The AfD doesn’t have to be particularly clever – if its opponents are stupid enough

You don't have to vote for the AfD to help it. It's completely sufficient to fight it with all your might – in the most absurd way possible. Left-wing activists and hysterical counter-demonstrators provide the party with what it no longer needs to provide: attention, outrage, a permanent subscription to the victim role. Congratulations.

Week after week, there's new evidence of the resistance to advice from those who consider themselves "the good guys." The latest example: the noisy attack on Alice Weidel's ARD summer interview. Thanks to the "Center for Political Beauty." The result?

No one talked about Weidel's poorly substantive statements. I'll summarize: "Migration, migration, migration." Even on the topic of rising health insurance contributions, the topic was—surprise—migration. Instead, some suddenly suggested that the move was a conspiracy with ARD. Huh?

I really wonder how much left-wing activists might have contributed to the AfD's success . My guess is: surprisingly high. They're extremely talented at pretending to be the long-awaited firefighters putting out the right-wing fire. But then, in their activism, they end up pouring gasoline on the fire instead of water.

Alternative movements, as we all know, have one thing in common: They cannot exist without the other, without the enemy image. They thrive on demarcation. So how wonderful it must be for the AfD when, once again, irradiated activists provide them with new ammunition with chants and whistles.

You don't have to be at all comfortable with the AfD and Alice Weidel, but after this pathetic spectacle you do know one thing: these activists are terrible.

So I'm glad for every leftist who would rather sit comfortably on the couch and devote himself to cultivating his three cannabis plants than go to war against the AfD. By doing nothing, they've perhaps done more to combat the AfD than many a dedicated grandmother has done against the far-right.

At times—this was the case again during Weidel's summer interview—I'm close to believing that some left-wing activists might not even want to bring down the AfD. Because the fight against the "right" apparently gives them great fulfillment. They love their hero status.

Every time I see such an anti-AfD action, read about paint bag attacks, graffiti, slashed tires, or smashed windows (a few months ago, such actions also affected the CDU), I think to myself: They probably really don't have any better arguments.

They're probably not even more sophisticated in their thinking than someone like Alice Weidel. Just as Weidel rails against everything to do with migration, these people attack everything they consider "right-wing."

While we are at it, asking what part the left has played in the success of the AfD – this inevitably leads to another, unpleasant question: What role do the media have in the rise of the AfD?

I heard a report on this on "Deutschlandfunk" where the "Spiegel" editor interviewed explained that this percentage might well be relevant. They've talked too much about migration, featured too much Alice Weidel on their programs, and not asked Weidel enough critical questions, she says. Aha.

She suggests: We need to "contextualize" much more, correcting things live, not just in a subsequent fact check. We also need to ask ourselves whether traditional formats still work, and whether the AfD should even be included in regular talk shows. We should, she says, consider broadcasting formats with a time delay, and displaying context and fact checks via a lower third of the screen.

What can I say? It's really starting to make me tear my hair out. Leftists should stop explaining to the world how to crush right-wingers. In my opinion, they're simply not qualified to do so ideologically.

Because more media patronizing, more of the same "You're supposed to think they're stupid" and "Look how evil they are" tactics, only makes things worse. It only makes the other side angrier.

It's a misconception that this can steer viewers' or readers' opinions in the right direction. All of this would only work if the people you want to reach with your messages trusted the "established" media. But they often don't anymore.

That's why, in my opinion, the only thing that will help is more equal treatment, fairness, and more calm. No fancy anti-right-wing protests, of course. As little distraction from political content as possible. Ultimately, the golden rule in this matter is: The AfD doesn't have to be particularly smart – as long as its opponents are stupid enough.

Julia Ruhs is a journalist, primarily at Bayerischer Rundfunk. She's part of a generation seemingly brimming with climate activists, gender activists, and zeitgeist supporters. She wants to give a voice to those who don't identify with these groups and often feel alone with their opinions. When everyone seems to think the same thing, she feels uneasy.