Onbehagen

In this first episode Bas Heijne discusses the changes that have taken place over the past thirty years. What has progress brought us? Heijne's image of mankind has been staggering for some time. However, this will be completely called into question during the attack on Charlie Hebdo in January 2015. At that moment he is in Paris and shortly after the messages on his phone arrived he is on the spot. There, the world view with which he grew up disappears forever. Many other attacks followed. The old Enlightenment ideals of freedom, equality, the importance of democracy, community spirit and empathy are dismissed by populists as naive promises. In Russia and Turkey, 'the strong man' is firmly at the helm. With Trump and Brexit, the new disorder is complete.

Digital technology promised us freedom and fraternisation. What was initially seen as an asset now increasingly feels like a threat to freedom. The fact that we are being manipulated by commercial, political and technical companies like Facebook was recently demonstrated by the revelations of Cambridge Analytica. Bas Heijne explores the limits of our freedom. What is still true? Why did we relinquish our belief in individual freedom in this way? How can we arm ourselves against the abuse of power by tech companies and politicians? Pretending that we are still autonomous individuals in a vital democracy. It is the greatest lie of our time.

The idea of universal equality, equality irrespective of race, gender or sexual orientation, is increasingly being called into question in the world, particularly by fundamentalists and nationalists. Our open society seems to be under more pressure. Bas Heijne explores the limits of equality. Where does this rejection of the ideal of equality come from? Is it directed against the administrative elites? Against Western dominance? Is it dissatisfaction with the destructive side of globalisation? Or does it cut much deeper and is it a total rejection of the idea of equality itself?

There is now another language of struggle, of insurrection and war spoken everywhere. From us against them. Back is the blatant glorification of the strong man, who responds to our wounded pride. Was the pursuit of brotherhood naive? Heijne goes in search of a new narrative that gives us the feeling that we are really involved in society. In which we are prepared to fight for the values of democracy.