Slay, vibes, game changer: That doesn’t sound like the usual vocabulary of FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr. A new Tiktok video from the group is receiving not only clicks but also malice.
The FDP parliamentary group caused a stir with a video on Tiktok. In it, parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr gives a tour of the Bundestag – and without exception uses the youth language of Generation Z, i.e. those born in the late 1990s and early 2010s. The day after it was published, the clip had already been viewed more than 20,000 times on Tiktok. However, there is also a lot of criticism in the comments.
The group considers a presence on Tiktok and a humorous appearance on the platform to be important. “Tiktok is growing rapidly, especially among younger people,” said a spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group. “We as the FDP parliamentary group are convinced that it is the job of politicians to go where the people are in order to inform about the work of the parliamentary group.”
Generation Z writes the script
The video is titled “Gen Z wrote the script.” In doing so, they are participating in a social media trend that companies have also recently joined in on. Usually a person who does not come from Generation Z speaks and uses youth slang – as if a young employee had written the script.
For example, Christian Dürr says in the Bundestag dome: “This is where “delivering” takes place. He says about Christian Lindner (FDP): “His speeches are pure slay.” In doing so, he pays the Federal Minister of Finance a compliment. When Dürr shows where he gets a bockwurst and then describes it as a “game changer” after a long day, the politician can’t help but laugh. At the end of the 75-second clip, he emphasizes the important work of the MPs and concludes: “The Bundestag has “vibes”, you just have to feel them.”
Lauterbach also comments on the video
The video not only caused enthusiasm. In the comments on Tiktok, the action was sometimes described as embarrassing, shameful and ridiculous. The video was shared by third parties on Platform X – mostly with a negative tone. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) also shared the video on X with the comment: “Fortunately, only the good work of the FDP colleagues in the cabinet is being recognized.”
“Negative comments or malice usually arise when such Tiktok videos are shared without knowledge of the associated Tiktok trend or on another channel – of course the context is then missing,” explained the parliamentary group spokesman. “Beyond that, it is of course also clear that you can’t always hit a nerve with every video.”
Don’t leave social media to the “political fringes.”
The question was sometimes raised online as to whether the party was emulating the success of the AfD on Tiktok with such videos. The FDP parliamentary group in the Bundestag has around 38,000 subscribers on its Tiktok channel, while the AfD parliamentary group currently has around 482,000.
“We must not leave social media to conspiracy theorists and political fringe, but we must also provide information, especially in these digital spaces, about how a parliament works as the heart chamber of democracy,” said the parliamentary group spokesman. “This can only be achieved if – in addition to the necessary seriousness for political issues – you also react with a wink to what is currently happening on the platform in terms of trends and humor.” It takes a certain willingness to experiment.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
