Commentary on the Basler Zeitung report.

Much has been mixed up in the Basler Zeitung’s coverage of the traditional celebration, which is organized by the head of the Grand Council, which cannot go unchallenged if social peace is worth something to anyone.

The report says that the head of the Grand Council, David Jenny, is “reclusive”. His crime is that he “voluntarily discriminated against unvaccinated persons”. He demanded a Covid certificate (vaccinated, tested and recovered) from the Grand Council Festival participants, which exceeded the minimum requirements imposed by the Federal Office of Public Health (BAG).

Who discriminates against who here?

The reporter makes a point of his contribution to the mouthpiece of young politician, Senior Vice President David Trussell. This is not very professional and in and of itself would not be worth thinking about. But this vaccine skeptic has created a website of like-minded people, listing dissatisfied with the minimum requirements in his concept of protection.

The first question that arises is: Who really discriminates against whom? – In the logic of the report, people who have not been vaccinated will be discriminated against. This is basically nonsense because they are not excluded, but there is a simple way open for them to not be vaccinated and still be able to participate in the celebration. And that’s without having to sound like a vaccine skeptic. There is no such easy way for vaccinated people to avoid the potentially high risks posed by unvaccinated people.

serious arguments

Attempting to reverse the heartbreaking situation is in fact problematic: in the name of those alleged to have been discriminated against, the alleged discriminators are ridiculed – and thus: discredited.

The method is well known and developed to perfection by a man who was the President of the United States until his election. It wasn’t his political opponents, but Donald Trump himself who brought the term “fake news” back to life. After it was proven many times that he was telling factual nonsense, he turned this “fake news” against anyone who dared go against his strange world view. This is a serious debate whose societal impact is evident.

try to think

The fact that in this country, too, is politicized with a twisted worldview, it is one thing. However, it is expected of the media people that they at least try to think before they make themselves the mouthpiece of such situations – as is the case here in exponential form.

If those working in the media fail to do so, it is not only at their expense, but at the expense of all who want to care about the social discourse.