In Western Europe, a "therapeutic caliphate" is created. The term comes from the Swiss philosopher Michael Rüegg, meaning a new form of rule: not in the name of a god or a state power, but in the sense of a society therapy. The therapy of an elite, which cuts from the Jewish-Christian roots of the West and wants to liberate us in the course of globalization from the stumbling block of outdated religious or national identities.

Every society needs a good elite that can take a leadership role for the general public through special talents. However, this is an elite that confuses its political mandate with pedagogical-moral authority over voters. Examples would be the style of government in Sweden or Germany, but there are also politicians in Switzerland who act as curative teachers of social cohesion. "The world is in transition, but we can do it." We are not afraid of the open borders of our solidarity. " These are typical messages of this policy. "We are not being seduced by populists." We were fighting for a better global climate, against fake news, nationalism and hate crime.

(Image: Christian Beutler / Keystone)

Political correctness is an effective drug. In public debates, the participants in the discourse are divided into good, progressive and dubious, reactionary people. This treatment includes the cleansing of public life; for example with a "non-violent language", a language that does not hurt anyone, that means that nobody says anything authentic anymore, because someone can always feel hurt. The opposite does not seem like a mature, resilient person, but like an emotional treadmill.

We are experiencing an intellectual infantilization of public space. The medial, therapy-sensitive filtering of numbers and studies is especially true for such searches as migration and Islam.

This fits in with the so-called "Safe Space". This is a spiritual shelter built for students, in which they may all remain in their ideological harmony. The potential discriminating filth of uncontrolled voices of opinion wants to disappear. By the way, from classics of literature, search for the word "Negro" from "Uncle Tom's hat" and "Huckleberry Finn". It is a purge did can meet the ancient Roman poet Ovid as well as the Berlin contemporary poet Eugen Gomringer , who dared to compare the beauty of women in a poem with flowers. In addition, the "Snow White" should no longer be kissed awake by a man, because that cemented false gender roles.

This is how we experience an intellectual infantilization of public space. Instead of maturity for conflict, hypersensitivity and sentimental dogmatism dominate. Instead of freedom of expression Duckmäusertum. The medial, therapy-sensitive filtering of numbers and studies is especially true for topics such as migration and Islam. For example, in Sweden, the comparative figures or statistics that could disturb or "divide" the people are not even published, such as numbers on rape or other crimes committed by migrants. New York's Eve of 2015, when about 800 people from Africa and the Middle East were harassed, robbed and abused.

It is interesting that Alexis de Tocqueville foresaw seeks a policy as early as the beginning of the nineteenth century, in the book "On Democracy in America": "There is a considerable guardianship of the citizens, which is responsible for ensuring the well-being This guardianship is absolutely, in detail, punctual, forward-looking and mild. "

Here the danger of a pedagogization and therapeuticization of the society becomes the democracy becomes clear. It leaves you in a discouraged or even depressed thinking that no longer expects man's maturity. We risk forgetting that the organization of living together, the freedom of thinking and speaking, is not a leading task of the elite, but that no one may take this away from another. We forget that the dignity of the individual always means the right to be taken for full, uninformed, uninterested or stupid as a person may be. Stupidity is not a license for state paternalism - and freedom is not the prerogative of the clever.

Giuseppe Gracia is a publicist and media representative of the diocese of Chur.

guest commentary

Political correctness is often no more than a principle of impartiality

As a liberal, one can not be happy about the debate about political correctness in the language. Both the defenders and the opponents of political correctness tend to be principled instead of pragmatism.

Werner Bruns and Markus Müller 3.5.2018, 05:30

Life is awesome

Do we have to contract before we have sex? The dreams of the politically correct are the nightmares of a free society.

Slavoj Žižek 25.3.2017, 05:30