Youth in the US
You’ve already mentioned the differences and simi - larities between the US and Germany. Are there any other points you would like to highlight? Something that perhaps hasn’t been mentioned explicitly is that we all have to take personal action. We all have a personal responsibility to act and think about how we shape our society. But in the US, the narrative that re- sponsibility for everything lies with the individual is crea- ted artificially and deliberately nurtured by the oil and gas industry to make people feel alone and powerless in the struggle for greater sustainability. Escaping this cycle by talking to others and turning indivi- dual into collective action is something people in Germa- ny have done much better than in the US. People here tend to either feel powerless or claim everything is a lie. There are few people in the US who are in the middle.
Are there US-specific issues for Fridays for Future? Issues that are discussed differently in the US than in Germany? Race and gender identity play a much bigger role here. This has changed a lot in the US in recent years. In Ger- many, the focus has also shifted more towards climate justice, but not as much as here. No matter the topic of debate, whether it’s poverty or climate, everything is vie- wed through the lens of the racism and gender identi- ty debate. If you don't mention it explicitly, you’re soon reminded of it in activist circles. There are advantages and disadvantages to all of this. It makes us take a closer look at these issues, but it also encourages cancel cul- ture. We are all working to achieve the same goal, but we’re not necessarily working together yet. We’re getting too caught up with details, projects aren’t finished, we’re wasting people, time, and energy. And yet I am trying not to suppress these discussions. We need to have them at a time when so many people feel they’re neither seen nor
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