The Virtue signaling industry is high gear again. And morally intoxicanted, as usual.
It’s a dangerous combination but we’re used to it, right? Cowardly search for and find something that might offend somebody somewhere, remove it from its historical context and then call yourself brave as you loudly apply a current attitude to the long-dead past.
German publisher pulls Winnetou books amid racial stereotyping row – Ravensburger Verlag reacts as debate rages over depiction of Native American character in children’s books.
A German publisher has announced it is withdrawing two new books paying tribute to a highly popular character in children’s fiction after facing accusations of racism and cultural appropriation.
At least this is a first. As far as I know, Germans have never banned books in the past. Or burned them or anything.
And an ordinary psychopathic dictator. What could have possibly gone wrong with that mix?
What did ordinary Germans really think of Hitler? – Julia Boyd’s exceptional new book gets to the root of the matter by focusing exclusively on the inhabitants of one small village.
The village in question, Oberstdorf, is a postcard-perfect holiday resort high up in the Bavarian Alps…
Germany’s early victories were greeted with general rejoicing, but even as the war drew to a disastrous close there were fanatics whose faith in the Führer remained unshaken.
German Academic Freedom Is Now Decided in Beijing – German universities are bowing to China on censorship.
The two German journalists Stefan Aust and Adrian Geiges were disinvited from giving public talks at the German Confucius Institute about their new biography of China’s president, Xi Jinping: The Most Powerful Man in the World. The disinvitation came at the behest of the Chinese consul general in Düsseldorf. Aust told the German newspaper Die Welt that an institute staffer informed the journalists that “you cannot talk about Xi Jinping as a normal person, he is supposed to be untouchable and unmentionable now.”
Sandel: Yes. Think of Hillary Clinton’s use of the word “deplorables.” She used it in the last election campaign in reference to Trump voters, blue-collar workers. It showed an arrogance toward the less educated. Obama spoke of people who “cling to guns or religion…”
Sandel: It is true that the Democrats have repeatedly made this promise with good intentions: to show people a way out of the inequality that has worsened as a result of globalization. They emphasize university education as the avenue for upward mobility. But this leaves out over half of the population.
That’s easy. Practice very aggressive social distancing. You know. Like, move to France?
Have you ever walked on the bicycle lane? Put a refundable bottle into a regular bin? Asked a bus driver how much the ride costs? In Germany, these beginners’ mistakes might earn you a good scold. Here’s how to avoid it…
“The point is not whether they are right or not, it’s that anyone here thinks they’re allowed to educate you.”
German Oddity 177. Germany is what you might call a correcting culture. It is not uncommon for perfect strangers to publically reprimand you here if you do not abide by what is considered the societal norm. Newcomers are usually shocked when discovering that others have no qualms about telling you that you’re doing something wrong, as if you were a small child. If they don’t tell you outright there will at least be a display of disapproving headshaking.
This can only be a German production. Or a Berlin one, I should say.
The Kangaroo Chronicles, a quartet of comic novels by slam poet Marc-Uwe Kling that has sold millions of copies in Germany over the last 10 years, is a classic man-meets-beast buddy story in the vein of Seth MacFarlane’s 2012 comedy Ted – only that its animal protagonist is mainly vulgar in the Marxist rather than the foul-mouthed sense…
His only liability, in terms of electoral optics, could be a fatal addiction to booze-filled pralines – and the marsupial pouch in which he keeps his copy of Mao’s red book…
The film, directed by Swiss filmmaker Dani Levy, shows the communist marsupial team up with Berlin locals against Jörg Dwigs, a Trump-style property tycoon and founder of the fictional AzD (“Alternative to democracy”) party: a classic “the people v the elite” narrative, which the German far left has found more difficult to adopt than its counterparts in Britain, America or Southern Europe.
Berlin: WWII Bomb Find Leads to Evacuation of Thousands, Including the Mayor – In Berlin’s ‘Mitte’ district, a large WWII bomb was found on a construction site on Tuesday. Police started evacuating thousands of people in the evening. They included Berliners and visitors.
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Michael Müller, the Senate and their staff were evacuated from Red City Hall on Tuesday, due to a World War II bomb find. The latter weighs 250 kilos (550 pounds). A bomb disposal unit was supposed to diffuse the bomb this evening, but the evacuation took time.
German Oddity 15. Germany is a place where huge underground bombs are routinely unearthed all around the country and this barely even makes second page news. In fact, most Germans directly affected are more annoyed about it than anything else. They grudgingly leave their homes until the bomb crews have disarmed or detonated the damned things. Over 5,000 bombs are found in Germany every year.
German Oddity 15. Germany is a place where huge underground bombs are routinely unearthed all around the country and this barely even makes second page news. In fact, most Germans directly affected are more annoyed about it than anything else. They grudgingly leave their homes until the bomb crews have disarmed or detonated the damned things. Over 5,000 bombs are found in Germany every year.
Observing Hermann 