NRW Media Minister Nathanael Liminski is concerned about increasing polarization on social media. One current development in particular concerns him.
Düsseldorf – It’s a star war that is raging, especially on social media. For one camp, all those who do not use the gender star are at least reactionary. The other camp immediately goes 180 when someone uses the so-called gender gap when speaking, i.e. that pause in an unusual syllable place that is supposed to show that the word politician (pause) refers to all genders. There is often not much differentiation between camps. The gender issue is just one example of many opinion topics that are causing more and more division, says NRW Media Minister Nathanael Liminski in an interview with Ippen.Media.
Gender, climate, war: “I have to take my counterpart’s opinion seriously”
“Whether it’s climate, corona or war: there’s supposedly only black and white, although reality is often more in shades of gray,” says Liminski. In an open society you can only achieve consensus if you are looking for a real compromise, i.e. if you are prepared to develop something new together. “To do this, I first have to take my counterpart’s opinion seriously and at least briefly assume that he or she could be right,” said the CDU politician.
The complete interview with CDU politician Nathanael Liminski
Here you can find the complete interview with NRW Media Minister Nathanael Liminski
CDU Minister Liminski on gender language on television: “There is no consensus yet”
Meanwhile, the polarizing gender issue recently caused heated debates on public television. Some editorial teams use gender language, even though surveys have shown that the majority don’t like it. Some people now feel patronized. Can the media minister understand that? “Language is a social consensus. There is no such consensus when it comes to gender – or at least not yet. It is clear to me that we need gender-sensitive language. I’m not against being creative in media formats. But the impression should not arise: Anyone who changes is a better person. I can be a good person without gendering.”
People are sometimes annoyed by the topic, says Liminski. “As political leaders, we have to worry about bread-and-butter issues right now. There are foreign and security policy shocks, a migration crisis combined with socio-political issues, and fear of job losses. Against this background, people are sensitive when some develop a disproportionate and excessive sense of mission when it comes to issues such as gender,” he believes. “This brings it into disrepute, even though I certainly share the core concern of gender-sensitive language. It’s like so often: you can ruin something by wanting too much. I mean: small steps rather than no steps.”
Anti-Semitism on social media and propaganda by the AfD
Meanwhile, he is much more worried about the escalating anti-Semitism on social media and the rise of extreme parties like the AfD. “It is our duty to combat anti-Semitism in every form, including online.” The NRW State Media Authority has developed its own AI tools in order to be able to react more quickly. The AfD, for its part, is concentrating more and more on social media because it can address people directly there and does not have to deal with critical journalists. “On the contrary, it regularly tries to discredit the traditional media as a “lying press” or “state radio.” “The AfD primarily creates public opinion online,” said Liminski. The CDU does not want and will not copy that. But we are getting better at working with social media as a party. (pen)
#good #person #changing #gender