Summary
Support for Germany’s far-right AfD is surging among young men, driven by concerns over immigration, conservative values, and distrust of mainstream politics.
A Pew study found 26% of German men view AfD positively, compared to 11% of women.
Social media, particularly TikTok, has helped spread its message. Some young supporters reject accusations of extremism, while others openly embrace far-right views.
Analysts warn that if mainstream parties ease their opposition to the AfD, it could become Germany’s dominant right-wing party.
I wouldn’t say it’s a shift. Only a subset of media is relevant when it comes to boys. I didn’t pull those ick tiktoks out of my hat as a “gotcha” example, this is the type of problematic media that I have to deal with because that’s what my students are exposed to. They’re not watching linear TV so that doesn’t matter, they’re not reading newspapers so those don’t matter, the vast majority of the established news media sphere doesn’t matter and Hollywood is well-balanced by anime, not many issues there. It’s fiction in the first place which gets perceived differently, the veracity of tiktok trends can be much harder to asses for teens. Rambo is badass because it’s an action flick, they understand that it’s a fantasy. Any martial arts movie? The same, and in a martial arts class that’s a teaching moment right there, how “making it look cool” and “making it effective” are two completely different things. That ick stuff? They take it at face value, on a deep level.
I’m pretty sure they’re not watching feminists on TikTok either. Maybe the weird boys who go to your martial arts classes do. The rest of them watch whoever they’ve moved on to since Andrew Tate.