Democracy is fragile: Letters from grandparents to their grandchildren

[RexNovis]

The EU parliament released a video showcasing grandparents who survived fascism and authoritarianism writing to their grandchildren to remind them that a vote is a privilege and that democracy is fragile.


View: https://youtu.be/LoiAADEcIxg?si=5iKA3DPNq-wv43fZ

If you have issues with the captions on YouTube you can find the video here directly on their website as well

It's a powerful video that is a stark reminder of the stakes for elections around the world this year and a message I hope everyone will keep in mind as they consider their trips to the ballot box this year.

 

[Rosebud]

I'm Brazilian, but my grandparents almost died during the dictatorship for getting lost and driving close to a military base.

 

[SasaBassa]

The EU parliament released a video showcasing grandparents who survived fascism and authoritarianism writing to their grandchildren to remind them that a vote is privilege and that democracy is fragile.


View: https://youtu.be/LoiAADEcIxg?si=5iKA3DPNq-wv43fZ

It's a powerful video that is a stark reminder of the stakes for elections around the world this year and a message I hope everyone will keep in mind as they consider their trips to the ballot box this year.

Click to shrink...

Great video, saw this a couple days ago iirc.

Definitely a reminder that we cannot take anything for granted in the US or elsewhere and every damn vote matters. Vigilance is key.

 

[winjet81]

A whole lot of privileged apathy has taken root in the world where people think they're immune to authoritarian or dictatorship policies.

It's a pretty grim situation when even the poorest people in our populations are feeling protected by the vile trash they're voting in.

 

[Thordinson]

Yet older folks keep voting for fascism and authoritarianism.

A whole lot of privileged apathy has taken root in the world where people think they're immune to authoritarian or dictatorship policies.

It's a pretty grim situation when even the poorest people in our populations are feeling protected by the vile trash they're voting in.

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Much of it is apathy but there's also the fact that many folks would be okay with these things as long as they reap the benefits from it.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

It's an underappreciated aspect of things just how recent some countries, even in a Europe that otherwise likes to boast of such, have made an active shift to democracy, over authoritarian or outright dictatorial rule. Franco only died in 1975, while on the other side of the continent, the Greek junta fell the year before.

 

[Volimar]

It's also a good reminder that the right to vote is a solemn one. And every right comes with responsibility. And that voting because of the stakes is not some recent innovation.

 

[Omegasquash]

Yet older folks keep voting for fascism and authoritarianism.

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THANK YOU.

Look at the voting patterns of a demographic and see who they're voting for and the policies that those elected officials implement. And the extremely cynical part of me wants to say they're like "Protect Democracy but not for those people."

 

[RexNovis]

Maybe we can just not shit on older folks when they are conveying a heartfelt message to their grandkids about what their lives were like and to not take things for granted? if that's your reaction to that video then I don't even know what else to say

 

[Thordinson]

THANK YOU.

Look at the voting patterns of a demographic and see who they're voting for and the policies that those elected officials implement. And the extremely cynical part of me wants to say they're like "Protect Democracy but not for those people."

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Exactly.

Maybe we can just not shit on older folks when they are conveying a heartfelt message to their grandkids about what their lives were like and to not take things for granted? if that's your reaction to that video then I don't even know what else to say

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I wouldn't have that reaction to the video if older folks wouldn't continue voting for folks that fuck up our future and our countries.

 

[Volimar]

I wouldn't have that reaction to the video if older folks wouldn't continue voting for folks that fuck up our future and our countries.

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No demographic is a monolith. It's stupid to spit in the face of the message these older people are trying to send because other older people are shitty.

 

[Hamster Plugin]

I wouldn't have that reaction to the video if older folks wouldn't continue voting for folks that fuck up our future and our countries.

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In Europe, it is often the youngest generation that is the most willing to vote for fascists. At least in Finland the far right has a very effective propaganda machine in Tiktok.

 

[Thordinson]

No demographic is a monolith. It's stupid to spit in the face of the message these older people are trying to send because other older people are shitty.

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I never said they were. Just talking about trends.

In Europe, it is often the youngest generation that is the most willing to vote for fascists. At least in Finland the far right has a very effective propaganda machine in Tiktok.

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The youngest and the oldest have much in common then.

 

[RexNovis]

Exactly.



I wouldn't have that reaction to the video if older folks wouldn't continue voting for folks that fuck up our future and our countries.

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is this how you react to your grandparents when they tell you something? Or is it just because these grandparents specifically have life experience and a message that you don't wanna hear that it's an issue?

if you have nothing to say about the actual message of this video then why are you here?

 

[Thordinson]

is this how you react to your grandparents when they tell you something? Or is it just because these grandparents specifically have life experience and message that you don't wanna hear that it's an issue?

if you have nothing to say about the actual message of this video then why are you here?

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If my grandparents told me something then decided to vote to make things worse for me? Yes.

What is the message I don't want to hear?

Also, why aren't you talking to the other poster who agreed with me?

 

[Version 3.0]

I wouldn't have that reaction to the video if older folks wouldn't continue voting for folks that fuck up our future and our countries.

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That hardly seems relevant when these older folks are advocating the opposite. "All old people are bad no matter what" is a pretty harsh opinion, and a unwarranted derail as well. Jeez.

This is a good message. And maybe even better for it to come from a demographic that leans right - sometimes, that is very effective messaging. We need, like, 1000% more of this.

 

[Omegasquash]

is this how you react to your grandparents when they tell you something? Or is it just because these grandparents specifically have life experience and a message that you don't wanna hear that it's an issue?

if you have nothing to say about the actual message of this video then why are you here?

Click to shrink...

The message stands, but it's incredibly difficult to not have tongue squarely in cheek. The older gen benefitted from abundance that they (at least in America, and yes I'm aware this is European) robbed a younger generation of and THEN tell us to keep doing what they did because why...freedom trickles down?

I'll say it again. The message stands and authoritarianism/fascism is a cancer but this cancer is growing in no small part due to lots of folks voting in their own best interest socially and financially, even though the VAST majority of those folks understand that fascism does nothing but destroy.

Messages like these are heartfelt and they DO come from the right place. But even 1000% more of these won't matter to someone with $125,000 in debt, a job they'll get laid off from next year when Layoff Season happens again, and rent that's gonna go up 10% in comparison to their shitty 3% COLA, and that's if they don't get laid off. That person is going to listen to someone else saying there's a "better way" and that way is [insert get these non-ethno-white people here] out of "our" country or "it's our race and the birthrate is going down so legislate transexuals out of existence" or "welfare queens are taking your tax dollars."

Voting isn't enough. And that's not to say we shouldn't. We have to. Sitting out voting is selfish decision and eat shit if you don't. But spots like this one only go so far, and to be frank they don't speak to oppressed peoples today and boy howdy, there are lots of folks that are oppressed in "democratic" society. Those old folks in the spot you shared can't go out and do violence for obvious reasons, but maybe the younger gen should get out there and break a few more windows, or divest from lots of things, or strike more, or physically fight back. Not just vote. That's not the fault of the spot that was shared. It's a good vid with a good message. But I'm willing to bet that plenty of folks like those in the spot got out there and burned a few things. Let's advocate for that, too.

 

[RexNovis]

If my grandparents told me something then decided to vote to make things worse for me? Yes.

What is the message I don't want to hear?

Also, why aren't you talking to the other poster who agreed with me?

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I'm sorry did we watch the same video? What in that video gave you the impression that those older people are voting FOR fascism or authoritarianism?

Why did I reply to you? Because you are the one who came into a thread about a video with a message and decided no let's turn this thread into a thread about an entire generation of people instead. That's why.

The message stands, but it's incredibly difficult to not have tongue squarely in cheek. The older gen benefitted from abundance that they (at least in America, and yes I'm aware this is European) robbed a younger generation of and THEN tell us to keep doing what they did because why...freedom trickles down?

I'll say it again. The message stands and authoritarianism/fascism is a cancer but this cancer is growing in no small part due to lots of folks voting in their own best interest socially and financially, even though the VAST majority of those folks understand that fascism does nothing but destroy.

Messages like these are heartfelt and they DO come from the right place. But even 1000% more of these won't matter to someone with $125,000 in debt, a job they'll get laid off from next year when Layoff Season happens again, and rent that's gonna go up 10% in comparison to their shitty 3% COLA, and that's if they don't get laid off. That person is going to listen to someone else saying there's a "better way" and that way is [insert get these non-ethno-white people here] out of "our" country or "it's our race and the birthrate is going down so legislate transexuals out of existence" or "welfare queens are taking your tax dollars."

Voting isn't enough. And that's not to say we shouldn't. We have to. Sitting out voting is selfish decision and eat shit if you don't. But spots like this one only go so far, and to be frank they don't speak to oppressed peoples today and boy howdy, there are lots of folks that are oppressed in "democratic" society. Those old folks in the spot you shared can't go out and do violence for obvious reasons, but maybe the younger gen should get out there and break a few more windows, or divest from lots of things, or strike more, or physically fight back. Not just vote. That's not the fault of the spot that was shared. It's a good vid with a good message. But I'm willing to bet that plenty of folks like those in the spot got out there and burned a few things. Let's advocate for that, too.

Click to shrink...

I made a thread to discuss a video with a message that I found emotionally resonant only for it to be derailed into the indictment of a generation of people and not a discussion of the video or its message. What is the end message you are trying to get across? Give up? Trying to inform and reach out to people is pointless? I don't understand what the goal is here.

A whole lot of privileged apathy has taken root in the world where people think they're immune to authoritarian or dictatorship policies.

It's a pretty grim situation when even the poorest people in our populations are feeling protected by the vile trash they're voting in.

Click to shrink...

It's a scary time and yes the feeling many have that somehow the person they elect is "their guy/gal" so of course whatever policies or changes they make will not impact them is baffling. This ain't a rational vote it's an emotional one so it's important to reach out and appeal to people on emotional grounds like this. It speaks to the irrational in a way a normal policy comparison would never do.

 

[Rosebud]

Are we really doing "Every old person sucks" now?

Those old folks in the spot you shared can't go out and do violence for obvious reasons, but maybe the younger gen should get out there and break a few more windows, or divest from lots of things, or strike more, or physically fight back. Not just vote. That's not the fault of the spot that was shared. It's a good vid with a good message. But I'm willing to bet that plenty of folks like those in the spot got out there and burned a few things. Let's advocate for that, too.

Click to shrink...

In my country the boomers did exactly that, including the current 78yo president.

 

[Welfare]

Sorry old people that lived through some of the worst atrocities in human history under the worst governments, but because other people vote for authoritarians, I can't take you seriously.

Some of you need a wake up call from your deluded way of thinking. When your first reaction to this is to not even sound like a human, it's messed up.

People are always doomed to repeat history when they aren't informed of said history. People like those in the video should be telling younger people that hey, shit was fucked up back then, don't fall back to that, and young people shouldn't say in response "but my debt" or "hypocrite much?".

 

[baby meowsers]

The EU parliament released a video showcasing grandparents who survived fascism and authoritarianism writing to their grandchildren to remind them that a vote is a privilege and that democracy is fragile.


View: https://youtu.be/LoiAADEcIxg?si=5iKA3DPNq-wv43fZ

If you have issues with the captions on YouTube you can find the video here directly on their website as well

It's a powerful video that is a stark reminder of the stakes for elections around the world this year and a message I hope everyone will keep in mind as they consider their trips to the ballot box this year.

Click to shrink...

Thanks for posting this. It is very concerning how much people aren't taking voting seriously. This fantasy that somehow things are going to magically get better if they get a lot worse first does not take into account at risk populations. As a trans woman I've watched my rights begin to backslide due to the GOP's efforts and I am terrified about where the US and the world could be going. Voting to try to stop fascism is so easy and basic, it feels shameful and like a personal slap in the face every time someone says it's not worth it or whatever.

Thanks again for sharing this OP

 

[I Don't Like]

I think what's really depressing about the situation in so many countries is that anything remotely resembling left wing candidates/governments should be blowing out the right wing freaks and yet it's not only close but they often lose because they simply can't stop stepping on rakes on the easiest possible takes/positions/policies.

I know some of it is due to a poorly educated, poorly informed electorate who love racism and seeing right wing authoritarians brutalize all the countless people/communities they hate but to lose so often to platforms that have NO solutions whatsoever is fucking embarrassing. I'm so fucking tired of it.

 

[Thordinson]

I'm sorry did we watch the same video? What in that video gave you the impression that those older people are voting FOR fascism or authoritarianism?

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My experiences with older folks including my family. My grandfather fought Nazis in WW2, talked a lot about democracy and freedom, then voted for Trump. Twice.

The older Brazilian folks I know talk about how horrible the military dictatorship was then voted for Bolsonaro.

I know older folks whose family escaped from the Holocaust and talk about how Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and how free it is while loving Bibi and cheering on the IDF committing genocide against Palestinians.

I'm not saying this because I hate old folks or anything. It's not that the message itself is bad. It's that I know when folks talk about democracy and freedom they mean democracy and freedom for them.

I'll leave it at that.

 

[Addie]

My experiences with older folks including my family. My grandfather fought Nazis in WW2, talked a lot about democracy and freedom, then voted for Trump. Twice.

The older Brazilian folks I know talk about how horrible the military dictatorship was then voted for Bolsonaro.

I know older folks whose family escaped from the Holocaust and talk about how Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and how free it is while loving Bibi and cheering on the IDF committing genocide against Palestinians.

I'm not saying this because I hate old folks or anything. It's not that the message itself is bad. It's that I know when folks talk about democracy and freedom they mean democracy and freedom for them.

I'll leave it at that.

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Sometimes it's okay to just accept the message at face value. It's a great message, and these seem like fantastic seniors. There are shitty people in every demographic, but that's a known fact; it doesn't need to be reinforced constantly.

And yes, when folks talk about democracy and freedom, they generally mean democracy and freedom in line with whatever their ideas of those concepts mean. The same goes for Gen Z or, to pick random demographics with (seriously) no implied meaning whatsoever, the Pennsylvania Dutch, rodeo clowns, or middle-aged accountants. Let's continue to build a coalition, even a temporary one.

And if this particular message resonates with Gen Z or a seniors' bowling club or wherever, consider it a win.

 

[Pellaidh]

Thank you for sharing this. With the surge in support for far-right parties amongst young voters, it's super important to get this message out there and hopefully get more progressives to show up on election day all across Europe.

It was also a lot more effective to me than I thought it would be. I think it's because it's easy for pretty much everyone in Europe to imagine their own grandparents or grand-grandparents being the ones speaking in this video. Mine obviously don't want to talk about the war, but from what they did share it's clear they went through some very heavy stuff. And the same applies to pretty much everyone in the EU, I'd imagine.

In the EU I think a lot of people sadly do take the safety, security, and prosperity of modern democratic life for granted.

 

[Turnscr3w]

Yet older folks keep voting for fascism and authoritarianism.

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Same fucking thing in my country.
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck

 

[Red]

Yet older folks keep voting for fascism and authoritarianism.

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Yup. It's fucked up the way this kind of message gets portrayed, like it's the fault of the young that things keep sliding back.

If young folks are apathetic it's because of this kind of situation, where old folks talk down to them and blame them for shit they never did, while those same folks keep making things worse for everybody.

 

[Spesi]

While boomers are to blame on a lot of things, they're not the same generation which fought in WW2. Also like said, if blaming older generations is the initial thought after seeing this, it's pretty fucked up.

Btw why is this under US elections?

 

[Tuppen]

The takes in this thread are really weird. What could possibly be bad with a video where old people that lived through dictatorships encourage young people to not take their right to vote for granted.

 

[Pellaidh]

So, some important context for this video that I'm not sure if the American posters are aware of:

Why are younger voters flocking to the far right in parts of Europe?

Many young people are not xenophobic but their lives are precarious, say experts, amid crises in housing and healthcare

www.theguardian.com

Europe’s Youth Are Fueling the Far Right

The continent’s radicals are increasingly attractive far beyond their traditional pool of voters.

foreignpolicy.com

tldr: Based on recent political results, there is a very real fear that far-right parties will get a lot of support in the coming EU parliament elections, specifically from young voters who feel that their issues (such as unnafordable home prices) are ignored by mainstream politicians.

This video is a clear response to this, aimed at the part of the younger votebase who is likewise disillusioned by mainstream politics, but who are liberal enough that they reject far-right ideology and instead just choose to not vote at all.

Getting them to vote is important, especially since the EU elections have historically suffered from low turnout.

Just going "old people bad" is severely missing both the point and the current political situation in many European countries. If groups like AfD and their ilk take power this election cycle, it won't be because of people who fought in WW2 or who suffered under fascism. When Wilders won the election elections, he did so with outsized support from young voters. When Le Pen lost, the largest margins against her were from the old.

Obviously this is a widely simplified take on a complex political situation that's different in every country, but at least it has more nuance than blaming everything on the old. Especially on those old people who have suffered through more horror in their lives than most of us can even imagine.

 

[yogurt]

So, some important context for this video that I'm not sure if the American posters are aware of:

Why are younger voters flocking to the far right in parts of Europe?

Many young people are not xenophobic but their lives are precarious, say experts, amid crises in housing and healthcare

www.theguardian.com

Europe’s Youth Are Fueling the Far Right

The continent’s radicals are increasingly attractive far beyond their traditional pool of voters.

foreignpolicy.com

tldr: Based on recent political results, there is a very real fear that far-right parties will get a lot of support in the coming EU parliament elections, specifically from young voters who feel that their issues (such as unnafordable home prices) are ignored by mainstream politicians.

This video is a clear response to this, aimed at the part of the younger votebase who is likewise disillusioned by mainstream politics, but who are liberal enough that they reject far-right ideology and instead just choose to not vote at all.

Getting them to vote is important, especially since the EU elections have historically suffered from low turnout.

Just going "old people bad" is severely missing both the point and the current political situation in many European countries. If groups like AfD and their ilk take power this election cycle, it won't be because of people who fought in WW2 or who suffered under fascism. When Wilders won the election elections, he did so with outsized support from young voters. When Le Pen lost, the largest margins against her were from the old.

Obviously this is a widely simplified take on a complex political situation that's different in every country, but at least it has more nuance than blaming everything on the old. Especially on those old people who have suffered through more horror in their lives than most of us can even imagine.

Click to shrink...

I appreciate you sharing this context. Scary shit. I hope EU voters don't make the mistake of putting the far-right in charge.

 

[SasaBassa]

So, some important context for this video that I'm not sure if the American posters are aware of:

Why are younger voters flocking to the far right in parts of Europe?

Many young people are not xenophobic but their lives are precarious, say experts, amid crises in housing and healthcare

www.theguardian.com

Europe’s Youth Are Fueling the Far Right

The continent’s radicals are increasingly attractive far beyond their traditional pool of voters.

foreignpolicy.com

tldr: Based on recent political results, there is a very real fear that far-right parties will get a lot of support in the coming EU parliament elections, specifically from young voters who feel that their issues (such as unnafordable home prices) are ignored by mainstream politicians.

This video is a clear response to this, aimed at the part of the younger votebase who is likewise disillusioned by mainstream politics, but who are liberal enough that they reject far-right ideology and instead just choose to not vote at all.

Getting them to vote is important, especially since the EU elections have historically suffered from low turnout.

Just going "old people bad" is severely missing both the point and the current political situation in many European countries. If groups like AfD and their ilk take power this election cycle, it won't be because of people who fought in WW2 or who suffered under fascism. When Wilders won the election elections, he did so with outsized support from young voters. When Le Pen lost, the largest margins against her were from the old.

Obviously this is a widely simplified take on a complex political situation that's different in every country, but at least it has more nuance than blaming everything on the old. Especially on those old people who have suffered through more horror in their lives than most of us can even imagine.

Click to shrink...

Thank you for washing away some of the galaxy brain takes on this video here and elsewhere.

 

[RedAhmed]

Yet older folks keep voting for fascism and authoritarianism.

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This.

I'm not western/European, but I live in Europe. And fascism is very much alive here. Fascism is on the rise. It's just a different flavour fascism than we've seen in the past.

 

[WolverineBlues]

RexNovis, thank-you for posting this - it's a very powerful and sobering video.

Also, the interviews with those who endured under Soviet occupation should be of particular interest to those on the Left (particularly non-European Leftists) who are unaware of the misery inflicted on Eastern Europe by Soviet imperialism.

Sadly, as we are seeing with the ongoing genocide in Ukraine, Soviet/Russian imperialism is a disease that just won't die.

 

[Skoje]

Just report them for derailing the thread and move one. They'll be banned again or not. Just ignore them.

 

[RexNovis]

Thank you for sharing this. With the surge in support for far-right parties amongst young voters, it's super important to get this message out there and hopefully get more progressives to show up on election day all across Europe.

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Yea things are teetering in the edge in so much of Europe right now. With the ever looming threat of war and the increasing fears about energy insecurity it's an environment ripe for the sort of strongman fascism that plagued much of the continent in the not too distant past.

It was also a lot more effective to me than I thought it would be. I think it's because it's easy for pretty much everyone in Europe to imagine their own grandparents or grand-grandparents being the ones speaking in this video. Mine obviously don't want to talk about the war, but from what they did share it's clear they went through some very heavy stuff. And the same applies to pretty much everyone in the EU, I'd imagine.

In the EU I think a lot of people sadly do take the safety, security, and prosperity of modern democratic life for granted.

Click to shrink...

I think it's effective because it's easy to understand and relate to on a personal and emotional level. On some level everyone understands the value of a lived experience and the wisdom that can offer and when you attach that to family and the very clear concern and love these people have for one another it's very effective. It certainly had me emotional.

While boomers are to blame on a lot of things, they're not the same generation which fought in WW2. Also like said, if blaming older generations is the initial thought after seeing this, it's pretty fucked up.

Btw why is this under US elections?

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Oh yea sorry I didn't see any options for something that would fit better. I didn't see a world elections tag or anything like that if there's some other that would fit better by all means feel free to request it be moved to that

 

[RexNovis]

RexNovis, thank-you for posting this - it's a very powerful and sobering video.

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Yep I thought so to. I admit it was extremely disheartening reading some of the initial replies here given what I felt would be a message anyone would empathize with

Also, the interviews with those who endured under Soviet occupation should be of particular interest to those on the Left (particularly non-European Leftists) who are unaware of the misery inflicted on Eastern Europe by Soviet imperialism.

Sadly, as we are seeing with the ongoing genocide in Ukraine, Soviet/Russian imperialism is a disease that just won't die.

Click to shrink...

I agree. I think the lessons from eastern block nations are especially cogent right now with the ongoing war in Ukraine and the looming threat of a campaign further into Europe. The threat is existential.

Edit: oops apologies for the double post

 

[WolverineBlues]

Yep I thought so to. I admit it was extremely disheartening reading some of the initial replies here given what I felt would be a message anyone would empathize with

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Try not to be disheartened – you've done a good thing posting this video. I'm sure that anyone who has bothered to actually watch the film will understand how important the message is.

Also, I've forwarded the video onto my friends and various family members. A number of them have children who are either at voting age or will soon be approaching it, so the video is a timely reminder for them all.

So for me, this thread has been very useful.

 

[Monsieur Paul]

Democracy is like vaccination, most people don't know how it was before. They take its benefits for granted and spend their time complaining about its inconveniences.

 

[andymoogle]

In Europe, it is often the youngest generation that is the most willing to vote for fascists. At least in Finland the far right has a very effective propaganda machine in Tiktok.

Click to shrink...

Almost the same in Sweden. It's pretty much 25% of men of all ages who vote for the fascists. We know that young men all over the world are being brainwashed by fascists. It's absolutely not ending with the older generations.

 

[FuzzyWuzzy]

Ignoring the message because other older people are voting for the same far right shit stains as younger generations all across Europe is wild


I have been active in local politics for a few years by now and sadly the brain worms don't just affect older people, at least according to my experiences

 

[unicornKnight]

In Europe, it is often the youngest generation that is the most willing to vote for fascists. At least in Finland the far right has a very effective propaganda machine in Tiktok.

Click to shrink...

Yeah this. Old people tend to vote for conservative parties but it's very concerning when I see younger generations voting extreme right parties. And it's becoming worse with every election.