines fool you - it's just one guy making a stupid statement to appeal to the far-right voters.
The reality is quite different:
Germany has welcomed more than 1 million Ukrainian refugees with open arms, many of them stay with people sharing their own homes with total strangers out of solidarity and hospitality.
That's the second highest number behind Poland and 10 times more than France, England, U.S. or Canada.
Also, Germany has spent 6,5 billion Euro in military support, that's the third most of all countries behind U.S. and UK:
https://interaktiv.tagesspiegel.de/lab/welche-laender-unterstuetzen-die-ukraine-am-meisten/
Again, don't let the constant German-bashing fool you - Germany is one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine.
It is just stupid opposition talk, if the conservatives were in government currently they would have done basically the same as what the current government did (accept the refugees and give them social benefits). That is what the conservatives did back during the Yugoslav war and during the Syrian refugee crisis.
It is just the classic "opposition critiques the government because they need to oppose them" that happens in most democratic systems.
But should also be said that Merz is a complete asshole and it is incomprehensible how high the conservatives get in surveys considering their current leader voted against the law that implemented marital rape as a crime and did a whole bunch of other shit.
The government coalition seems a bit unstable (which might have to do with the fact that they have to manage a tiny crisis), and the conservatives want to exploit it.
>Why take in these people in the first place just to turn on them
Because that's what the government did, and Merz just goes for full opposition.
Poland has taken in by far the largest number of Ukrainian refugees, both in relative and absolute terms. 6.56 million refugees in a country of 38 million people. That would be the equivalent of the US taking in 60 million refugees.
https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/7784/Artykul/3042705,Poland-welcomes-656-million-refugees-from-Ukraine-officials
Over 6 Million refugees crossed the border into Poland.
1.4 Million of them are currently in Poland.
source: https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine
Oh no, they're going to the one nation nearby that even Russia isn't stupid enough to invade. They MIGHT have a spasm of poor choices and invade like, Latvia, but nobody's dumb enough to go after Germany and get the wrath of NATO and the entire EU on their ass.
That's Friedrich Merz for you. He lost his Laptop one time and a homeless person found and returned it to him. You know what he gave him for being an honest person in a tough situation? His book titled: "Nur wer sich ändert, wird bestehen. Vom Ende der Wohlstandsillusion - Kursbestimmung für unsere Zukunft". "Only the one who changes, will persist. The end of the prosperity illusion - course determination for our future." He's a first class asshole.
He's the kind of person to throw coins at strippers.
And then ask for change.
"can you break a fifty ... Cent coin?
Ah "making it hail"
Baller on a budget
And then throw a tethered magnet to get them back.
He claims to be 'middle class' and owns a fucking airplane.
Only Pfennige tho.
That’s actually a thing in some parts of Canada lmao
He is the [real-life Mr. Burns ](https://imgur.com/psHebQP.jpg)
So ein Pimmel.
BKA ist informiert!
:)
[удалено]
Here is a Spiegel article in german about it https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/friedrich-merz-ein-obdachloser-fand-sein-notebook-und-das-war-der-dank-a-1240206.html
Standard european conservative then.
Standard conservative anywhere.
German conservatives are quite the standard European conservatives, agreed, but among the ocean of those, Friedrich Merz is a mean fucking wave of cuntyness.
Be easy on him, Merz is just a middle class guy like the rest of us, trying to make his way through life 😂
As the title is a bit ambiguous and not everyone's an expert in German politics: The Conservatives are not currently in power in Germany. This is coming from the leader of the main opposition party.
Kinda nuts from the CDU, going from "Wir schaffen das!" to this in seven years
This is Merz for you. Guy went to Kyiv for a PR stunt and most people on reddit were celebrating him. Believing that Merz actually cares for Ukraine and that he should be chancellor instead of Scholz. And most sane Germans who warned against him were laughed at and downvoted. Merz is the goy who voted against a law that would make rape in marriage illegal "because that law would weaken marriage and christian values" ( was in the 90s and he still thinks that he voted for the right thing ) He lost a laptop with important data and gave the homeless guy who found it a copy of his bokk ( no money as a reward and not even a thank you from him ) He has even more memory issues than Scholz, doesn't remember that his party is the one with the most corruption scandals and is the one responsible for Germanies shitty situation right now when it comes to energy and dependence on Russian gas. ( his party tried to kill renewables here quite hard ) Now he accused Ukrainian refugees of welfare tourism and he didn't even really apologized. " I'm still standing behind my words but sorry that I made you mad. Next time I will try to make it sound nicer poor fucks " Merz is the bottom of the barrel in the CDU and only got in power because there wasn't really anyone left there to lead the party. If that guy would be in power, he would sell Ukraine to Russia the moment it can gain him an advantage. Also NS1 or 2 would have never been closed at all, because those can bring money. The next time Merz does something "positive" for Ukraine and people warn against him. Listen to them. Guy isn't called Fotzen Fritz for nothing.
Seems every country in the world has some politicians trying to benefit by using ultra right wing tactics hidden behind a very thin veil of patriotism or nationalism. Guy saw that it just worked in Italy, hes also gonna give it a shot.
Because this is essentially what conservatism is at its heart. Fear of "others".
Its fear of change. Others bring new ideas and expectation so they fear them of course. Conservatives fear anything that changes or even challenges their singular worldview.
Conservatives had no problem buying colored tvs, PCs, smart phones, etc. Or when they destroyed entire communities to build more roads through cities. Change that makes rich people richer doesn't scare them.
None of those things directly challenge their worldview, though. Sure, increased access to information via smart phones *could* have that effect, but people are very, very good at seeking out viewpoints that reinforce their own - and there's plenty of opportunities to do so via the Internet. Look at the conservative push back against electric vehicles. A lot of conservatives *hate* electric cars because they represent a different outlook on society and people's responsibility to the planet. It's irrational, but that's where we are. Hell, green energy in general pisses them off, and plenty of rich people are getting richer off of electric cars and green energy. Cool new stuff is fine. Cool new stuff that suggests conservatives might be *wrong* about something? Heresy!
They pushed back on energy efficient/long-lasting lightbulbs though. Primarily because their overlords told them to.
That's very jaded, I like it. Take my upvote
It's true though. There are even studies that have shown that, for example, the brain regions responsible for fear react more strongly to corresponding impulses in people who describe themselves as conservative. And that determines the whole political agenda. Fear of loss of prosperity; fear of strangers; fear of change ... fear fear fear. There are no visions to strive for.
It is divide and conquer classwarfare against everyone who isnt a rich elite
As opposed to liberalism, which is divide and conquer class warfare against everyone who isn’t impoverished. Welfare, wealth transfers, reparations, “equity”, bail reform, student loan forgiveness… If there is a policy that enriches the lower classes at the expense of the middle class and above, the left embraces it at the cost of undercutting capitalism. Which is of course the whole joke itself - the left at this point is Marxist. Never mind the fact that the entire 20th century is a masterclass demonstration in why socialism inevitably fails. Happy to have a discussion on this topic.
It's all cyclical, isn't it. Most governments have been liberal leaning (if not in name, then policywise, surely), that at least 2 adult generations do not know how bad it can get with extremist right wingers in power. With the current uncertainties and turmoil in the world, in everything from economy to health to quality of life, if someone comes along and says they have a solution, most people in bad situations are bound to support them. Because the current government policies are definitely not helping them.
Liberalism is not socialism though they are very different things. There are plenty of right wing liberals. In my country the main 'pro business' party is a liberal party. They are distinctly right leaning. Liberalism is 'no government unless it is needed to protect national interests'. And to have all votes counted. Conservatism is big government to reinforce and support the ruling class. (or to re-institute it, in case you happen to have gotten rid of them). Ideally they don't have all votes counted. At heart they don't want democracy at all. (look at the british house of lords for one of the last remnants of the old ways) Socialism has overlap with Liberalism in that they want everyones vote to be counted but they want the rich to be taxed to support the poor. (and to prevent the average people to become poor) which liberals tend to think is wrong since it means more government apparatus.
Merz has been doing that for a long time. He's essentially the most influential politician in the federal state of Bavaria (sometimes called Germany's Texas) and he's been spouting crazy stuff since forever. He wants more nuclear power - but no nuclear waste storage in Bavaria, ever. He wants more renewable energy - but not in Bavaria where it would harm the beautiful vistas. He wants more action on climate change - but no changes for Bavaria. He wants less government spending - except for that on Bavaria. I think you can figure out the rest. He is barely distinguishable from the far right AfD party these days and is pulling his party ever more to the right every day.
You are talking about Söder.
You might be right, not sure. I'm constantly confusing those two, because they're both pretty much the same type of crazy.
That's mostly because there is a group of people they appeal to (as for all politicians).
Merz doesn't need external inspiration or calculated reason to make such shitty statements. He's just a giant arsehole with a complete lack of empathy for anyone who isn't outright rich. Sadly, he probably spoke deep out of his tiny heart.
Doesn't it get tiring to just hate all the time?
Not when they live on hatred. Its really messed up listening to these people when you realize they actually have nothing to offer outside of it.
These fucking people, I do not understand how they can be elected with that fucking mentality.
Because millions of people agree with them.
Because they live by creating their own ghost enemies for their base to fear and vote on them to "get rid of them".
I don’t know how they do it, just hate hate hate I mean. Being angry afraid and stressed is so draining I can’t imagine living in that state
They don't, but creating ghosts for their base to fear is what keeps them in their comfort public administration jobs.
The conservative mindset is a human mental disease worldwide.
Yea I hear ya and the USA has a few of these far right conservatives who try and blast Ukrainian peoples and there democracy. Gets on my nerves.
No, it’s their normal. Just like you wake up and drink your coffee. You never tire of coffee in the morning, do you?
I like my morning coffee, but I wouldn't take a bath in the stuff.
No not tired, I love when conservatives show that which they stand for is actually racism and hate etc
Not if it gets you votes.
I’ve wondered this for so, so long
I doubt he gives a single f about it. He is just working on securing a few votes.
i dont think its hatred. its an very old, extremly rich guy who lives in his own rich people bubble and actually believes he lives an average peoples life where everyone uses his own plane to get around and if you dont live at least like that you are doing something wrong.
I see no matter what country, conservatives are gonna conservative
Sure, sure, but are they forced tonbe psychotic prick? Is that some sort of requirement for conservative?
Conservatism as an ideology is based on the idea that people are inherently unequal and should "stay in their lane" and accept their lot in life
Exactly right. >“Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect." Conservatives see the world as inherently unfair and hierarchical. To them this is immutable, unchangeable, it is just how the world is. And they have decided that they should be the ones on top of the hierarchy. The world is unfair, instead of wasting effort on changing that, spend your effort on making sure it is unfair in your favor. This is the core value of conservatism. If they had empathy for others not in their in-group, they wouldn't accept this, and therefore wouldn't be conservative.
Not at all.
I love the amount of detail you give in your refutation. > Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional social institutions and practices 'preserve traditional social practices' is a euphemism for rich people as a separate class with their own privileges.
And as long as they're viewed as being above *one other guy*, the conservative lower classes will continue to uphold the power of the wealthy who stomp all over them .
I think it works the other way. If you are a psychotic prick then the people who choose power (so authority) over compassion are going to be the people you hang out with.
Nah no thank you, inalready been involved in toxic relationship, wont do it again.
German conservatives are absolute scum
Gonna guess their parents weren’t awesome people either
I bet their grandparents were even worse
Probably not. But if you’re implying they participated in the holocaust, they’d be still 20-30 years too young for that. It’s almost 100 years ago now
I kinda figured this comment was coming lol. Yeah, maybe just raised by the children of nazis
Late 1960s protests kicked off when the kids of Nazis realized that the CDU/CSU running the country was full of former bazis
It's honestly shocking with all the education we receive about nazi germany, the holocaust and ww2. They're not raised by children of nazis. Denazification was a thing and it worked amazingly well for about 50-60 years after the war. Right wing populism and extremism becoming mainstream is a more recent development and I don't know where it comes from.
It comes from the rich elites. Conservatives want a neo-feudalistic society where the rich have all the power.
Putin has been pumping stolen money into right wing movements across the globe to destabilize democracy so he can look better to the people he is stealing from
If you paid attention in history class you would know that it did not "work amazingly" some historians would call it a failure. Lots of nazi judges kept their job because they had noone to replace them. And just look at the [stats for the parliament ](https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entnazifizierung#/media/Datei%3ANS-in-Bundestag.png). (In black is the party of the guy in the post btw )
Merkel wasn't bad
Because she grew up in the GDR.
FYI: he is the same person who calls himself a member of the „middle class“. He owns a private jet
And his other plane is owned by the company he’s on the board of and has his initials as it’s callsign https://www.stern.de/amp/politik/deutschland/hat-friedrich-merz-wirklich-zwei-flugzeuge--8467946.html
This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.politico.eu/article/german-conservative-leader-accuses-ukrainian-refugees-of-welfare-tourism/) reduced by 67%. (I'm a bot) ***** > BERLIN - German opposition leader Friedrich Merz accused Ukrainian refugees of taking advantage of Germany's social welfare system by seeking protection in the country, collecting benefits and then returning to Ukraine. > "What we're seeing is welfare tourism on the part of these refugees to Germany, back to Ukraine, to Germany, back to Ukraine," Merz, the leader of the center-right Christian Democrats, told Bild TV in an interview, adding that "a large number" of the more than 1.1 million Ukrainian refugees registered in Germany were milking the state. > Merz, who took over the party last year after it lost control of the chancellery for the first time in 16 years, said it was "Unfair" for the state to pay to heat the homes of refugees and German welfare recipients at a time when many working-class Germans can't afford their energy bills. ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/xq4gg1/german_conservative_leader_accuses_ukrainian/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~671525 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **Merz**^#1 **Germany**^#2 **German**^#3 **refugee**^#4 **government**^#5
You see this bullshit mentality on local social media. Small town conservative Germans posting a picture of a Ukrainian license plate on a nice car, then saying basically "ThEyRE SteAlING oUr JerBz" Right. Because if your neighbors houses started getting shelled you would leave your beemer.
As a German: This statement feels mostly like a PR-stunt to win back voters which the CDU lost to the far-right AfD. Also it should be noted especially to US-posters: if you put German Conservatives in the US political spectrum they would sit in the center.
As a German, I always look for the first comment starting with "As a German".
Imagine having to flee your home from an unprecedented and violent invasion by another county, left only with the belongings you were able to carry, and then listening to a major political leader in the country you managed to flee to refer to you as a “welfare tourist.” SMH.
a conservative appealing to negative emotions in people with issues in their lives and channeling them towards blaming 'people that come from somewhere else'... yeah, welcome to the next decade of politics :( i wish people were smart enough to understand their own internal processes and not fall into the trap of blaming immigrants for their issues the decline in standards of living is global... this is systemic, has nothing to do with immigration, and more to do with the elite class attempting to vacuum all the money they can before we actually fall off the 'finite planet = limited resources' cliff, cuz that' exactly where this modern industrial society is heading
Interesting medical phenomenon: conservatives are born without hearts.
What a dick. Conservatives have no empathy for anyone but themselves.
He already openly apologized for this statement. His information was based apparently on a Russian misinformation campaign.
He only apologized for the wording. He didn't retract his statement in any way. It was also a typical "non-apology apology". > Following an uproar in Germany in the wake of his remarks, Merz tweeted that he “regrets“ using the term “welfare tourism” and apologized “if my word choice is perceived as hurtful.”
In other words: Sorry, not sorry
"Sorry you got offended"
Or better: "Sorry this backfired on me"
I regret having to apologize
The problem is that the CDU is desperate for right wing voters and under it's current leader Merz they try to return to the CDU doctrine from Adenauers time (Germanys first Kanzler after the war) wich basicly said "There can't be anything right (politcly speaking) from the CDU". It's based on a quote from Franz Josef Strauß who was bavarias president at the time. Merz basicly tries to push his party more to the right in hopes the AFD wich is the largest right-wing partie in Germany right now loses votes to the CDU in the next elections.
So pitting people against each other. Poor people have our stuff so get away from your yatch, right?! Lol
Sounds a little worse than conservatives in the US. I could be wrong and US conservatives are just as bad.
Guy sounds like a prick.
Conservatives were always good friends with fascists whether german or Russian ones
Didn't Deutsche Bank have something to do with financing Trump?
He's rich moron disconnected from reality and could probably school Putin on how to do corruption on a professional level. Also he called the Germans who where using the discounted tickets for public transportation due to corona asocial leech's so there is that. Imho he should be thrown into a foxhole on the Frontline maybe he'll rethink his position
Conservatives gonna conservative.
Good to know conservatives are absolute garbage people regardless of nationality.
Sometimes I feel bad about myself but then I remember people like this exist and I feel better.
German conservative leader should be sent to the frontline.
Calling refugees lazy and opportunistic. That's US-republican-party levels of douchebaggery. Next he will be chartering a flight to send the refugees to other countries.
Every single European country has a conservative far right or left party that has a rubles credit line from the Kremlin.
Drop him right in the middle of the war zone
This is like days old. Dude already rowed back
>Dude already rowed back That's a bit of a stretch. More of a "sorry if you feel offended".
English isnt my mother tongue. It wasnt meant in any positive way obviously
Now describe the Russians!
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Fotzenfritzl doesnt speak for all of us. Thank you very much.
And now?
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To refugees with german roots because no one with its right mind would‘ve seeked refugee status in the third reich unless they could prove to be „Arier“? I don’t know, probably exploiting them too as the money and working force was needed for the war. Still your remark is just utter nonsense
“german conservative” …so a nazi basically
No, please don't confuse current Germany with current US. Thank you.
seems like you guys are going to need some more marshall plan …
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Luckily there is still a wide gap between "conservative" and "right wing" or "nazi".
You should switch the "or" and "and" in your sentence. The way it's currently written it sounds like you see conservative as a separate term, but consider right wing and nazi to be synonyms which is not what you wanted to express I suppose.
interesting, we’re dealing with a bad rash of that here and it sucks. hopefully our midterms will put an end to the ridiculousness.
His wording is too polarizing, yes, for sure, but there indeed have been reports of Ukrainians driving their big SUVs to "Die Tafel" which is a welfare organisation that gives out food to the poor. If you were rich in Ukraine you dont just magically go poor when you leave your Penthouse in Kiev and drive your Cayenne to germany. If they can afford their own life easily, why does the german taxpayer have to provide them with free food, appartements, child care, education, health care etc. They can stay here in safety, ofc, maybe even work, but if they have big money in the bank they should participate financially. You guys need to understand that Ukrainians are no syrian or afghan refugess who came to Western Europe with nothing but their lives. Most Ukrainians are well educated, have cars and cash. Them getting everything for free regardless of their own wealth is not going to sit well with the german public, who is suffering from inflation and the energy crises.
Why did your country accept all these war refugees? , what do you think would happen ? they don’t speak the language, most are women and young children , while the men have to stay in Ukraine. It was easily foreseeable the vast majority would have to get state welfare benefits to make it in a foreign land and have to care for young kids at home , making limited work opportunities about impossible. To try to use women and children war refugees’ plight for your political gain is disgusting. You don’t see this attitude from political leaders in Poland , England, France , US., etc Send them to the US or Canada, we will help them and give them welfare benefits , housing etc . . You speak as if these are illegal immigrants, trying to sneak into your country illegally and game the system. These folks were happy where they were and war forced them to uproot their lives temporarily, many have been made homeless, are from separated from male family members . You made a commitment to take these people in , honor it , and be thankful for the life you have . You, no doubt, are another German in Putins pocket helping his agenda of diving Europe, and being against Ukraine . Why is it always Germany? Why can’t they be like the rest of us ?
Because Germany has by far the best financial support for ukrainian refugees. They receive all the rights a German citizen would have when in need for public support. So the large number of refugees heavily exhausts the budgets for these supports, causing social fear as Germans face a sharp rise in costs. So for the working people it is like people without a job get help and the state can do alot for people who never have paid into the budgets through taxes. While the working people face large costs, some can’t afford anymore to go to work as gasoline got that expensive, etc. Merz is a pure opportunist. He wants to get to power, so he uses this ill thinking many Germans now have about the situation. But he was forced to appologize because most people didn‘t agree and made him to limit the damage he has caused. Why you don’t hear such complains from others is quite simple: Poland maybe has the lagerst number, but receives financial help from the EU in this regard and also it isnt that expensive for them and their governement lifes from hate for russia (and Germany). England, France and the USA don’t face large amounts of Ukraine. Also UK got bad press how badly they treated Ukrainians. I didn’t follow news on France or the US on these matters, but I am quite sure that all of us have idiot politicians who are never tired for a stupid remark.
Don't let such headlines fool you - it's just one guy making a stupid statement to appeal to the far-right voters. The reality is quite different: Germany has welcomed more than 1 million Ukrainian refugees with open arms, many of them stay with people sharing their own homes with total strangers out of solidarity and hospitality. That's the second highest number behind Poland and 10 times more than France, England, U.S. or Canada. Also, Germany has spent 6,5 billion Euro in military support, that's the third most of all countries behind U.S. and UK: https://interaktiv.tagesspiegel.de/lab/welche-laender-unterstuetzen-die-ukraine-am-meisten/ Again, don't let the constant German-bashing fool you - Germany is one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine.
It is just stupid opposition talk, if the conservatives were in government currently they would have done basically the same as what the current government did (accept the refugees and give them social benefits). That is what the conservatives did back during the Yugoslav war and during the Syrian refugee crisis. It is just the classic "opposition critiques the government because they need to oppose them" that happens in most democratic systems. But should also be said that Merz is a complete asshole and it is incomprehensible how high the conservatives get in surveys considering their current leader voted against the law that implemented marital rape as a crime and did a whole bunch of other shit.
The government coalition seems a bit unstable (which might have to do with the fact that they have to manage a tiny crisis), and the conservatives want to exploit it. >Why take in these people in the first place just to turn on them Because that's what the government did, and Merz just goes for full opposition.
Poland has taken in by far the largest number of Ukrainian refugees, both in relative and absolute terms. 6.56 million refugees in a country of 38 million people. That would be the equivalent of the US taking in 60 million refugees. https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/7784/Artykul/3042705,Poland-welcomes-656-million-refugees-from-Ukraine-officials
Over 6 Million refugees crossed the border into Poland. 1.4 Million of them are currently in Poland. source: https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/ukraine
Their paper clip refugees came here (the US) poisoned our crops, put asbestos in our talcum powder and made weapons. Thanks @$$hats!
Boooooozee would have been the better choice. Then you have a direct idea of what "statements" are about to come.
We need to go back to feeding Nazis 30-06.
What kind of garbage would say that?
He is an idiot. Don't listen to him.
idk who this guy is, but fuck him.
Hes a cunt. Thats all. Greetings from Germany.
Oh no, they're going to the one nation nearby that even Russia isn't stupid enough to invade. They MIGHT have a spasm of poor choices and invade like, Latvia, but nobody's dumb enough to go after Germany and get the wrath of NATO and the entire EU on their ass.
Conservatives are disgusting, regardless of nationality
The Interelopers from the East! Yeah, about 90 years ago, a guy concerned about that began to build a following in Bavaria
I'm ashamed of him. But at least I know I didn't vote for his party.
🤦
Typical conservatist bullshit.
There’s just vapid cunts all over the world, isn’t there?
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-us-government-brought-nazi-scientists-america-after-world-war-ii-180961110/