How PSYOP are driving the political center outwards
Guest post by the “Students Are Rising” network in Germany
Our societies continue to branch out into different groupings. The outer fringes are dictating the discourse and forcing people to choose sides. This development is no coincidence, but a deliberate escalation. This is Julian's thesis.
The following article was published in the wake of the text “Secret plan against Germany” by the research network Correctiv and the ensuing debate about the so-called Wannsee Conference 2.0 and the “demonstrations against the right” in January 2024, almost exactly one year ago. The author refers specifically to these events in some points. However, his main thesis focuses on the general social and political developments in Germany, which have come to a head in the past year, culminating in the dissolution of the coalition government and the early elections on February 23, 2025.
(For background information please read here or at the very bottom of this page.)
By Julian
Watch out for conspiracy theories!
The political landscape in Germany will only consist of two defining poles of discourse, both of which have partly questionable world views. On both sides, some are calling for a state that will usurp even more power and control of this and that.
As with any good conspiracy theory, it is unknown who is actually responsible. However, a clear trend and a goal are recog-nizable.
The government is currently coming under increasing pressure due to its own misconduct and a growing alliance of dissatisfied middle-class people. A new level of escalation has now been ignited in the psychological battle for power.
A system with two groupings is easier to manage
People only have to choose between two options. Of course, in Germany the votes are spread across several parties. However, the discourse is increasingly dominated by the two camps on the left and right fringes: Climate ideology on the one hand, migration issues on the other as core topics. Both issues exploit people's fears. In recent years, the mainstream media have been working like clockwork to scale up (trivialize or exaggerate) these positions where necessary for the purposes of outrage management.
This should be seen as nothing less than a deliberate division within our society with the aim of escalation.
People who are in the political center and willing to engage in dialogue with both sides should be persuaded to choose one of the two groups. Once everyone has chosen their side, new psychological operations (PSYOP)1 can be used to conveniently control what the mob has to be outraged about or who is the enemy of the respective group.
In the following, these two groups are referred to as left / right for ease of understanding. The reader should be aware that the respective terms have been taken ad absurdum. In addition, a third group is referred to as the center (see above).
The government is currently coming under increasing pressure due to its own misconduct and a growing alliance of dissatisfied middle-class people. A new level of escalation has now been ignited in the psychological battle for power.
Who benefits from this?
Obviously the government, which, meanwhile, can distract from changes to the law and ideas AGAINST ALL citizens. Current examples: Federal budget, Digital Service Act (DSA)2, billions spent abroad, middle class protests etc..
Psychological operations - you experience them live
Whoever is responsible for stylizing a meeting of politicians and the political apron as “Wannensee Conference 2.0” has delivered a “clever” diversionary maneuver at exactly the weakest moment of the three-party-coalition so far. In addition, the state has issued an entry ban against the activist Austrian Martin Sellner3 (political front group “New right”).
Sufficient information about the facts of the case is known and can be researched. The focus here is on the possible impact on our society. Even during the corona virus measures, it was possible to observe that there are enough people in Germany who are extremely susceptible to such manipulation.
Group Left is growing for the following reasons:
Huge media wave to trigger outrage about the danger from the right. The Alternative for Germany party, AfD, is perceived as an enemy to be fought. More people, institutions, associations etc. are taking the government's fight into their private lives. This leads to a renewed division in the social environment of many people (see coronavirus measures). The motivation and stiffening as a group was increased by a strong group feeling and influx from the center (demos “Against the right”).
The right-wing group is growing for the following reasons:
Is pushed into a corner, gains attention & influx from the center through outrage at government & mainstream media. Objectively has the better arguments (legal, media misconduct) to exploit the incident for themselves. Important points here: Issuing an entry ban contradicts the political narrative that “borders cannot be protected”. The double standards of the media: while the AfD is attacked, the CDU (Christian Democratic Party of ex-chancellor Angela Merkel) etc. is not criticized in the same way.
Outlook - cognitive dissonance?
Issuing an entry ban against a person against whom no proceedings have even been initiated is obviously not legally tenable and can only be seen as a PR campaign. Sellner will in turn use the entry ban to gain attention and at the same time (rightly) ridicule the decision within the German state.
The mainstream media could provide a more poignant headline to their loyal readers with the entry ban and, through their outrage, prevent the reader from even once thinking about what reprehensible things were said at the “Wannensee Conference 2.0”. That would be much more interesting, soberly considered, in order to be able to decide whether reprehensible things were said there or not. Mere guilt by association is not sufficient. As with any suspect, the presumption of innocence applies.
Be aware
If you look at the USA, PSYOP is much more extreme there. Examples include various Capitol storms. Or the “Texas/US external border” story, which also needs to be strongly scrutinized. The best-known German PSYOP (recent past) is probably the “Reichstag Storm” of August 29, 2020 (an alleged intended storming of the parliament building by anti-lockdown protesters). This narrative laid the foundation for the defamation of the “Querdenken” (Lateral Thinking)4 protests and, subsequently, all protests against coronavirus measures. From then on, all critics were given the media seal of approval for being “far-right”. (..)
There is also an urgent need to educate the public about the activities of the “Verfassungsschutz” (Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution). If you look at the past activities of members of this authority in connection with criminal offenses, you get an idea of what its actual task might be. The publicly known - and therefore admitted - misconduct is probably only the tip of the iceberg. What constitution protects a politically controlled authority that instigates crimes or commits them itself?
In the same way, the funding of politically extreme groups (e.g. Antifa) must be stopped and investigated. As this situation is probably well known, it will not be discussed further here.
With this in mind, we would like to see from everyone - whether center, left or right:
- Don't let yourselves be radicalized
- Don't jump on media campaigns, think for yourselves
- Talk to each other instead of about each other
- Remain respectful, even if your counterpart is not in a position to do so
- Where there are cameras (especially public radio and television, mainstream media) at demonstrations, watch out for provocations
- Do not allow yourselves to be drawn into criminal acts and general escalation
- Be your own media at events!
Rather read a book to learn from the past - so that you can actively shape a positive future in the present.
We will not stop fighting for a centrist society, peaceful coexistence in freedom and sensible policies in the interests of the people. Whether quietly or loudly is irrelevant.
We are the generation of the future!
This text was first published in German on the “Students Are Rising” website. The nationwide network was founded during the coronavirus crisis out of opposition to the lockdown measures. With their permission, I have changed one sentence to the subjunctive. I have also added footnotes and explanations where I felt it was necessary.
Guest posts do not automatically reflect the opinion of the blog owner.
PSYOP are operations to convey selected information and indicators to audiences to influence their motives and objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and large foreign powers.
Digital Services Act is an EU regulation adopted in 2022 and applies to online platforms and intermediaries such as social networks, marketplaces and app stores.
Martin Sellner was a guest at the alleged secret meeting that triggered the Correctiv text “Secret plan against Germany”, where he read from his book “Remigration. A Proposal”.
"Querdenken" which might be translated as Lateral Thinking, or Alternative Thinking is Germany's biggest anti-lockdown movement.
