Punch of the week

The last generation and the “last generation”

The "last generation" marched across Vienna at 4:30 a.m. in the hope of accidentally bumping into a sleeping Federal Chancellor.(Bild: Letzte Generation Österreich)

Of course, when streets covered in activists become as predictable as public transport breakdowns in Vienna, something new is needed to stay in the conversation. The "last generation" remains true to its own inscrutable logic.

Those who want to warn of climate change by increasing traffic jam emissions also want to wake up Chancellor Nehammer by randomly making a racket somewhere in his residential district at 4:30 am and hoping for a chance hit, want to draw attention to the food shortages of those at risk of poverty with a blocked inner-city supermarket and want to add a few dramaturgical lengths to "Faust" with 45 minutes of climate preaching in the Burgtheater.

As long as bystanders are annoyed, everything is fine?
The main thing is that the protest doesn't hurt those responsible and annoys everyone else all the more, seems to be the motto behind the actions. I wonder what else is coming? Throwing knives at Reumannplatz for more cohesion in the city? Paralyzing ambulances with invented adhesive allergies to draw attention to the stress on hospital staff? Burning dictionaries to show solidarity with migrants who don't speak German? We don't know.

But we do know that the last generation before the current one was able to save floodplains and prevent nuclear power plants with well thought-out protests. In comparison, all that remains for the "last generation" is - once again - the Punch and Judy of the week.