Europe and Trump
With Donald, the Terrible back in power, diplomatic relations between the USA and the EU are set to be in stormy waters. Europeans, as well as the whole world, know…
Thomas Klikauer
The Predictable Trump
With Donald Trump, another lying Baron Munchausen was born. And like Munchausen, Trump too, can pull himself out of the swamp by his own hair. In Trump’s version, the pussy-grabbing…
AI Capitalism
Despite the global Uber-hype about artificial intelligence (AI), there still is what only “we” have: natural intelligence (NI). NI allows us to deal with reality in terms of abstractions, predictions,…
No ‘Return to the Office’ in Germany
While several and in fact, mostly ‘big’ companies have set an RTO policy to its employees since 2022 globally, in Germany however, the return into the office is nowhere in…
AI’s Energy Use – a View from Germany
Perhaps such activities as simple as searching on the Internet or sending an email, artificial intelligence or AI depends on data processing centers. These are sizable factory- or better warehouse-like physical structures that house computing machines and other…
Christian Conspiracy Fantasies in the USA
One might need to issue a warning on conspiracy theories that are, as a matter of fact, rather mad fantasies and hallucination. Such conspiracy fantasies tend to link things that…
The Profit-Enhancing Corporate Denial of Global Warming
Among the massive “entertainment industry” and what German philosopher Adorno once called a “culture of mass-deception”, corporate mass media occasionally provides – largely for legitimacy reason – a slight glimmer…
The “Return”–Distribution of Wealth in Germany – a Book Review
Christoph Butterwegge The Redistribution of Wealth – Umverteilung des Reichtums Cologne: PapyRossa Press, 2024, 234 pp., €16.90, £14.33 (pbk.) ISBN 978-3-89438-831-7 Ever since Karl Marx –…
Algorithmic Systems & Trade Unions
Put simply, an algorithmic system is a set of computer codes that works inside a computer. It is this algorithmic code that creates algorithmic management. Therefore, in essence, without algorithmic…
The Future of Labor and Capital in Germany
While there are plenty of current issues – Trump, Ukraine, Taylor Swift, Singapore approves insects as food (CNN), etc. – at hand, to move people’s attention away from “labor and…
Atomic Energy – Costs and Benefits in Germany
A recent study on Germany’s billion-dollar atomic energy supply and power stations that are now in the process of being decommissioned still warns against the unprecedented risks of atomic energy.…
Escaping the Trap of Far-Right Rhetoric
Rhetorical manipulation remains a commanding tool for the far-right. For that, the far-right likes to invent an enemy. This illusive enemy, in turn, is never clearly defined. Instead, it remains…
The Election to the European Parliament in 2024
Europe’s recent election resulted in some stunning winners and some bitter losers. Despite Europe’s right’s substantial gains, the progressives won two more seats. Meanwhile, Europe’s social-democrats and progressives lost just…
How to Fight German Right-Wing Extremists
by Thomas Klikauer and Danny Antonelli Screenshot: German Public TV https://www.dw.com/en/german-authorities-to-expand-crackdown-on-right-wing-extremists/a-50833344 Right-wing extremism is on the march almost everywhere in Europe. As Lenin once said: Fascism is capitalism in decay.…
Germany’s Youth Moves to the Right
Germany’s youth is moving to the right. It is becoming more conservative, if not reactionary. According to a recent study – Jugend in Deutschland – Germany’s neofascist political party, the…
Poli Tik Tok goes to Germany
While the video-sharing app TikTok – subtitled “make your day” – shows short clips that users (read: mostly teenagers) can compose, distribute, and comment on, the online platform is increasingly…
Does Europe Want A New Führer?
by Thomas Klikauer and Danny Antonelli A recent study revealed that there is an increasing desire for an authoritarian leader in Europe. As if Europe’s far-right, adjacent Neo-Nazis, and Europe’…
Protest and Elections – Germany’s Anti-Far-Right Rallies
Germany has been in the grip of mass anti-far-right rallies ever since the first demonstration took place in Berlin on 14 January 2024. Today there have been well over 3.5…
Zone of Interest
by Thomas Klikauer and Danny Antonelli Zone of Interest is a film that every German child should be shown at the age of 15. Yes, they will not understand why…
The Will of the People in Global Decline
by Thomas Klikauer and Danny Antonelli While many of us believe that we live in a democracy – representing the United Nation’s “will of the people”, the “general will”, and…
From Nazi Medicine to Informed Consent
Much has been written on the issue of Nazi medicine during the almost eighty years that have passed since Germany’s liberation from Nazism. It also has been eighty-five years since…
Germany’s Newest Far-Right Party
by Thomas Klikauer and Danny Antonelli Surrounded by menacing and bullish looking security guards, the former boss of the domestic intelligence agency BfV [a kind of west-German Stasi] and outspoken…
E. P. Thompson at 100
On the 3rd of February 2024, the late E. P. Thompson who was the seminal intellectual and historian on social struggle would have turned 100 years old. For decades, his insightful and illuminating…
Anti-Far-Right Rallies in Germany
It appears as if Germany’s somewhat sleepy and largely depoliticized middle-class has woken up. Mass rallies against the far-right suddenly broke out as a secret meeting was uncovered; and, the…
Mobilizing Against Germany’s Far-Right – Three Key Insights
Since the Wannsee 2.0 scandal broke in Germany in early 2024, roughly 1½ million people have been rallying against the far-right, right-wing extremists, and the neo-fascist AfD. At the recent…
German Neo-Nazis Plan A New Master Race
by Thomas Klikauer and Danny Antonelli In late November 2023, an unsavory group of people – members of the Germany’s far right AfD and Neo-Nazis – entered the brightly lit…
Europe’s Esoteric Far Right
by Thomas Klikauer and Danny Antonelli There is considerable madness in Germany’s ordinary right-wing extremism and even more so in right-wing esotericism. For one, there is an outright rejection of…
Three Recent Strategies of Germany’s Right-Wing Extremists
Germany’s right-wing extremists, in general, and the more violent Neo-Nazis had yet another successful year in 2023 – on election booths and otherwise. Take for example, the month of June…
Germany’s Esoteric Neo-Nazis
by Thomas Klikauer and Danny Antonelli Germany’s right-wing extremists have increased to about 38,000 people in recent years. It is an old threat with a new face, which now also…
Germany’s Reichs-Nazis
by Thomas Klikauer and Danny Antonelli Among the various Neo-Nazi groups in Germany, one of the more peculiar, eerie, and weird – but also very brutal (also known for killing…
What is Hate Speech?
Perhaps one of the truly saddening facts about hate speech such as online hate speech is that it does not just stay online. Online hate speech can – and all…
The Delusions of the American Right
Among the many enduring right-wing fibs, myths, and falsehoods, right-wing’s hatred of feminism takes a special place. Modern day anti-feminism is a reminiscence – perhaps: a continuation – of hundreds…
The Failed ‘Voice’ Referendum in Australia
On 14th of October 2023, Australia held a referendum on the introduction of a Voice for Indigenous people into its federal parliament. Voters were asked if they approve an alteration…
Hate Speech in Australia – What is to be done?
by Thomas Klikauerand Thu Nguyen Beneath the carefully crafted media image of sun-drenched beaches and the pushing of a culturally diverse nation, Australian society lies a concealed threat by hate…
Four Components of German Right-Wing Populism
by Thomas Klikauer and Danny Antonelli In too many European countries, the extreme right, outright Neo-Nazis, and Neo-Nazis posing as right-wing populists have been mobilizing in recent months. From Sweden,…
East & West Germans
Perhaps our all new AI colleague deepai.org had eastern Germany’s well-known Bauhaus in mind when creating the above photo. To the unsuspecting observer, AI’s impression might even look a bit…
The AI Robot’s C-word
With the equally rapid developments of both artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, perhaps one day, we might see a self-confident robot like the one seen in the 2004 Hollywood movie,…
‘AI-Shima’ Will Hack Your Password
Source: author + www.craiyon.com Perhaps the recent media hype about artificial intelligence (AI) and “not-really-so” OpenAI’s program called ChatGPT, made many people worried about AI. Some – even inside AI…
AI’s Moral Mistress
The recent developments on artificial intelligence (AI) seem to move way too fast for way too many people. As a consequence, an AI moratorium – including a petition – has…
Germany’s Ethics Council on Artificial Intelligence
Source: AI’s answer to AI on www.craiyon.com + human input, i.e. the author Germany has a problematic relationship with morality. On the one hand, it is home to moral philosophers…
An Ordinary German Pogrom
Source: the author and craiyon.com This is a story of an ordinary pogrom in an ordinary German village – called Guntersblum. A recent German-language book looks at the early stages…
Contemporary Anti-Semitism – A Jewish View from Germany
Source: author and craiyon.com Perhaps more than many other countries, Germany is inextricably linked to anti-Semitism. And, yet it still struggles with anti-Semitism. This is not only demonstrated by historical…
Adolf Hitler, Carl Orff & Sophie Scholl
Eighty years ago, on 22 February 1943, Professor Kurt Huber was murdered by the Nazis. His “crime” was that he wrote a leaflet calling for democracy. This is the story…
The Schadenfreude of Brexit
Decades ago, a German word entered the English language. The word was Schadenfreude. Schadenfreude is the experience of pleasure, joy, and self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the…
McKinsey goes Global
The world’s most influential management consultancy firm – McKinsey – not only prides itself as a truly global company – even though it remains distinctively American – but it even…
Millennial Socialists in Europe
Once upon a time, the question, why is there no socialism in America? bugged a young German economist. And so, in 1906, Werner Sombart published his book called Why is there no Socialism in the…
German Police in The Ukraine
German police has a long history that reaches even into the Ukraine. Ever since Browning’s work on the Reserve Police Battalion 101, we have known that there were – unsurprisingly…
The Madness of German Autobahnism
As the title suggests, this is about the Germans and their beloved Autobahn for which, yet another piece of German forest – the Riegerwald – will be destroyed in a…
Germany and the Colonia Dignidad
Germany has sixteen states run by state minister-presidents. One state is currently governed by Germany’s most progressive political party, the Die Linke, carrying forward the intellectual heritage of Rosa Luxemburg,…
The Bundle of Fascism in Italy
The recent election win of neo-fascist Meloni in Italy has renewed the interest in the history and ideology of neo-fascism. The original ideology of Italian fascism dates back to Fasci…
Right-wing Environmentalism in Germany
In Germany and elsewhere, the issue of environmental protection is often understood as a rather young movement originating in the non-mainstream, green milieu of the 1970s. In the case of…
How PR is Preventing Awareness of Global Warming
Global warming has long been subjected to the propagandistic influence of a wide variety of public relations (PR) organizations. Yet, despite its overwhelming importance, the impact of public relations/propaganda on…
The World of Digital Media in 2022
In general, we think of digital media as digitally encoded and machine-readable data that has been created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on some sort of electronic device.…
How Corporate Propaganda Shapes Public Opinion
When journalism became Churnalism - the churning out of massive amount of articles in a relatively short period of time, it turned journalism into a form of corporate propaganda that…
Churnalism’s Manipulation of The News
As one might have expected, the already severe problems of Churnalism have become even worse with the arrival of news’ websites demanding ever faster output. Churnalism is a form of…
Academentia and Managerialism
by Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young Recently, the idea of Academentia has entered the public domain. Academentia combines academia – those working in post-secondary education – with dementia, i.e. the progressive impairments to memory, thinking, and behaviour which negatively impacts…
Communication and Capitalism
by Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young Many people would quite correctly argue that the conceptual pair of “communication and capitalism” are more about capitalism than communication and the media. While…
Revolutionary Platform Cooperatives
by Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young Increasingly, societies have to put up with a new form of capitalism: platform capitalism. As a counter-model to platform capitalism, some suggest platform cooperativism.…
Insect-o-cide
by Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young Our world is rapidly moving towards the rather inevitable global insect apocalypse unless we stop the three enemies that got earth into a life-threatening…
Resisting Platform Capitalism
by Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young It is undeniable that traditional labor relations have changed fundamentally since digitization has entered workplaces converting parts of capitalism into platform capitalism. This marks…
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