Attack on the super-rich

The philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau is credited with a simple but clever phrase that is said to have become popular during the French Revolution. "If people have nothing left to eat, then they will eat the rich," he is reported to have said.

"Eat the rich" is still a slogan of the radical left. And so it is not too surprising that the adhesive troop "Last Generation" has now also chosen the super-rich as targets in a new campaign.

"The climate catastrophe doesn't just happen. It is made – first and foremost by the rich. Therefore, in the next few weeks, we will go to the symbols of modern wealth, draw national attention to the reckless waste of the rich and make the injustice visible," says a planning paper from the group.

A few weeks ago, the anger of the Orange Vests was already directed against the hedonistic lifestyle. On Berlin's Kudamm, they sprayed some shop windows and facades with paint.

Prada, Rolex & Co. should therefore take a closer look at who is cavorting in front of their shops these days. And when the spook is over, we'll talk again about what exactly it was good for.

  • New strategy: "Last Generation" plans targeted protests against the rich

Sandel's Reckoning

Michael Sandel is considered a philosopher whose thoughts are highly appreciated not only by the Federal Chancellor. The Harvard professor manages to argue his theses in such a way that they are suitable for the masses. Where Sandel speaks, he fills halls. Quite astonishing for someone who has much more depth than others who consider themselves successful philosophers and authors – and hope in vain for full halls.

Now Sandel has written a new book that deals with the "discomfort in democracy". Among other things, it is about globalization and the need for reform of capitalism, about the problem of wealth in general. Sandel is not too far removed from the criticism of climate activists (see above).

However, he does not focus on the climate, but on the classic concept of injustice, the famous gap between rich and poor, the different appreciation of work.

Sandel's harsh criticism is directed at the self-importance of the social elites. "This is the arrogance of the meritocracy: to enjoy one's own success so much that one completely forgets how many people have to contribute," the professor said in an interview with my colleague Thomas Schulz.

The feeling of no longer being noticed could turn into subliminal resentment, "which is now fueling populist movements in many societies: for example, with Trump in the USA, Le Pen in France, the AfD in Germany," says Sandel and warns: "This development has been going on for decades, but it will continue to really escalate if nothing is done."

A sentence that can also be understood as an urgent work assignment to the man who holds Sandel in such high esteem and who has denied his own election campaign with the beautiful word "respect". Olaf Scholz and the SPD urgently need to consider why their concept of justice no longer seems to catch on, why "respect" no longer works – and why the AfD is now as popular in polls as the Social Democrats in Germany.

I suspect, unlike CDU leader Friedrich Merz, that the success of the AfD is not only due to the fact that one or the other TV presenter on ARD and ZDF says "Dear viewers (break) inside".

Yikes, half-gendered – did you notice?

  • Olaf Scholz's favourite philosopher: "This creates the feeling that the elites are looking down on the rest of the population"

Stop breathing

And as luck would have it (or not), re:publica, Europe's largest digital conference, is also dedicated to the topic of money ("CASH") and focuses on climate protection: "When we read that the richest ten percent of the world's population are responsible for 50% of CO2 emissions, it is clear that the other 90% will not stop climate change, even if they stop breathing from now on," the organizers write.

For three days, they want to follow the "flow of money" and devote themselves to no less a question than the following: "Whether democracies and social systems are luxury goods that have fallen out of time, or whether it is not rather the construct of a global market economy that threatens to collapse under the consequences of the crises." So it is about nothing less than the question of the system.

From the old system called the Federal Government, one or the other will also be present, sit on a panel, give a lecture or expose themselves to a Q&A session: Robert Habeck (Topic Supply and Demand), Christian Lindner (The Financing of Our Future), Claudia Roth (Cultural Change! Digital Concepts for Culture), Svenja Schulze (Click, Hire, Fire? Improving the Global Reality and Future of Platform Work) and Volker Wissing (How is the Digital Strategy doing).

We can assume that this time none of the politicians will bring their own questioner. When it became known that the Chancellery had hired TV journalist Linda Zervarkis last time to interview Scholz at re:publica, the media outrage was great. The subtle hint that the moderator had only been paid a lump sum and no fee did not really help in view of the amount of this amount.

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The question of temptation

Yesterday, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Labour Minister Hubertus Heil left for South America. And the topic of money also plays a role on this journey, at least indirectly.

The ministers want to recruit skilled workers for Germany. The earnings prospects in Germany are likely to have a certain motivational moment. At the same time, they point out an age-old dilemma that tends to be mumbled up in the public debate: the question is how offensive the federal government will be in its advertising – and whether it will not ultimately attract those to Germany who are perhaps most urgently needed in their own country. I don't know a concrete answer as to how this dilemma could be solved.

At their meetings, Baerbock will also address the Russian war of aggression and promote further support for Ukraine. This could be an interesting challenge, especially at their first stop, but the last visitor from Germany almost failed.

When German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited his counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil at the beginning of February, he said after a long conversation with Scholz: "I didn't quite understand who started this war."

Hopefully, this knowledge gap has been filled by now.

  • Scholz on South American tour: The Chancellor and the bizarre moments in Brasília

Click here for the current daily quiz

The starting question today: What is the official name of the Chinese currency?

Loser of the day ...

... are the PR strategists of Rammstein, the band that is accused of not only singing about violence, but also of exerting it after the concerts. Possibly with the help of knockout drops, but the statements of many women paint a shocking picture.

So the pressure is great, the weaker was the band's first statement, not communicated by lawyers, published via Instagram. "The publications of the last few days have caused irritation and questions among the public and especially among our fans. The allegations have hit us all very hard and we take them extremely seriously," it said. We say to our fans: It is important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows – in front of and behind the stage. We condemn any kind of abuse and ask you: do not participate in public prejudice of any kind against those who have made accusations. They have a right to their point of view. But we, the band, also have a right – not to be prejudged either.«

A lot of words about nothing. Of course, concrete statements on the allegations are tricky for legal reasons, an admission would be tantamount to filing for insolvency. But it could have been a little more concrete. In any case, the impression remains that the band around singer Till Lindemann does not have much to deny.

Behind the wordy non-statement could – pure speculation, of course – also be a financial interest. There are four concerts scheduled in Munich, there is already talk of a "milestone in Munich's music history", and 240,000 fans are expected. The festival of superlatives should probably remain as unclouded as possible.

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The latest news from the night

  • Fire in the Harz Mountains – About a hundred tourists evacuated from the Brocken: In a fire in the Harz Mountains, two hectares of land went up in flames. Hikers were brought to safety by buses. The extinguishing work is still ongoing.

  • AfD candidate in Schwerin mayoral run-off election: In the mayoral election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's state capital Schwerin, none of the candidates was able to win an absolute majority. Now incumbent Rico Badenschier has to go to the run-off election – against a candidate from the AfD.

  • In polls, the AfD is currently doing well. For CDU leader Friedrich Merz, this is apparently an occasion to distance himself once again: "There will be no cooperation with this party."

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I wish you a good start to the day – and the week!

Yours sincerely, Martin Knobbe, Head of SPIEGEL's Berlin Office