The Crisis of Democracy: Commentaries on Current Politics

We have been living in a right-wing and populist culture for years. One of its ingredients is anti-intellectualism. Deeper connections and backgrounds are hardly addressed. In the media, knowledge is ground down to entertainment, 'facts'. The tendency is irresistible to present any point of view as legitimate and acceptable, as long as it comes from 'the people'. The distinction between substantiated opinions and opinionated quackery thus becomes invisible. The result is well-known: the quackery of old and new populists trumps thorough analysis, because it is ready for use in the media. And the populists and the media operate in close synergy with each other. This mediatisation of 'free opinions' undermines democracy because the civil society is skipped and mowed down. The intellectual has his/her place in that society. In order to speak, he/she must appeal to more 'archaic' genres such as the book, the essay, the lecture, the discussion. And limit himself/herself to a smaller audience. He/she has little business in the mass media. The task is specific: formulating criticism and distinguishing quality in opinions. It is an essential democratic task, even though it takes place within rather small niches in society. Opinions, media and democracy: the need is great, salvation is not immediately near.