"The term 'Prosecco Fascists' has been used before."
The ideology of the right wing is prevalent among experts in different social classes. While the upper class tends to keep their stance more hidden, the Sylt video breaks this trend, leading to heightened attention.
Green politician Jürgen Trittin labelled the subjects of the Sylt video as "Prosecco-Nazis," implying that their attitudes were blatantly extreme right. The popularity of this video was not just due to the use of extremist slogans, but also the fact that it was uncharacteristic for the upper class. When extremist language was used at folk festivals in places like Pahlen, Schenefeld, Landsberg, and Bergholz, there was little outcry, only an inconvenience caused by a group of wealthy youths in Kampen.
It's not surprising to find Nazi slogans in the provincial disco, according to extremism researcher Pia Lamberty in an interview with ntv.de. Right-wing extremism is typically portrayed as a movement of those experiencing financial loss. Pia Lamberty's words, "Why be a Nazi if things are going well?" highlight this.
However, it's important to note that right-wing extremism is not just a phenomenon among the economically struggling. According to conflict researcher Andreas Zick, it's those in the middle and upper classes who are equal contributors to right-wing populism. Zick explained in a conversation with the Evangelical Press Service, "It is the middle and upper classes who, according to the study, carry right-wing populism. These are economically secure people responsible for the propaganda, the dissemination of conspiracy theories, and the organization of right-wing extremism and strengthening it."
Overconfidence thinking across layers
In Zick's study on right-wing attitudes, he found that 6% of those identifying as part of the upper class held racist beliefs such as "Germans are superior to other peoples by nature." The same percentage of the middle class held these beliefs, while only 4% in the lower class did.
Gone are the days of right-wing extremists wearing work boots and bomber jackets. Now, they present their anti-constitutional and ethnic ideas in a polished, high-brow manner. With publishers, think tanks, and their own media, the New Right aims to make their ideas more presentable and publicly acceptable. MPs from the AfD - 80% of whom are academics - bring these ideas to the Bundestag. The party has always made efforts to shift the public discourse to the right using provocations and taboo breakers.
The "social anchoring" of right-wing extremism has become clear to many only recently, through research on the Potsdam meeting. Here, right-wing politicians and financially powerful entrepreneurs came together to discuss deportation under the euphemistic term of remigration. The Sylt video similarly reveals the hidden nature of ethnicity in the upper class. Instead of hiding, these individuals publicly declare their hostility towards foreigners.
Sociologist Matthias Quent believes that racist attitudes appear in all social classes, but are expressed differently in terms of aggressiveness. In surveys, young, often eastern German men tend to make extreme statements. However, Quent adds, "That doesn't say anything about whether others might be similarly inclined but a little more reserved - many would not explicitly express themselves and could thus better hide their right-wing extremist attitudes."
The participants in the Sylt video evidently saw no reason to conceal their views. Zick views their behavior as a new form of "experience- and entertainment-oriented racism and right-wing extremism" that openly flaunts their attitudes. Ultimately, members of the Sylt party community shared their slogans on social media platforms, describing it as "self-staging, attention, and likes."
Read also:
- Floods: water levels remain critical in many places
- Snow chaos further restricts Bavaria
- Continuous operation in the flood areas
- Flood situation remains tense in many places
The AfD, with 80% of its MPs being academics, brings right-wing ideologies to the Bundestag, shifting the public discourse to the right. Recent research has revealed the social anchoring of right-wing extremism, as seen in events like the Potsdam meeting and the Sylt video, where wealthy individuals openly declare their hostility towards foreigners due to racial beliefs.
Source: www.ntv.de
