Meinungsdiktatur and dehumanization: Tendentious drifts in Juli Zeh's Über Menschen

With Über Menschen, her first novel following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Juli Zeh seeks to intervene in a growing rift between different sections of German society by promoting a more caring attitude toward fellow humans despite ideological and other differences. Much in accordance with Zeh's public statements, in which she cautioned against mask and vaccine mandates and urged the German public to consider alternative approaches to contain the virus, the novel makes the case for more tolerance of conflicting opinions and against too much emotional involvement in sociopolitical issues. While the overt goal of Über Menschen is to demonstrate human compassion, Zeh spends a lot of time vilifying left-leaning people while urging empathy for characters clearly recognizable as right-wing nationalists.