Digression 63 Germany 2025 - Why I'm worried about the future

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0:00:29 – 0:00:42 Hallihallo and welcome to a new edition of the digression. I'm Sascha Markmann and I
0:00:42 – 0:00:48 will now try not to deviate from the actual topic in this digression,
0:00:48 – 0:00:55 Which I sometimes succeed in. Today's topic is something I'm talking about in the
0:00:55 – 0:01:02 Time again and again and more often
0:01:02 – 0:01:05 I mentioned. It is about the current
0:01:05 – 0:01:08 Social and above all
0:01:08 – 0:01:12 The political situation as well. Once
0:01:12 – 0:01:15 here in Germany, Europe and at the
0:01:15 – 0:01:19 all over the world. And I have to say, there will be
0:01:19 – 0:01:22 I'm scared and afraid. Why do I get there
0:01:19 – 0:01:29 Fear and fear. It has something to do with the fact that I experienced my childhood in the 80s.
0:01:29 – 0:01:39 I was born in 1977. My earliest memories date back to 1979. Such special days,
0:01:39 – 0:01:54 hold the birth of my sister, the Christmas, certain situations, moments that are there. But
0:01:54 – 0:02:05 I remember correctly, that's so from 81, yes 81, 82. And I remember that when I'm outside with
0:02:05 – 0:02:14 my buddies were on the road that at that time a term always went through the media and that was
0:02:14 – 0:02:24 Pershing 1A. I didn't know what a Pershing 1A was. I knew it might be a rocket.
0:02:24 – 0:02:30 That's because it was always called Pershing 1A rocket or Pershing rockets, but I didn't know that.
0:02:30 – 0:02:37 What this thing does. And I noticed that I had formatted a protest against it,
0:02:37 – 0:02:49 They were afraid of a nuclear war. There was something interesting about us in
0:02:49 – 0:02:57 Dortmund does not give this siren test every Saturday. 12 o'clock the siren went on and I
0:02:57 – 0:03:02 I remember always listening to my mom and I'm still good at it.
0:03:02 – 0:03:12 Remember that there were exercises on a regular basis. I come from a small town near Dortmund, there
0:03:12 – 0:03:22 were only Americans, later it was a German barracks, but as I was a child,
0:03:22 – 0:03:32 They were Americans. In a neighboring town, in Dülmen, were the English and I had
0:03:32 – 0:03:40 I was always wondering why the British had a radar station there. There were always
0:03:40 – 0:03:49 rumours that there are huge bunkers in the Hart, where supplies for
0:03:49 – 0:04:01 bases, including for Rammstein, and that there were highly security-relevant
0:04:01 – 0:04:10 materials were stored. This is known, because the military also hires civilians and we
0:04:10 – 0:04:21 They had a neighbor who was a civilian guard there. There were always exercises. I can
0:04:21 – 0:04:32 It reminded me of a situation where a spy tank was standing behind the house on a huge meadow. me
0:04:32 – 0:04:40 I think they were Englishmen and two young soldiers combing there for a week.
0:04:40 – 0:04:43 They did military stuff like that.
0:04:43 – 0:04:46 And we children lay in the grass and watched them.
0:04:46 – 0:05:00 Yes, so I come from a time when this military situation, the Cold War, somehow
0:05:00 – 0:05:01 It could have been hot.
0:05:01 – 0:05:11 And when you think of the great maneuver "Able Archer", what happened then,
0:05:11 – 0:05:22 I think it was 83, it could have been 86, where the Russians thought NATO would be.
0:05:22 – 0:05:32 It draws up troops and immediately it bangs. Was it also the case that it was just before,
0:05:32 – 0:05:40 That it would have banged. And Germany is in an interesting corner with direct
0:05:40 – 0:05:47 Border with the Warsaw Pact and Germany would have been a place that would have banged first.
0:05:47 – 0:06:03 Yes, so I come from this time and after the fall of the Wall I thought that was the beginning of the
0:06:03 – 0:06:09 '90s, yes, we're on the right track, now everything's going to be fine. The Cold War is over,
0:06:09 – 0:06:16 People would be reasonable somehow. The Warsaw Pact is broken. The countries,
0:06:16 – 0:06:23 many former countries, have become self-employed there, have their sovereignty
0:06:23 – 0:06:30 Registered and it was a really horny mood. Older people will remember that.
0:06:30 – 0:06:42 Yes, and then at the latest 9/11 has somehow worsened everything and since then
0:06:42 – 0:06:48 We are in such a defensive spiral. You have to say, well, there was also the beginning of the 80s
0:06:48 – 0:06:54 a global economic crisis. In Germany, too, things were not going so smoothly, many were unemployed.
0:06:54 – 0:07:02 We had the same thing in the 2000s, in other areas, so no more.
0:07:02 – 0:07:14 Heavy industry, but the new market. But there have always been times when
0:07:14 – 0:07:19 Population went worse, so still at a damn high level, so that's now
0:07:19 – 0:07:24 complaining at a very high level. But there have always been times when people have been worse off.
0:07:24 – 0:07:32 But they haven't become so radicalized. It was before the pandemic or Covid-19.
0:07:32 – 0:07:39 I noticed that the Internet discussion culture is totally in the ass, that there are heated families
0:07:39 – 0:07:47 Discussions have been held about the compulsory vaccination of children against chickenpox so that they can be vaccinated at all.
0:07:47 – 0:07:57 Kindergarten was allowed. I thought there was a lot going on there. Now you have to
0:07:57 – 0:08:06 say yes, since the introduction of the resin laws and the good old resin IV is indeed Germany Export
0:08:06 – 0:08:13 Became world champion. The low-wage sector has exploded, people were afraid of
0:08:13 – 0:08:18 before slipping into Hartz IV, because in the beginning the things were enforced. People had to
0:08:18 – 0:08:24 sell their houses, cars that were still too new had to be sold,
0:08:24 – 0:08:33 Life insurance had to be dissolved, everything that had been prepared for old age privately,
0:08:33 – 0:08:39 had to be made into money, capital-generating benefits had to be terminated and
0:08:39 – 0:08:49 I didn't see hate. Yes and you realize it so slowly, people are getting more satisfied and that
0:08:49 – 0:08:54 The whole thing now culminates in a mentality, oh I don't know what to choose, I choose AfD.
0:08:54 – 0:09:07 Or even original quote, which up there you have to show where it goes, I choose the AfD. If:
0:09:07 – 0:09:11 Trying to talk to people about actually voting against their interests,
0:09:11 – 0:09:25 It doesn't matter because people are so dissatisfied. This is not envy, but
0:09:25 – 0:09:31 A deep dissatisfaction. I have people in my family who are right.
0:09:31 – 0:09:38 They go for a shitty wage. And even though we have such a shortage of skilled workers,
0:09:38 – 0:09:43 There are areas that are not well paid. And there you can also
0:09:43 – 0:09:52 Don't go and say, you know what, dear boss, I love you very much, I'm leaving now
0:09:52 – 0:10:02 somewhere else? No, you can only do that from a certain level of education. Highly qualified
0:10:02 – 0:10:09 Professions, professions that require a certain qualification, they can say that. It deserves
0:10:09 – 0:10:13 In some cases, you even have more money in temporary employment than if you are permanently employed. I know
0:10:13 – 0:10:19 caregivers, who then work at a temporary employment company, who can choose the shifts,
0:10:19 – 0:10:29 They get more money than the permanent employees in the house. But that only applies to a small
0:10:29 – 0:10:35 part of the population. A large part goes to work every day and has real at the end of the month
0:10:35 – 0:10:41 So much so that the bills are paid. I know some families where that is.
0:10:41 – 0:10:49 I have a cleaning lady. The cleaning lady goes to work half day so that she can spend the rest of the time
0:10:49 – 0:10:58 They can do traffic work. And her husband goes to work full-time, is now afraid that there
0:10:58 – 0:11:02 there is also a wave of dismissals in the company, because the order situation is not particularly good,
0:11:02 – 0:11:11 and the boss is considering moving that to a cheaper country, the production. And there you can see
0:11:11 – 0:11:17 Even this simple dissatisfaction. So if a car needs a repair, that's what it's all about.
0:11:17 – 0:11:22 the non-existing reserves and then the money becomes what you actually need for a holiday
0:11:22 – 0:11:30 He saved, spent on it. This is such deep dissatisfaction. And if I
0:11:30 – 0:11:38 Look at it this way, you have it all over Europe, you have it all over the world. People have
0:11:38 – 0:11:44 He sets a certain standard for himself and makes this promise: "Create, create,
0:11:44 – 0:11:52 Building houses. That didn't work for my parents and they were born 50 or 54.
0:11:52 – 0:12:03 Some people have done it, but not all of them have done it. And in my generation, they have
0:12:03 – 0:12:09 least accomplished and with the younger ones almost no one can do it, because you can't afford it
0:12:09 – 0:12:15 can build because the plot is so expensive because the construction costs are so high.
0:12:15 – 0:12:21 Ancillary construction costs. An aunt and an uncle of mine have an extremely high muscle mortgage,
0:12:21 – 0:12:28 My own contribution, I had. It was so hard that we finished the house.
0:12:28 – 0:12:34 Both of them were just before the burnout, in addition to the work still to build the house ready.
0:12:34 – 0:12:44 Yes, that's how it is and I can understand that people are inadequate if a salary is paid earlier.
0:12:44 – 0:12:50 enough to feed a family of at least four, you just come today
0:12:50 – 0:12:56 It works well when both are working full-time. You can only do this if the kids
0:12:56 – 0:13:03 are cared for, thanks to grandparents, or if you earn so much that you get full-time care
0:13:03 – 0:13:11 can afford. Because kindergarten full-time, so such a full-time kindergarten costs money. The
0:13:11 – 0:13:19 All-day care after school costs money. And then you look enviously at the
0:13:19 – 0:13:26 Social assistance recipients, i.e. transfer benefit recipients, Hartz IV, citizen money, no idea how you
0:13:26 – 0:13:35 I want to call him and he gets it for free. Yes, for free. And everyone else is shitting too.
0:13:35 – 0:13:42 credited. The child benefit is an income, is credited. You can get from the others
0:13:42 – 0:13:52 Benefits that a child brings, child allowance, increased child place surcharge and so on, can
0:13:52 – 0:13:57 They don't benefit because they don't exist. And if there were, it would also be counted.
0:13:57 – 0:14:08 will be. It's so insane that when you think about it, the financing, the budget hole.
0:14:08 – 0:14:15 large parts are to be stuffed with the fact that one saves on the citizen's money, that one is there again
0:14:15 – 0:14:24 Introduces harsh sanctions, which will most likely be removed by the Federal Constitutional Court
0:14:24 – 0:14:33 It will be because decent life, because Hartz IV is just the minimum rate that is set.
0:14:33 – 0:14:41 And you just realize that people are dissatisfied through and through. It's always
0:14:41 – 0:14:46 It's easier to step down than to step up. It is then proposed that:
0:14:46 – 0:14:53 We must abolish the level of care one, the level of care one. Yeah, it doesn't cost any money. Of course
0:14:53 – 0:14:59 It costs money, but it costs money differently. There is no care allowance. There are no
0:14:59 – 0:15:10 Costs that could be covered or something like that. No, there's only, what are these now,
0:15:10 – 0:15:17 I think 139 euros for a prevention,
0:15:17 – 0:15:23 non-preventive care;
0:15:23 – 0:15:26 Fucking word-prevention disorder that you
0:15:26 – 0:15:29 You can purchase certain services, such as a
0:15:29 – 0:15:35 cleaning power, housekeeping power,
0:15:35 – 0:15:39 Accompaniment during shopping, even
0:15:35 – 0:15:44 nursing activities. You can save that. That's about $1,400 or $1,500.
0:15:44 – 0:15:50 I don't know how much that is per person per year. This is the crux of the matter.
0:15:50 – 0:15:58 Not everyone takes advantage of this, because you only get it from certified bodies, at least
0:15:58 – 0:16:02 in North Rhine-Westphalia. So you can't say, you know what,
0:16:02 – 0:16:08 My neighbor helps me, I give it to him and then we do half or so. No, I can't.
0:16:08 – 0:16:13 So in some federal states this is possible, they have to do such a small course and then
0:16:13 – 0:16:19 They can provide neighbourhood assistance. But otherwise, this is only possible through a nursing service,
0:16:19 – 0:16:26 about a care service and such things. Yes, so you want to stop the budget hole
0:16:26 – 0:16:36 Make sure the budget is balanced. It doesn't necessarily work now. The proposal,
0:16:36 – 0:16:43 that pensioners should work more because, as Carsten Lindner said, who works too little in
0:16:43 – 0:16:50 Germany? That's right, the pensioners. I mean, these people have worked for 40, 45 years and
0:16:50 – 0:16:57 Not everyone sat and worked in the office.
0:16:57 – 0:17:00 Some of them have worked hard physically, they can no longer do that.
0:17:00 – 0:17:12 I can't imagine a roofer at 70 still putting the ladder up and down and caring for the roof pan on the roof.
0:17:12 – 0:17:20 We have always promised woodworms, as I was in the internship.
0:17:20 – 0:17:24 The people who build the attic, the beams.
0:17:24 – 0:17:35 Carpenter. This is a carpenter who still does at 70 or a bricklayer to stay the builder.
0:17:35 – 0:17:37 Some can't.
0:17:37 – 0:17:41 As a lawyer, you can still work at 80.
0:17:41 – 0:17:55 Not as a craftsman. If I imagine that you should bend such thick fat cables and you are there somehow to the 70, that skin no longer because you lack the power.
0:17:55 – 0:18:06 You have the experience, you have the expertise, but you simply lack the strength, the physical. In addition to all the other ailments that you get when you get older.
0:18:06 – 0:18:11 I'm just saying Stone Age. You were old when you were in your mid-30s.
0:18:11 – 0:18:15 The body was also good. There was another shot.
0:18:15 – 0:18:18 When I think about how I hopped around at 35.
0:18:18 – 0:18:19 Hohohoho.
0:18:19 – 0:18:27 And now I just realize that such a stupid cabinet door of such a floating cabinet
0:18:27 – 0:18:29 It's fucking hard.
0:18:29 – 0:18:35 I almost caught it in my mid-thirties.
0:18:35 – 0:18:43 Well, long speech in a nutshell. You just realize people are dissatisfied because they are with the money.
0:18:43 – 0:18:49 I can't get along. I said in the last issue that I get a pension with the
0:18:49 – 0:18:53 I'm getting along. I must say, I notice the difference between before Corona and now,
0:18:53 – 0:19:03 Because prices have risen. Now this funny shopping basket says where are the prices
0:19:03 – 0:19:10 with certain colors. That's not true. This has become cheaper again. I don't buy a car.
0:19:10 – 0:19:19 I'm not refueling. I don't need a new TV every month, a new cell phone,
0:19:19 – 0:19:27 A new computer or tablet. I need food. My purchase is 99
0:19:27 – 0:19:34 Percentage of food. Once a year I buy electronic toys and every now and then
0:19:34 – 0:19:41 I need some new stuff, because someday I pupted my underpants through and
0:19:41 – 0:19:48 Due to my weight loss at some point the t-shirts are too big. So I order then
0:19:48 – 0:19:59 Hold on to smaller things. I buy 99% of the food and it's expensive. They are more expensive
0:19:59 – 0:20:05 They're getting more expensive and they're still getting more expensive. This isn't such a sensational thing now, this is something
0:20:05 – 0:20:11 What each of us notices about our wallets. My mother also tells me regularly,
0:20:11 – 0:20:16 How expensive everything has become. She tells me, oh look, the potatoes are cheaper,
0:20:16 – 0:20:24 The harvest was so good, but it's already expensive and my mother has a good pension. My mother
0:20:24 – 0:20:28 He really has a very good pension. My mother always says I have a good pension.
0:20:28 – 0:20:33 A woman, but my mother really has a very good pension. Many a man would be jealous.
0:20:33 – 0:20:43 And she says, you know, five years ago I was able to pay 200-300 Euros a month
0:20:43 – 0:20:52 lay down. I'm glad it's $50 now. And so it is with me. I was able to go before without
0:20:52 – 0:21:03 Set aside a hundred, 150 euros for problems. Now this is a zero-sum game. I am glad,
0:21:03 – 0:21:10 If that's $20 or $30 I put aside. Therefore, I can understand,
0:21:10 – 0:21:17 There is this deep dissatisfaction. But it can't be that it's the only
0:21:17 – 0:21:24 The solution that exists is, I now choose a party that is against my interests,
0:21:24 – 0:21:35 against my personal interests. And this movement, this tendency, you see somehow
0:21:35 – 0:21:45 worldwide. This is not something that is only happening in Germany. In Poland, in France,
0:21:45 – 0:21:59 In Portugal, in the U.S., there are nationals everywhere, and then there are people who are more focused on their own people.
0:21:59 – 0:22:04 government. I don't want to call them right now, but there are certain
0:22:04 – 0:22:13 Tendencies and directions that are so strongly reminiscent of right-wing ideas.
0:22:13 – 0:22:21 And people are choosing them more and more. And what has become of the thoughts,
0:22:21 – 0:22:28 The commonality? We have such a stupid thing. We live on one
0:22:28 – 0:22:37 Planet that is a sphere. And we don't live there alone. Every person is an individual,
0:22:37 – 0:22:45 He's an independent person, but he's not alone. Depending on,
0:22:45 – 0:22:52 Wherever you live, there is another person at a greater or lesser distance. And if the
0:22:52 – 0:23:00 A man who shits really fat on a sand, smells the other people. And so it is with this
0:23:00 – 0:23:09 It's a matter. Our economy is so interconnected that a transverse tanker, a cargo ship,
0:23:09 – 0:23:18 in the Suez Canal, the conveyor belts in Europe and America have stopped,
0:23:18 – 0:23:24 because material has no longer passed through, because the ships that stop from India or
0:23:24 – 0:23:29 have come from China, can no longer shorten through the Suez Canal and the long route
0:23:29 – 0:23:35 They had to take over Africa or around Africa. In such a world we live and then you have people,
0:23:35 – 0:23:44 They say, "Germany first, America first." Let's take a look
0:23:44 – 0:23:50 Let's take a look at what the British are doing in England. They had said,
0:23:50 – 0:23:58 You know what, all the money we put into the EU, we'd rather put it in
0:23:58 – 0:24:09 our health care system, in the National Health Service. It worked great. He is still
0:24:09 – 0:24:17 Fucking as before. There was a huge intellectual and cultural outflow. Da
0:24:17 – 0:24:25 Musicians and artists emigrated to Europe. Scientists and others,
0:24:25 – 0:24:30 Those who depended on research funds from the EU also emigrated.
0:24:30 – 0:24:36 A lot of English people who were entitled to obtain German citizenship,
0:24:36 – 0:24:47 They did this so that they could possibly come to Europe without any problems. And it is so
0:24:47 – 0:24:52 My cousin, who lives in England, gave me photos from the English language.
0:24:52 – 0:24:59 sent grocery store where the butter is locked in cages and chained,
0:24:59 – 0:25:07 Because the people there let go all sorts of things from the shops. There was once a guarantee in England,
0:25:07 – 0:25:17 That you get a white bread for a pound, a package of butter and a glass of jam. That was
0:25:17 – 0:25:24 It was guaranteed that these three things together would cost a pound. We are miles away from that today.
0:25:24 – 0:25:31 removed. Miles away. And how the currency develops is also a very big one.
0:25:31 – 0:25:36 disaster. This can also be seen in the dollar. I mean, I can still remember times,
0:25:36 – 0:25:44 where several dollars were a D-Mark. And now a euro is worth a little more than
0:25:44 – 0:25:53 A dollar. Yes, I can understand all this, that you have some kind of fears, but you should also
0:25:53 – 0:26:00 Let's look at what's going on in England and what's going on in America.
0:26:00 – 0:26:10 We're kicking out our immigrants, the illegals. They are not caught,
0:26:10 – 0:26:15 You only catch those who are registered and go to work. That's why they pick
0:26:15 – 0:26:21 Stop by the people on the street or visit the people in the workplace.
0:26:21 – 0:26:27 Farmers no longer know how to cultivate their fields because they do not have harvesters.
0:26:27 – 0:26:38 have. Lack of workers in industry, lack of gardeners in suburban areas
0:26:38 – 0:26:46 And the pool boys. That's what it looks like. And if you go here to Germany
0:26:46 – 0:26:55 Health care is strongly influenced by people with an immigration background. And when you
0:26:55 – 0:27:03 in the eastern German states would remove all with an immigration background,
0:27:03 – 0:27:09 We need the entire health care system because there are more doctors.
0:27:09 – 0:27:15 Immigration background and more caregivers with immigration background working than people
0:27:15 – 0:27:23 Not an immigration background. You can't throw these people out. In terms of demographic change,
0:27:23 – 0:27:31 We need a certain amount of immigration. But these people need
0:27:31 – 0:27:37 also a support that is appropriate to prepare people to stop
0:27:37 – 0:27:46 You can go to work here. And there are many of them. My sister had done a retraining as
0:27:46 – 0:27:56 Caregiver, as a care assistant. I think that's what it was called. There are two people in the course
0:27:56 – 0:28:01 They were deported during the course. They were people who prepared.
0:28:01 – 0:28:08 to get a degree, a German degree, in order to be able to work here,
0:28:08 – 0:28:14 They were integrated and engaged. How many young women are from Germany
0:28:14 – 0:28:20 were deported, who were just before high school, who spoke German better than some
0:28:20 – 0:28:30 Native speakers? I don't understand. But we sit here and say Germany is going so badly. And
0:28:30 – 0:28:38 You have to think about what's that for? Is it because wages are too low?
0:28:38 – 0:28:49 Are they? Perhaps it is because instruments and paths have been created or have been re-created.
0:28:49 – 0:28:56 Want to push people into a job? In every shitty, badly paid
0:28:56 – 0:29:05 Job? I used to be a workaholic. I fucked something like that. In the last issue you can
0:29:05 – 0:29:14 Listen to that. I did a lot of training. I worked at the DRC in my spare time.
0:29:14 – 0:29:21 I was on foreign assignments in my spare time, on my vacation. I was in Kosovo and
0:29:21 – 0:29:31 I evacuated refugees to Germany. I've been to Africa and what can I say? me
0:29:31 – 0:29:41 I saw a lot of shit. I was someone who worked hard and worked a lot.
0:29:41 – 0:29:49 In addition to my normal job at the DRC, services are still pushed on weekends, during the week. I have
0:29:49 – 0:29:55 I drove the ambulance through the area, I rode in the ambulance, in the rescue system,
0:29:55 – 0:30:05 You see a lot of shit there too. And today, after my stroke, severely disabled,
0:30:05 – 0:30:12 Most of the time depending on the wheelchair, if it is good on the rollator. I am glad,
0:30:12 – 0:30:19 I live in a country where I am allowed to live in dignity and decency. And this
0:30:19 – 0:30:32 will then be taken away from me if a party comes to the government acting against my interests,
0:30:32 – 0:30:41 where I spent 39 years in a social security system to get the same benefit,
0:30:41 – 0:30:47 As I currently get it, namely two years of unemployment benefit I and then only one year of unemployment benefit I.
0:30:47 – 0:30:54 Temporary unemployment benefit 2? H4 Citizen's money, do you want to call it?
0:30:54 – 0:31:01 Hmm, that's a fucking bad deal. And if you do the other things like that
0:31:01 – 0:31:09 Look at it. I don't know if all this is so good. You hear that I'm not a friend of
0:31:09 – 0:31:17 I am such an extreme mindset. You can also tell me, boy, you're left-green,
0:31:17 – 0:31:29 I see myself to the left of the middle. I'm in a state, in a region
0:31:29 – 0:31:37 It was created by the SPD. I voted for the SPD for many years. These days,
0:31:37 – 0:31:43 I have to say, I find the ideas and concepts that a left-wing party brings to light,
0:31:43 – 0:31:52 Good at many points. You have to think again, what is the lesser evil? And if I
0:31:52 – 0:32:00 Look at what's been going on for the last few years and, most importantly, what's been going on for a long time.
0:32:00 – 0:32:10 Traffic light government, where there was a party that acted so against everything that you
0:32:10 – 0:32:14 asked, how do you come up with the idea that you could make an alliance there now,
0:32:14 – 0:32:19 a government alliance, if there was already a plan to sabotage it from the outset.
0:32:19 – 0:32:29 Yes, you can see that I'm completely deviated from the actual idea of the podcast. I make myself
0:32:29 – 0:32:42 I'm really worried about the world of the future when I look at what kind of provocations it is.
0:32:42 – 0:32:53 Give to each other. Currently these drone flights, most likely from Russia
0:32:53 – 0:33:04 Then the whole radicalization of governments that I'm wondering, we're at it.
0:33:04 – 0:33:13 The point that was already as shitty as it was back in the 80s? I can go to great peace demonstrations.
0:33:13 – 0:33:22 receipts. To people who just walked around with stickers, nuclear power, no thanks,
0:33:22 – 0:33:31 All of them have paid close attention to human dignity and peace. I see all this at the moment
0:33:31 – 0:33:38 Not because everyone is busy with themselves. And what I also noticed when you stop
0:33:38 – 0:33:45 Looking across the pond to America. When I see that a population has little
0:33:45 – 0:33:54 educated and yes, Americans are not well educated, many, but if you watch,
0:33:54 – 0:34:01 that they are even less educated, then that's damn fast Yes-Sager and Kuscher. Because
0:34:01 – 0:34:12 For for a totalitarian regime nothing is more dangerous than mature, educated citizens,
0:34:12 – 0:34:18 who know what a statement can have, what a consequence can have and what historically
0:34:18 – 0:34:19 It's happened before.
0:34:19 – 0:34:21 And that is also such a point.
0:34:21 – 0:34:25 The old people who got the war, all this shit, they're slowly dying away.
0:34:25 – 0:34:27 They can't talk so much about it anymore.
0:34:27 – 0:34:36 I remember in the late 80's, early 90's, my grandparents with big eyes
0:34:36 – 0:34:40 They listened when they counted out of the war.
0:34:40 – 0:34:45 Be it the paternal grandparents or the maternal grandmother.
0:34:45 – 0:34:51 They could tell you about clothes, that was so violent and so blatant.
0:34:51 – 0:34:55 But they were always warning words.
0:34:55 – 0:35:02 And these days, when I look at some people rattling with the knife and sabres,
0:35:02 – 0:35:10 It always comes to my mind that people are pretty stupid because they forget
0:35:10 – 0:35:20 too fast. And yes, if the butterbread is cleared from my mouth, then I will be stopped
0:35:20 – 0:35:29 uncomfortable, sure, but I'm still human and I should be glad that I'm in a country
0:35:29 – 0:35:38 live what if I need help, that I may get help and not be compelled to do so,
0:35:38 – 0:35:49 to take any absolutely insane measures or the crapiest, most old-fashioned
0:35:49 – 0:35:55 Jobs that are even dangerous in some places. I'm just thinking of one measure,
0:35:55 – 0:36:01 which an acquaintance had been offered by me, wherever he went and where he told me,
0:36:01 – 0:36:08 You know, that's a total waste of time. I get you to get up in the morning,
0:36:08 – 0:36:14 washes and dresses, then eats breakfast and then does things like the daily newspaper
0:36:14 – 0:36:29 Read it. This was a measure sponsored by the Labour Office. Well, what can I say about that? This
0:36:29 – 0:36:37 It's a waste of money and I don't necessarily want to say that I'm someone who
0:36:37 – 0:36:45 "Tax the rich" - tax the rich. But it can't be that if I have a small
0:36:45 – 0:36:54 Inheritance gets out of 100,000 and then I have to pay inheritance tax - although not
0:36:54 – 0:37:00 All because there is an allowance - but even if I no longer have a daughter or son
0:37:00 – 0:37:07 I am, but grandson or sister, that I have only 20,000 free allowance and then
0:37:07 – 0:37:15 You have to tax the rest. And someone inherits a million-dollar company and then doesn't have to
0:37:15 – 0:37:21 Cents pay taxes and the other must sell his house, must sell the house he has inherited,
0:37:21 – 0:37:26 that he may have to pay the inheritance tax, where not even the
0:37:26 – 0:37:34 the actual sales value is taxed, but the estimated sales value, which is interestingly
0:37:34 – 0:37:45 It is often higher than the actual sales value. Well, I'm enough now
0:37:45 – 0:37:52 and that was an issue so for in between, because the thoughts stop me
0:37:52 – 0:37:58 have gone through the head that in Germany something is going very badly and it is always after
0:37:58 – 0:38:05 It's going downstairs and not even in the direction it belongs. Yes, thank you for your
0:38:05 – 0:38:10 Attention and I look forward to seeing you next time. Goodbye, Sasha.
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In this episode of divergence Sascha speaks openly about his childhood in the 1980s – a time when siren tests, peace demonstrations and the fear of nuclear war were part of everyday life. Based on personal memories of Pershing missiles, manoeuvres such as ‘Able Archer’ and the fall of the Wall, he draws parallels to today’s political and social situation.

It sheds light on how dissatisfaction, economic pressure and dwindling education are developing into a dangerous mix that fuels right-wing tendencies worldwide. From Brexit to German social policy to the role of migration and skills shortages, Sascha brings together many perspectives and asks uncomfortable questions:

👉 What is lost?
👉 Why do people radicalize faster than before?
👉 And what role does education play when societies tip?

A thoughtful but clear consequence – personal, critical and with a lot of historical context.

🧭 Topic overview – digression 063

1. 🎙️ Introduction & personal location

A look back at childhood in the 1980s
Cold War, siren tests and Pershing missiles
First socio-political impressions

2. 🧒 Growing up in the shadow of the Cold War

Military presence in the region (Americans & English)
Exercises, bunker rumors and the feeling of permanent threat
Reminder of the ‘Able Archer’ manoeuvre and nuclear fears

3. 🕊️ From the Fall of the Wall to New Uncertainty

A spirit of optimism in the early 1990s
9/11 as a turning point
Economic upheavals and social reactions

4. 🧾 Hartz IV, precarization & growing dissatisfaction

Introduction of the Hartz laws and their consequences
Low-wage sector & social imbalances
Everyday reality of many families between work and existential fear

5. 📉 Radicalization and political disenchantment

"Showing them up there" - AfD election as protest
Dissatisfaction vs. self-interest
Lack of education & Internet discussion culture

6. 🌍 International perspectives

Brexit as a negative example
England's supply crisis after leaving the EU
Impact of global connectivity (Suez Canal, supply chains)

7. 🧠 Migration, shortage of skilled workers & double standards

Importance of Migrants in Health Care
Contradictions between political rhetoric and reality
Integration vs. deportation practice

8. 🪙 Social justice & inheritance system

Differential taxation of small and large assets
Unequal treatment of the heir
Criticism of the existing system

9. 🧓 Demography & the role of education

Older generations as a reminder and warning instance
Loss of historical education & growing manipulability
Why empowered citizens are crucial

10. 🧭 Closing & Outlook

Summary of social misdevelopments
Personal fears of the future - Appeal to common thinking
Outlook on upcoming topics

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Sascha

Number of downloads: 232
Playing time: 0:42:32
Date of admission: 06.10.25
This episode is from season 4, there are a total of 4 seasons.

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Author: Sascha Markmann

Sascha Markmann is a creative mind with a moving biography – and a person who has rediscovered life after a stroke. After working as a paramedic and elderly caregiver, Sascha found his way into creative expression. As a blogger, podcaster, musician and visual storyteller, he brings together things that just don't fit at first glance: He combines his keen enthusiasm for technology – from self-hosted servers to electronic music production – with emotional depth and an oblique sense of humor. His contributions are somewhere between borderline, acid basslines and assistance – honestly, directly and with a wink. Guiding principle: “Audio-visual dullness with no usefulness – but perhaps that's why it's so valuable.” View all posts by Sascha Markmann

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