Critical thinking, criticism and discussion are the foundations of a vibrant democracy, and have a long history in Western cultures. However, in everyday life we rarely see people getting involved in political discussions and arguing against each other’s views. It seems that in Western cultures, criticism and discussion are regarded as belonging to the professional realm of politicians and journalists. Even at universities, where critical thinking should be promoted, there is not much discussion going on. During my studies at different universities in the UK and Germany, I never witnessed students getting involved in proper discussions with each other or with the lecturers, though seminars in social sciences, which make half of the study program, are designed for this purpose.
Astonishingly, in the last two years after Brexit, I have never met anyone in person in favour of Brexit. At university, at workplace, in pubs and social meetings all people I have met disapproved of Brexit. I ask myself where the 52% are gone who had voted for Brexit! This is a revealing example of people’s fear of getting involved in discussions around controversial topics. They rather pretend than express their real views. This condition may be regarded by some groups as a sign of their victory over their political opponents, but it is rather a consequence of their silencing methods than winning the battle through better arguments.
The promotion of criticism at ‘professional’ level and its simultaneous suppression in everyday life is a paradox which is also mirrored in the language. The word ‘critical’ has both a positive and negative meaning. It can refer to critical thinking (e.g. a critical analysis/evaluation) or to disaster (a critical condition/situation). Sadly, even in the 21st century, expressing criticism in Western societies may still lead to critical consequences for critics.
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