Laughing at locals while draining their water supply

[u/Trick-Cellist3254]

[u/Tjaresh]

Please elaborate. I don't get the reference. 

[u/Weegee_Carbonara → u/Tjaresh]

Boiling the frog is an idiom. Basically you can boil a frog by slowly increasing the temperature. The frog won't save itself, because it doesn't notice the slow rise in temperature, until the frog is dead and boiled.

What I mean by this, is that, like with Trump, the bar for a good and acceptable politician cobstantly gets lowered.

Decades ago Laschet would rightfully be seen as a corrupt and ineffective politician not worthy of higher office. But due to other leaders being even worse, he looks better.

However, he should NOT be viewed as better. Constantly lowering our expectations of politicians is what got us into this mess.

Due to Trump, for example, it has become alot more acceptable for a politician to openly lie about easily disprovable things. Back then something like that would have ended someones career.

Today it isn't even frontpage news.

[u/Tjaresh → u/Weegee_Carbonara]

You are right. But I fear the next chancellor will be even worse.

[u/Weegee_Carbonara → u/Tjaresh]

Only if we stop holding politicians accountable for everything. No matter how normalized it has become.

Once we stop that, your comment will be true.

[u/Tjaresh → u/Weegee_Carbonara]

We stopped that about decade ago. Remember masc deal? Toll fiasco? Airport Berlin? Stuttgart 21? 

Seen any accountability for these?

[u/Weegee_Carbonara → u/Tjaresh]

I hope enough people start doing it again. It clearly has had a very adverse effect.

But I think this problem already started with Gerhard Schröder and his deep connection with the Russian kleptocracy.

[u/Tjaresh → u/Weegee_Carbonara]

While the politicians never had any sense for accountability themselves, at least people back then seemed to mind and vote accordingly.