Sad News (from America)

We had to mention the passing of Socks Clinton. RIP.

Angry Berliners

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany's largest paper by circulation, found that people in East Berlin were angry more often than anywhere else in Germany. We knew it wasn't our imagination.

Aristocracy at its Best

Angela Merkel appointed a new head for the Economics Ministry last week. His name: Baron Karl-Theodor von und zu Guttenberg. A recent Deutsche-Welle article had this to say: "As heir to an old Franconian fortune, he managed his family's insulation business, but is not known for his command of economic policy." But, "his youthful appeal and speech devoid of a regional Bavarian accent" may improve the CDU/CSU (Merkel's party) standing during September elections. Isn't he cute!

German Regionalism - Part II

 

This is part of an advertisement at our local subway station from the German state of Baden-Württemberg for teachers. We had to post the tagline because of how much it says about German society. It reads, 'Baden-Württemberg - Wir Können Alles. Außer Hochdeutsch." This translates to roughly, "Baden-Württemberg - We can do anything. Except speak proper German."

Hochdeutsch is our version of the Queen's English and is the standard form of German used throughout the country. However, every corner of Germany has a unique dialect. In Berlin, you find Berlinerisch, in Cologne you may hear Kölsch, in the north Platt Deutsch is common, in Baden-Württemberg people are proud to speak Schwäbisch, and the list is almost endless. To a foreigner, understanding these dialects is nearly impossible. However, Danielle has gotten quite good at imitating the one here in Berlin since her co-workers refuse to speak in Hochdeutsch. Don't be surprised if you catch her saying "Yutti" instead of "Gut" (Good).

Berlin Film Festival

Tonight was the final night of Berlinale, Berlin's annual film festival. Dani and I went to a screening of "Letters to the President" about the current Iranian regime. Aside from the obligatory "Death to America! Death to Israel!" chants, the movie was excellent and provided an inside view of a fairly inaccessible country.
Check out http://www.letterstothepresidentmovie.com/ for more info.

After the movie started, a woman ran in and decided to sit right next to me. This would have been fine if a) she didn't breathe heavily for the next 20 minutes or b) had the sense to put on deodorant before leaving the house. God, it was revolting! At the 20 minute mark I turned to her and told her to keep it down (she was shocked, but quieted down). Unfortunately, her reduced noise level didn't make her b.o. magically disappear. Otherwise, it was a fine evening.

The Reader: A Review

"The Reader," a book by German author Bernhard Schlink, is the story of Michael, a fifteen year old boy who has a sexual relationship with Hannah, a woman twice his age. Many years after the affair, the boy find out that the woman was a guard in a Nazi concentration camp. This woman is played by Kate Winslet in the motion picture version of the book and is now nominated for an Academy Award. Dani and I haven't seen the movie.

I decided to read the book because I was interested in seeing how the Holocaust was understood in a best-selling contemporary novel. While I was not pulled into the story being told (the translation was a bit rough), the psychological damage caused to Michael by his relationship is remarkable. However, his transformation into an aloof social misfit seems to be more of a function of his affair at a young age rather Hanna's war crimes. Indeed, Michael is unable to relate to those around him even before Hanna's true identity is revealed. By today's legal standards, Michael is a victim of a sexual crime and, to me, this is what the story is about. Hanna's role in the Holocaust seems almost secondary.

While Schlink expends considerable energy describing the social upheavals of 1968 and Michael's effort to "understand" Germany's shamed past, this story is primarily about sexual abuse. Perhaps my disappointment with the book is rooted in my expectation that I would find an answer to the "Why?" that surrounds the Holocaust, a venture that will always leave a person empty and confused.

German Regionalism - Part I

 

While walking past the central cathedral in Potsdam (just outside Berlin), I noticed the above phrase tagged on the wall of a building. It says, "Preussen Bleibt Schiße (sic)" or, "Prussia will Remain Shitty." While not exactly poetry, the graffiti is an important reminder about how much the different parts of Germany dislike one another. Prior to 1871, there was not an idea of a German people. Instead, Germany was a patchwork of independent states - mainly Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony, and the Hanseatic trading cities. If you want to test this theory out, ask a Berliner (aka "Prussian") what they think of Bavarians. Their answer may bring a smile to your face.