uThe living environments of the two discussion partners could hardly be more different. Old vs young. Studies versus education. man against woman. Susanne Bundschuh’s and Jonas Bressler’s conversation begins wittily. To warm up, they talk about their baking activities during the Corona pandemic and their family situation. Later, when they talk about the Ukraine war, the opposing opinions come to the fore in the conversational couple who signed up for the “Germany Talks” discussion series.
Susanne Bundschuh is an accountant and comes from Schwäbisch Gmünd. The 61-year-old also organizes cultural events and gets involved in cultural associations in her hometown. She describes herself as a social liberal and says that she considers the poverty of many pensioners due to inflation to be a serious problem. She has already gained experience with discussion formats such as “Germany speaks”. Most recently, she took part in “Europe Talks” – also a debate format that Zeit Online uses to initiate cross-border one-on-one discussions.
He rejects “symbolic politics”.
Jonas Bressler from Frankenthal, on the other hand, says that he has repeatedly tried to take part in such discussion formats, but was never selected. “Such discussions are important for social cohesion,” he says. Bressler is 29 years old and lives with his fiancée in the small town near Ludwigshafen. He is currently working on his doctorate in modern history. He has completed his teaching degree and wants to work as a teacher after his doctorate.
He describes himself as a “conservative”. He has been a member of the CDU for several years and is also active on its city board. Already during his studies he was involved in the student association of the Union, the ring of Christian-Democratic students. He is also active in the town’s technical aid organization and would like “more people to get involved in the community”. He craves conversations that are respectful. In his everyday political life, there are often situations in which people approach debates with “few arguments but many prejudices”.
The discussion between the two starts with the speed limit on motorways, which could save fuel and thus reduce dependence on Russian oil. Bressler speaks out against it, especially because he rejects “symbolic politics”. He says he hates driving, but still doesn’t accept the restriction of his freedom. “It shouldn’t be other people telling drivers what to do and how much to spend on gas.” He argues that the speed limit is inefficient. He points to Spain, where he studied for a while and where there is a speed limit. The number of traffic deaths there is one of the highest in Europe. He also believes that the energy transition measures can be implemented through positive incentives rather than radical bans.
“These chemical companies need gas”
Bundschuh, who advocates a speed limit, contradicts this. “For climate protection reasons alone.” She believes that the population will only implement climate protection measures if there is political pressure. She criticizes that lawns are neither economically efficient nor ecological. Fuel consumption must be reduced and, above all, the attitude of the car industry to continue building petrol and diesel cars. Both interlocutors do not agree. While Bressler says the ban would be unpopular, she counters that it needs a change in the minds of people and the industry.
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