President: Slovak Society Becomes Intolerant and Extremely Polarised

Bratislava, January 4 (TASR) - The biggest problem of Slovak society at the moment is the loss of the ability to normally argue, discuss and tolerate each other's different opinions, President Peter Pellegrini has said in an interview for TASR, adding that the society is becoming intolerant and extremely polarised. "Politics today is turning into a fan phenomenon, with political camps behaving like football team supporters. They love their team, but they would be able to aggressively attack the rival. It's a big plague spreading in our society today: we stop tolerating each other," stated Pellegrini. The president noted that he had experienced politics where the competition was fierce, but it didn't rise to the level of insults or aggression, it was still at the level of arguments. "We were always leaving negotiations as decent people who disagree with each other, but tolerate each other. Today the discussion looks like this: if you don't accept my opinion, you are my enemy, and this is a big problem, as in such an atmosphere it's impossible to seek a consensus on big challenges that are ahead of Slovakia," said Pellegrini. According to the president, Slovakia will have to cope with the problems of European industry and the advent of modern technologies in upcoming years. It will be necessary to talk about Slovakia's energy and food security, as well as the security of potable water supplies. "And these are, in my opinion, issues that cannot be discussed in a quarrelling society, as it's impossible to bring people from a wide spectrum to one table and seek a consensus," stated Pellegrini. ko