> The goal remains German society, but this German society as it has existed for a long time - not homogeneous, but held together by common values and norms - has changed fundamentally. Technological progress, globalization and increasing individualization have dissolved this framework, which has certainly been successful in terms of integration, and have caused the big picture to fragment into many societies.
Today, there is no longer a society, but rather numerous realities of life, usually called milieus, that exist side by side, and each has its own ideas of a good and proper life. Its own norms, individual behavior patterns and different values. This may have always existed in larger blocks, but never in such a variety of differences and individualism.
Let's stick with the classic milieus that can be reliably proven. Hedonists, who primarily seek fun and pleasure, have different goals than precarious people, for whom the next meal is sometimes the main concern. Traditional or post-materialists prefer completely different solutions to problems. Take the energy transition, the deportations mentioned above, or gender language as keywords here. The adaptive-pragmatic middle is much more flexible than the old bourgeois world or the established establishment. And so it continues. Yes, there are overlaps, but some milieus are so far apart that consensus is becoming increasingly difficult to find. That is of course a euphemism. In reality, people today are bitter, almost hostile towards one another, insist on their opinions and often show little willingness to compromise. A look at reality should suffice here.
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Germany lacks a uniform social framework that sets norms and values that everyone can agree on. Historical narratives such as the promise of social advancement or trust in state institutions are losing their appeal, which further weakens social cohesion.
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The result must then be an increase in social tensions, as even more groups with different values and norms coexist in a society without understanding or accepting each other. Even in German society, this leads to fierce milieu conflicts that are hardly controllable. Just look at the current mood in the country. Do we want to create many more isolated realities of life through inaction?"
> The goal remains German society, but this German society as it has existed for a long time - not homogeneous, but held together by common values and norms - has changed fundamentally. Technological progress, globalization and increasing individualization have dissolved this framework, which has certainly been successful in terms of integration, and have caused the big picture to fragment into many societies. Today, there is no longer a society, but rather numerous realities of life, usually called milieus, that exist side by side, and each has its own ideas of a good and proper life. Its own norms, individual behavior patterns and different values. This may have always existed in larger blocks, but never in such a variety of differences and individualism. Let's stick with the classic milieus that can be reliably proven. Hedonists, who primarily seek fun and pleasure, have different goals than precarious people, for whom the next meal is sometimes the main concern. Traditional or post-materialists prefer completely different solutions to problems. Take the energy transition, the deportations mentioned above, or gender language as keywords here. The adaptive-pragmatic middle is much more flexible than the old bourgeois world or the established establishment. And so it continues. Yes, there are overlaps, but some milieus are so far apart that consensus is becoming increasingly difficult to find. That is of course a euphemism. In reality, people today are bitter, almost hostile towards one another, insist on their opinions and often show little willingness to compromise. A look at reality should suffice here. [...] Germany lacks a uniform social framework that sets norms and values that everyone can agree on. Historical narratives such as the promise of social advancement or trust in state institutions are losing their appeal, which further weakens social cohesion. [...] The result must then be an increase in social tensions, as even more groups with different values and norms coexist in a society without understanding or accepting each other. Even in German society, this leads to fierce milieu conflicts that are hardly controllable. Just look at the current mood in the country. Do we want to create many more isolated realities of life through inaction?"