Some leave pauses in speech for the inline I, others are annoyed by it. Some feel they are not heard enough, others are annoyed. Some castigate alleged speech bans, others feel hurt by thoughtless speech. And everyone seems to feel most comfortable in their own bubble, on their own side of the debate. Can we get out of it and back into the conversation? The authors' association Pen Berlin is launching an attempt ahead of the state elections in eastern Germany.
This Monday, the series "It's still okay to say that - conversations about democracy and freedom of expression" begins in Chemnitz with a total of 37 events in small and medium-sized eastern German cities. The format is: two (potentially) disputants, a moderator and the audience.
"Audience participation is at the heart of the series," says Pen Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel. "In the best case scenario, people who didn't think this was possible will get into conversation with each other."
