War – and suddenly very close. This also concerns many in Switzerland: They show their solidarity with Ukraine and the fate of the people in the country. At the same time, however, a feeling of insecurity spreads, or even fear. Sociologist Katja Rost from the University of Zurich explains what that does to people.
SRF: Where does the fear of this war in Switzerland and Western Europe come from?
Katja Rost: That has a lot to do with the fact that what is happening on our doorstep is that Ukraine is perceived as a western country in the middle of Europe. That cannot simply be pushed away. There is extreme cultural and geographic concern. In addition, democracy is struck in the heart. So far, many people have believed that democracy is a fairly stable model.
What role does the surprise effect play?
From our Western perspective, this approach was not expected from Putin. Here moral boundaries are crossed, which in our understanding are clear red lines. It was thought that this type of trading was a thing of the past – at least in Europe.
From our Western perspective, this approach was not expected from Putin. Here moral boundaries are crossed, which in our understanding are clear red lines.
Do some people experience a kind of flashback?
For a long time we had a feel-good discussion – without evaluating this term. It was about questions of diversity, climate protection, pandemic management. Those were the big questions. And now we are suddenly confronted with the really big questions that everyone thought had been answered. But it wasn’t that long ago: memories of the Cold War and the upheaval in the eastern states in the 1990s are still very vivid in many people’s minds. A lot of people now feel like they’ve been pushed back.
We have come straight from the pandemic into these warlike times. How do these events differ in terms of fear?
You have to see that differently. On the one hand, the major media events are overturning nowadays. This has to do with informational globalization. One is keen on negative reports because they attract a lot of attention. In this respect: If it weren’t for the Ukraine war as a major media event, it would have been the floods in Australia or the climate report. Nowadays we normally slide from one negative event to the next. That’s why we speak of a risk society.
And to the other?
On the other hand, such risks can also form global communities. This is where the war differs from the pandemic, where we had a very strong polarization of Swiss society. In the Ukraine conflict, Swiss society is very close together. It welds together – as tragic as that is.
With social media, we get information from Ukraine almost in real time. Does that increase fear?
Yes, definitely, especially since the images that are broadcast are very emotional. The same applies here: emotionalized and negative images attract attention. This increases fears. In addition, the content is often unchecked and there is “fake news” that reinforces and exploits fears.
After the initial state of shock, you have to start living with the new circumstances and act accordingly.
Will our fear lessen as the war progresses?
In principle, there is always a certain habituation effect. Otherwise we would be completely unable to act, also as a society. And in Ukraine, too, people would be hypnotized with fear, it’s not like that. After the initial state of shock, you have to start living with the new circumstances and act accordingly.
The conversation was conducted by Noëmi Ackermann.
Legend:
People lie on the ground during a shelling in a hospital. Mariupol, March 4, 2022.
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