schnee
Wir sind in Deutschland heute, my fellow bloggers. Ja, und es ist sehr different than in New York. I've only had two bicycle wrecks since I've arrived. The second one happened this evening, and was a classic looking-over-the-shoulder to-change-lanes-while front-tire-gets-stuck in-a-tramline. I don't think I've ever wrecked in New York. Yes, I've nearly gotten into fights with discourteous bus, garbage truck, and SUV drivers, but never had a collision or a spill. Is this supposed to be some sort of a sign from the Universe?! I don't get Your meaning... please clarify. Preferably not with my untimely death.
This evening I went to go see Jose Gonzalez, someone who was recommended to us by Sig. Anaconda at the end of last year (please refer to his Week 10: Top Ten Music Related Stuff of 2006 post). Thanks for that; I enjoyed it quite a lot. He played a few covers including Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear us Apart' for the finale. My friend Martin and I are having a debate about whether or not there are any recorded bits that he plays along to. I'm having a hard time believing that Jose managed to get all of those sounds out of one acoustic guitar in real time. Martin claims it was only him and the guitar live. Could somebody please help us settle this?
For the rest of this post, I will digress from the usual music-related topics with a few observations about being an American in Berlin who has engaged in casual conversation with well-educated Berliners at parties, in bars, after concerts and so forth. Feel free to skip to the next or previous post if politics and traveling bores you.
It has become bad form for Americans (that is, fellow United States citizens; Canadians and Mexicans get a pass) to say anything about ‘democracy’, in the name of ‘democracy’, ‘a functioning democracy requires a free press etc.’ in certain circles. It's bad to even repeat the word if someone else has said it first. The good Germans have witnessed our past elections and what we’ve done in another country that rhymes with ‘free rock’ (or 'I'm whack' if you live in the White House) in the name of ‘democracy’ and more than a few of them have determined that our concept of ‘democracy’ is merely a fading illusion. As genuine North-American-Scum* I’m not allowed to use dieses Wort anymore in conversation.
Furthermore, from the folks that brought us World War II, I've heard a few complaints that they're frustrated with the machinations of the United Nations. Jawohl, their complaints are even similar to the what-were-they-called, neo-cons (are they still around?); a no-vote from anyone on the security council all too often prevents action, the security council is incapable of reforming itself. Where have I heard this before? I think the most legitimate complaint comes from India, home to about 1,130,000,000 people (that would be 1/6th of the planet earth’s total population), and also a state with a functioning d-word-that-I’m-no-longer-allowed-to-say, unlike their neighbors to the north. Still with me? Ok. If you didn’t know that Germany does not have a seat on the Security Council, further reading of this music blog ist verboten until you've read a bit of history.
Last thing before I go to sleep: they burn SUVs around here. They don’t just complain about them; they literally set them on fire. There’s a particularly virulent strain of the Green Peace in Germany that is fascinating to watch, though I think they’re getting themselves into a bit too much trouble at the moment- some of their actions are being used to justify and strengthen so-called anti-terrorism laws. Could it be that their vicious political circles are a bit ahead of ours? Please don't tell anyone in GP where I am. I'm still having a hard time figuring out what goes in all of the various recycling containers.
I'm finding it's best to just to steer the conversation towards music around here.
21 Comments:
It sounds to me like you need to stop hanging out with people whose idea of free exchange is "my way or the Autobahn." There are many occasions when I would also like to burn SUVs, but I don't because I have this whole tolerance thing going that would totally be ruined if I set one of those fuckers alight. I recognize that my opinion isn't law or even right a lot of the time.
It would be easy, for example, to say that all Germans crave power and are stubbornly convinced of the superiority of their ways. But that would be just as silly as saying all Americans are fat, lazy, and stupid (I, for one, am only one of those things).
Anti-Americanism is just not-so-cleverly-disguised xenophobia. It wraps itself up in the flag of intellectual superiority, but it's just as facile as the American xenophobes who brought you such hits as "freedom fries." And who can take such thought seriously?
Hey, you know what my favorite part about Germany was? The gift shop at the concentration camp. Classy.
That was a very shaggy dog of a travelblog. Loved it. :)
Justin,
You serious about the gift shop or are you just fucking with me? Honestly I couldn't handle going to visit a concentration camp as it is but a gift shop? That would just be added creepiness atop of creepiness.
I'm serious about the gift shop. The things they were selling were mostly books and videos about the Holocaust, but it was, nevertheless, a gift shop.
Anti-Americanism is just not-so-cleverly-disguised xenophobia. It wraps itself up in the flag of intellectual superiority, but it's just as facile as the American xenophobes who brought you such hits as "freedom fries." And who can take such thought seriously?
Amen. What drives me nuts the most, actually, are self-loathing Americans who are convinced every place else on Earth is Eden and America is the only place with any sort of dysfunction. Suffice it to say that I have seen more racist graffiti in Auckland than I have anywhere in the States, to use one indicator.
There's a difference between "warts and all" and "warts is all", after all.
As a pseudo non-american, i feel i have a particular intellectual superiority about this subject, although my non-pseudo generalized puerto rican lazyness won't allow me to act on it. But i will submit as proof of the wrongness of generalizations on culture the small town where i live, which, when the capitol did the above mentioned freedom fries move, decided to declare that month as French appreciation month. So for every there, there's a here. Keep showing up Heidi, they'll eventually get it.
Glad you got to see Jose. My impression was that everything he did was done live, right out of the one guitar, but i've been fooled before. However if he is using some kind of backup, it is very well disguised.
I can't remember which documentary on WWII concentration camps it was, but I remember on one of those they were talking about how locals and were selling "camp memorabilia" to the very first visitors to the camps. If i remember correctly the items included body parts from dead people found in open graves and ovens, stuff like bits of skins with camp numbers tattoed on them and such.
Apparently, trying to make a buck out of anything is not strictly an american trait.
Spaniards are also racist---not to over-generalize--the ones I knew in Spain, and the ones I encountered in daily activitites. The classic racism--if you are not white, you are inferior. Another interesting idea they had, people who were not white were also not American, they retained the identity from some mother-land based on their looks, for example Asians were "chinos" y my friend Saleem, a "hindu," (even though he was muslim, ha!) ANYWAY! While I appreciated Spanish culture, I did not let them hate on me for being American too much--they have their share of racist, elitist pigs too, every country does.
Australia has a mean streak of racism. Not all surfing and opals and boobs.
Enjoy your trip Heidi.
Say hello to the Technoviking.
I think the whole which country is more racist thing is a bit much. I mean people are people and yr always going to have racism - some of it more nasty than others (eg. there is a world of difference between an 80 year old woman calling black people "coloreds" or some other cringe-worthy variant versus some assholes dragging a person to their death.)
I mean this kind of all falls under the category of DUH! I mean what, you are trying to convince me that other countries have people who are racist? Wow thanks for the info. It's kind of silly when you get down to it really and it makes you wonder what's the point of this discussion? What, to make us feel better becasue we're not the only ones with racists in our country? Whoopee?
On thing IS true though and that is that Technovinign fucking rules. can we do a week where all we do is post the subtitled technoving video every day and call it technoviking week?
I am so down with Technoviking week.
I dont know if there is one country more racist than others, but one thing i am sure of is that there are some governments that need to be brought down more notches than others (even if it's still true that most can probably use being taken down a few notches).
and i'm down with technovking week too. ready to start, appropriately, on thorr'sday this week.
well we need everyone else aboard Heidi, Kilian, John, Justin, Doug?
yeah, technoviking week... and if you want a good translation tool so that you can get it half right, here's one: http://www.dict.cc/deutsch-englisch/blaettern.php.
there's no chance that the technoviking will be able to track me down here, is there?
I am very down with Technoviking week. And I don't think there's any way he'll track you down, Heidi. But what if he did? I think that would be more awesome than scary.
The movie "Barcelona" has some funny anti-American moments.
I do think it's less acceptable for people to express racist sentiments in the U.S. than in a lot of places, including much of Europe. And on a governmental level, Italy just passed an expulsion law specifically targeting Romanian Roma:
http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10105059
Yeah, I especially liked that hilarious moment in Barcelona when the Navy character gets shot by an Anti-American Spaniard. For what it's worth, apparently Whit Stillman lived in Barcelona in the eighties and the movie is loosely based on his experience there as an American in Barcelona.
for the record, i haven't heard a single rascist comment come out of the mouth of any german. that might be because i mix with a self-selected group of people, though.
upon further reflection, there was only one german who really harassed me about how americans use the d-word. and i think it may have been a case of awkward social skills, though he was obviously very articulate and intelligent. at one point he asked me if i was offended. i just laughed and said that it was impossible to offend me on a personal level with somebody else's politics. he may be trying to apologize with the stack of dvds he just lent me.
i maintain that with our freedom of the press and knowledge of our own damned country, that we are our own best self-critics. anybody who tries to criticize the u.s. from outside the u.s. is merely an amateur. except for the english. but, at least, they have a sense of humor about it.
p.s. i think SUVs should be taxed out of existence.
I've been working a new gig for a couple of weeks now and I ride my bike to work everyday. Even though all the streets have bike lanes, it is one of the most treacherous routes I could possibly take around here. You're scaring me with your bike wreck stories.
I've been in that polite conversation situation with Europeans and it gives me this paradoxical feeling akin to "don't say my momma's ugly only I can say that." But I just finished watching an Al Franken documentary and in my current mood I'd probably just be shouting "here! here!"
I forgot about the techno viking. Had to google then I remembered I saw the original video on a dvd handed out at a Select Media Festival several years ago along with a bunch of these.
I had a lot of fun in East Berlin, would love to go back.
die Abneigung gegen Fremde = xenophobia
Couldn't they at least make a compound word out of it?
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