Sahra Wagenknecht

[MrGHardy]

www.srf.ch/news/international/gender-statt-mindestlohn-die-selbstgerechten-wagenknecht-attackiert-lifestyle-linke

Hopefully your browser will be able to translate, can't really find much in English sources.

Is she known at all in the UK, or outside Germany? She is a politician on the left, member of Die Linke who recently made what turned out to be controversial statements about her own party, but as she clarified, applies to left parties in many countries.

Key being that they focus too much on identity politics and too little on the people they are actually meant to help. That the people pushing these ideas are actually more privileged but focus on some bizarre characteristic (i.e. identity) that can set them apart (to me this means to make them special, why be a gender non-conforming woman when you can be NB) which they then use to paint themselves as oppressed. Sound familiar?

She did say that in principle she thinks people can view themselves as whatever 'gender' (I put ' ' because in German we have no distinction between sex and gender, both are Geschlecht, which is why more and more the term gender from English is actually used) but said when we are discussing if there are 60 genders that is an example of such identity politics. I wonder if it is another example of people slowly starting to oppose identity politics.

ps maybe not too relevant for this forum but I thought it might be a good story to share, she is an incredible woman (holds a PhD in economics as well) and is not scared to speak up.

I hadn't ever heard of her before, but that was a really interesting read. Thanks for giving me the heads-up on that. I see people are reacting very positively in the comments.

Die AfD beklatscht das Buch der «Linken»-Politikerin

She has some good points. However, the actions she wants to see don't contradict inclusive language, for example.

@CatherinaJTV

Die AfD beklatscht das Buch der «Linken»-Politikerin

She has some good points. However, the actions she wants to see don't contradict inclusive language, for example.

That is interesting, because in an interview she mentions language, and talks about how the normal people shouldn't have their language taken away from them.

She might make some valid points on this issue but she also regurgitates old “foreigners are taking our jobs” stuff. She reminds me of those faux-populists in this country who go on about the “white working class” while having no intention of lifting a finger for them.

@BlackForestCake

She might make some valid points on this issue but she also regurgitates old “foreigners are taking our jobs” stuff. She reminds me of those faux-populists in this country who go on about the “white working class” while having no intention of lifting a finger for them.

definitely populist - that snippet regarding the "ordinary person who isn't sure whether it is allowed to say 'Bürgersteig' anymore" is really populist and it is making up the false equivalence of either you use inclusive language (which, admittedly, is really clunky in German), OR you push policies that benefit an undefined working class.

There is some truth to it, people do feel left behind, alienated, Germany did have its own austerity measures and it is important to address this, but I am not sure these false dichotomies are the right way. It is a bit reminiscent of Labour, trying to cater to an imaginary Ur-Labour voter, who is working class and a wee bit racist.

That is interesting, because in an interview she mentions language, and talks about how the normal people shouldn't have their language taken away from them.

Not really - she contrasts tokenistic (according to her) inclusive language with actual measures benefitting the working class - asking for "genuinely" left measures, rather than the fake gentrified left stuff that alienates the "ordinary" person (see also my post above). The longer I think about it, the more patronising I find this, actually.

Interesting responses. Particularly the criticism of being a populist. That's exactly her point - Die Linke had a lot more voters years ago. But they lost them mostly to a) not voting because they don't feel represented any more and b) voting for the AfD instead. Which is ironic, going from the most left to most right party in Germany. But it happened. You can't just pretend it didn't.

@CatherinaJTV

That is interesting, because in an interview she mentions language, and talks about how the normal people shouldn't have their language taken away from them.

Not really - she contrasts tokenistic (according to her) inclusive language with actual measures benefitting the working class - asking for "genuinely" left measures, rather than the fake gentrified left stuff that alienates the "ordinary" person (see also my post above). The longer I think about it, the more patronising I find this, actually.

This is a rather ironic take. One, my sentence is an almost verbatim quote, and two, in GC circles I have myself, as well as seen on here, people calling the 'oppression' of transwomen as a first world problem. That people looking to survive don't have the time and energy to worry about their 'gender identity'. Also, how can it be patronizing if it is true - Die Linke has lost a lot of voters. And if one listens to them, this is exactly why.

If I am not mistaken, this also is a reason Labour is doing so badly - people don't feel represented. So to call speaking about this patronizing or as above, populism, misses the point.

@BlackForestCake

She might make some valid points on this issue but she also regurgitates old “foreigners are taking our jobs” stuff. She reminds me of those faux-populists in this country who go on about the “white working class” while having no intention of lifting a finger for them.

She is literally doing the opposite. She is saying all the people voting Green (think Owen Jones, he would be voting Green in Germany) who think their morals are so good and they are progressive and saving the world, that these are exactly the people that don't care about normal people, because they view the world solely from their perspective and then dictate to others how they should live. These are the people that "have no intention of lifting a finger" for working class people. Example: She pointed out that at the same time that there was an outrage on social media about Knorr calling a sauce "Zigeunersauce" (basically means gypsy sauce) there was no outrage about the fact that they put in place awful pay schemes.

Die Linke has lost a lot of voters

Not only Die Linke and not only voters. My brother is an SPD politician, on county level but he has some position in the party of his Bundesstaat as well and during the last local elections they coudn't find anyone to stand for mayor in our home village (~4500 people) and only four people to stand for the council for the SPD.

@Igneococcus

Die Linke has lost a lot of voters

Not only Die Linke and not only voters. My brother is an SPD politician, on county level but he has some position in the party of his Bundesstaat as well and during the last local elections they coudn't find anyone to stand for mayor in our home village (~4500 people) and only four people to stand for the council for the SPD.

The SPD has been a joke since Gerhard "best buddies with Putin" Schröder.

Ja, die Sahra!

The reactions to her well-founded and timely critique of the new, wholly irrelevant left are so entertainingly predictable. She's no stranger to controversy and has been shockingly out there with some of her opinions. Outrageous, even, and even for me (politically we are not too far apart. Similar problems with the regime, same shitty report that meant no studium had the regime lasted). A true Querdenker - someone who makes even those who otherwise share their views feel uncomfortable. Or outraged. Last time I remember seeing anything about her she was interviewed on something or other that was current and I was pretty pissed off at her answers.

But she is digging her nails into a festering wound here in German politics and I fear she may be right. If you've ever heard about the Deptford Community Project, then multiply that across Germany and that's what she is talking about happening.

Sarah Wagenknecht views the world through a lense of class analysis - correctly in my view. I do think this is the path for the Left to regain popular support.
At the same time, this is precisely why she rubs the ‚Boutique Left‘ the wrong way, those guys who like to pose as Leftists but have a class interest in keeping their privilege and in keeping the working class down. These people are quite well represented in the Media and the political class, which is why tone policing - where you can demonstrate your ‚leftist’ wokeness while distinguishing yourself from the ‚unwashed‘ - has become so immensely popular.
While this is surely rewarding for the egos of these Boutique Lefties, this doesn’t win elections.