Ricarda Lang, a former Green Party leader, has acknowledged mistakes in her party’s interaction with young voters. “In the past, the youth didn’t really vote for the right, but we got too comfortable and thought it would stay that way” she told Watson, a news portal.
Many young people, Lang said, would ask when the focus would shift to them. “We never really addressed the fact that young people were pushed to the back in Corona policy. Then came the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and suddenly the topics of young people – education, climate, digitalization – were pushed to the side again” she said.
According to Lang, setting a stronger focus on social media is not the central solution to this problem. “The explanation of many politicians was: we need to do more on social media. As if young people didn’t have real problems, but just use the wrong media. Young people don’t want to be pacified with a better TikTok video. They’re worried about money, too” she said.
However, Lang wishes for more humor on social media. While the current topics are serious, they require a corresponding level of seriousness. “But the world’s problems won’t get better if we stand stiff as a board. Sometimes, a bit of humor can even help in dealing with this crazy reality” she said.
In September, Lang stepped down as Green Party leader after two years in the position. “That was definitely a low point for me” she said. “Politics is damn hard. You shouldn’t go in expecting to be spared in any way. That’s part of the deal if you decide to take a top position.” Lang is a candidate for the Bundestag in the Backnang-Schwäbisch-Gmünd constituency in the 2025 federal election.