Christian Frank

Authoratism is on the rise on both sides of the Atlantic.

The amount of stuff that the Presidents Musk and Trump wreck daily is mind-blowing. Nothing is safe, from Social Security to Voice of America and, even worse, Science and Health research. No alliance is secure, and no neighbor is safe.

Unfortunately, it’s not much better on our side. Our designated chancellor is as erratic as his US counterpart, albeit with less power. It will be difficult for him and his party to wreck the civil service, but they’ll still be able to afflict long-lasting damage.

If we look at all the strong men globally, the Putins, Trumps, Netanyahus, Mieleis, Xis, and Orbans, and the wars they wage against their fellow humans for no other reason than to gain power, one could despair.

But we know what to fight and what to fight for!

Another world will become possible once we abolish the Patriarchy’s stronghold on our societies.

(8. März, Innerer Grüngürtel, 3/8/25)

First came the results of our national election. The neo-fascist AfD got 20% of the popular vote, and the right-wing conservative CDU/CSU got 28%. Together, that’s almost half of all votes. Thus, we’re now looking at four years dominated by right-wing politics and that does not bode well for anyone who is not straight, male, healthy, and White.

Second, the US sided with the Tsar and abandoned Ukraine, upending the post-WWII world order. At the same time, Elon Musk is destroying and looting the US government. We’re now looking at a complete breakdown of transatlantic relations, which does not bode well for smaller democracies, especially Taiwan.

Not good. And then there is the climate emergency, progressing unchecked and endangering all life on our planet, except maybe for a couple of Billionaires.

Did I mention Gaza?

But it’s not the time to give up hope and stop working for a better future!

(Radkutsche, Cologne, 3/2/25)

Donald Trump is proceeding at breakneck speed to reshape the USA in his image.

His latest executive order ends the separation of powers essential for a democracy to function, similar to the Ermächtigungsgesetz of 1933.

On a world stage, the USA is now critically endangering long-term allies, such as Ukraine and Taiwan, and completely alienating the European Union.

At home, the USA is now endangering anyone who is not White, male, non-disabled, and cis-heterosexual.

Europe will need to find its place in the world without the transatlantic alliance, which has guaranteed peace for decades.

We also need to fight the climate emergency. Oh well.

(Wähl Liebe, Cologne, 2/15/25)

Like its American counterpart, the German conservative party is being taken over by far-right nationalists.

As Correctiv pointed out in a recent article, conservative think tanks, such as the INSM, are actively pushing the CDU to cooperate with the neo-Nazis. The last time when that happened, and the CDU’s predecessor cooperated with them, the Nazis started mass slaughter and a world war—just saying.

Part of it is driven by rampant nationalism and White supremacy; part is simply misogyny and another part is a deep hatred of anything associated with being Woke or Green. I leave the analysis of the frail male ego to psychologists, but the development is troubling for every person who is not mainstream, and it is an attempt to roll back the last decades of progress.

The backlash didn’t come unexpectedly, but its ferocity is worrisome.

(Glory to Mankind, Cologne, 2/11/25)

Last weekend, we had the opportunity to participate in Berlin’s Flinta* March 2025 with 15,000 other people.

That was strong support for Flinta* rights and thus for climate justice!

Patriarchy is the foundation for Capitalism and Fascism, and Feminism is the practice of toppling them and reaching a good life for all.

I can’t wait to see what 2025 will bring!

(Flinta* March, Berlin, 1/19/25)

 

2025 will be a year of political struggle, not least because of the upcoming general election in February.

We will need to work hard to keep climate and gender justice on the map and prevent a further shift to the right. The conservatives present easy answers. Unfortunately, they won’t work.

We can do better!

(New Year, Bowling Green, 1/1/25)

What a week! First, there were elections in the US, and then there was the collapse of our government. Not to mention all the reports on global heating.

For the Ukraine, the elections in the US are pretty bad news. The incoming US president admires the tsar and will most likely force Ukraine to surrender, validating Putin’s killing spree.

For Israel, the elections in the US are pretty good news. The incoming US president has pledged full and unconditional support for Netanyahu’s killing spree.

According to his statements, he will also exit the Paris Agreement, dooming our planet and all of us while he retreats to his new buddy Elon’s island.

Amid all this chaos, the ruling coalition government broke apart due to the utter incompetence of our finance secretary. This will force the country into snap elections at a time when we would need stability and preparations for the US’s exit from the world stage.

Can we have some good news for Christmas, please?

(“Ne schön”, Berlin, 10/27/24)