Cem Özdemir won the state elections in Baden-Württemberg and yet causes debates that have surprisingly little to do with politics. In the video podcast “The Black Channel”, FOCUS columnist Jan Fleischhauer talks about why the correct pronunciation of Özdemir’s name suddenly becomes a political issue.

The starting point is a scene from the ARD talk show “Hart aber fair”. It was criticized there that Özdemir had been accepting it for years when his last name was mispronounced. A remarkable accusation for Fleischhauer. Because suddenly will go to the winner of the election accused of making too little use of his origins.

The dispute over the correct pronunciation

The talk show complained that “half the country has been mispronouncing his name for 30 years without him correcting people.” For Fleischhauer, there is an expectation behind the criticism: a politician with a migration history must make his identity more visible as an issue.

However, Özdemir might not do exactly that be part of his success. Those who constantly instruct voters on how to pronounce something correctly are rarely met with enthusiasm at the ballot box.

The “wrong migrant” from a left-wing perspective

The Green politician therefore does not fit into the expectations of some left-wing observers. Fleischhauer puts it succinctly: “Cem is just the wrong migrant.”

What this primarily means is his willingness to address unpleasant topics. Özdemir pointed out, for example, that his daughter avoided certain areas because she was harassed there as a woman, and “usually not by any organic Germans, but rather by young men with a clearly Turkish-Arab background.”

For Fleischhauer, it is precisely this attitude that explains his election success. Those who represent majority positions and openly address problems gain trust across political camps.