Posted on 09/02/2005 6:41:32 AM PDT by americanbychoice2
Selbst Freude und Mitleid schlagen zur selben Zeit in meiner Brust. So freue ich mich beispielsweise momentan darüber, dass die jüngste Sturmkatastrophe nicht wieder irgendein armes Land, sondern die reichste Nation der Erde getroffen hat. Ja, ich sehe darin sogar eine Art ausgleichende Gerechtigkeit für das, was die Bewohner dieses Landes durch ihren Krieg im Irak anderen Bewohnern angetan haben. Es würde mich allerdings noch mehr erfreuen, wenn ich wüsste, dass nur Häuser von Bush-Wählern und Armeeangehörigen zerstört worden wären. Alle anderen tun mir aufrichtig Leid. Dringender Notruf? kolumne@taz.de Montag: Susanne Lang über DIE ANDEREN
http://www.taz.de/pt/2005/09/02/a0109.nf/text
The translation (roughly) reads "Right now, happiness and sympathy are emotions that beat equally in my heart. I am happy that the latest hurricane disaster has not hit some poor country but the richest nation in the world.
Yes I can even see fair justice in what has happened to that country's citizens because of what they have done to other countries' citizens by means of the war in Iraq. However, I would be even happier if I could be sure that only houses of Bush-voters and military families had been hit. I feel sincere regrets for all the others" Monday: Susanne Lang about the “Others”
(Excerpt) Read more at taz.de ...
If it had to hit someone, I'm glad it hit us. We're tough, we can handle it. Just think, it might have hit some other country and they would have been desolated, and we'd have to come rolling in to pull them out anyway.
As for the Bush supporters, they are the ones rescuing the Kerry supporters, who are busy looting appliance stores and shooting at helicopters and ambulance drivers. There are two kinds of people; the ones who do, and the ones who wait on the ones who do so they can rip them off.
Here are today's poll numbers in Germany: ...Ugh. That bad? Where are those numbers from? The only institute I trust is Allensbach, I hope it wasn't them...
But, even if that happens, Schroeder has guaranteed that he will NOT form a new government with the Linkspartei but, rather, ally with the pro-Bush conservatives to stay in Afghanistan and do other rational things.The SPD has always forgotten about these promises the day after election day. If they can form a government with SPD/Green/Commies, I predict they will (if the commies agree, that is).
[If they can form a government with SPD/Green/Commies, I predict they will]
But the Linkspartei (Commies led by Oskar LaFontaine and Gysi with Gysi being the last dicatator of East Germany) will have already helped the SPD lose most precincts in the north of Germany to the CDU or FDP. I am predicting a landslide for black (CDU). It is going to be an Earthquake. It will teach the left in Germany not to splinter itself so much...and start getting rational. The same thing might happen with the Democrats in 2006 in the USA: DailyKOS wants war with the pro-Iraqi Freedom Democrats. Possible third party runs in many places.
The German media is what is feeding this whole issue right now. They are paranoid that even a little sympathy toward the US could cause people to question their constant negative insinuations and provocations about the US. My German friends were the first to send messages of concern about New Orleans.
The media also knows that Schroeder is going down and that any issue that could create emotional reactions gives a slight chance to turn the tide.
But the Linkspartei (Commies led by Oskar LaFontaine and Gysi with Gysi being the last dicatator of East Germany) will have already helped the SPD lose most precincts in the north of Germany to the CDU or FDP.Of course! They Überhangmandate! Hah! I hadn't thought of this before! You are absolutely right, this could be a disaster for the left! Thanks for pointing this out, I'll go to dinner much happier tonight :-p
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PHILLIP MAUSSHARDT about GOSSIP
The Actual Disaster
If there is a big bang somewhere, i pack the small travveling bag
Fun is not the correct word. Really not. One does not feel fun at the sight of corpses or destroyed houses. But desire and fear are really close relatives. Perhaps therefore natural catastrophes fascinate me so much.
I cannot get enough of pictures, which show the strength of the destruction, how the wave comes, how she drags everything along that is left afterwards.
How often have I looked at the two airplanes, as they raced into the multistoried buildings and then came out on the other side as fire balls. Now I sit in front of the television again. Unfortunately.
I would rather be in new Orleans or one of the other places concerned. Like at every time of the Oder flood, like with the earthquake in the San Giuliano or as with the Tsunami. Still nearly at every larger natural catastrophe the telephone rang and I had the luck of being allowed to travel to the place of the happening, to "locus horribilis", there, where Schauder seizes me. A beautiful, an old word: Schauder. Schauder and idyl, another two close relatives.
(Schauder = verb, something you do when you see tragedy that doesnt involve you)
Why do some humans gladly roam on cemeteries at night? Why do some humans enjoy "Tatort (crime scene, german tv series)"?
I find it completely normal that disaster crowds obstruct traffic, and I never understood why it is mentioned with such a subtext of disrespect in the traffic radio.
Until today i am tempted to follow the sound of every siren in order to look what happened. I am a Gaffer (tragedy voyeur, don't know the american word) and through my press pass i even have a license to be. Therefore my small disaster traveling bag always stands packed in the cabinet: two pants, two t-Shirts, two pair socks, Jeans and toothbrush. In five minutes I am usually ready to go. I need only fifteen minutes up to the airport. I live extremely disaster-favorably.
But this time it did not ring: New Orleans is easier from to reach from elsewhere. There are sufficient reporters in place. Thus i only look television, , like everyone else, and i am a little annoyed when friends ask me: "Why are you still here?"
For me the true disaster is not to be there myself.
Most wont remember the war of 70/71 (1800), where the Germans made the French suffer a crushing defeat. But my grandfather had kept all the little flags, medals, tin cups and hero remembering books of his father. In his civilian life he still carried this badges on him to show everyone: "I participated."
Such a little badge "Dresden Flood" or "Avalanche Galtür" or even "Landslide Talheim" i would put on me like a medal. People would see me and think: That's how heros look like.
Nobody would regard me as a Gaffer. Once I even was faster than the disaster and already there before it. Perhaps one develops a seventh sense for the unexpected with the years.
Anyhow I flew to the Paznauntal/Tirol with the helicopter in that avalanche winter 1999 - and I wasn't there for five hours, when the soil began to tremble and a fog of dust and snow fulfilled air. 31 humans died in the avalanche at that time.
The fascination of the force of nature and the compassion with the victims get along fine.
In my chest, even joy and compassion beat at the same time. Thus momentarily I am pleased about the fact that the recent storm disaster met not again any poor country, but the richest nation of the earth, for example. Yes, I even see some kind of compensatory justice for what the inhabitants of this country did to the inhabitants of Iraq with their war. It would however still please me more, if I knew that only houses of Bush voters and army members would have been destroyed. For everyone else, i am sincerely sorry.
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americanbychoice2, when you translated the thing did you not have the idea that the perverted way in which P. Mausshardt describes his character could mean he does NOT talk about himself, but describes a certain kind of people he despises?
Most wont remember the war of ___________________, where the Germans made the French suffer a crushing defeat. (Fill in the blank with any war you want)........
It's really written in a Stones "Sympathy for the Devil" kind of way, isn't it?
Most of the damage to Heidelberg Castle happened because the Germans suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the French.
http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/17cen/17cenindex.html
Pick a war, any war, Sooner or later they're bound to get one right!......
This German sounds confused (verrückt im Kopf)
The author isn't Lang. She's writing something in tomorrow's paper. It's someone called Philipp Mausshardt (Philipp Maußhardt), a freelance journalist who "lives near Tübingen and Tuscany."
Some people have written a lot of stupid and spiteful things lately. And the line between the established media and the bloggers isn't so clear as the mainstream media pretends. That's especially true of something like the TAZ, but it applies to other parts of the MSM.
Today Germany abounds in boorish would-be intellectuals, who wear a leftish attitude on their sleeve. Thirty years ago they were founding communes or making bombs. Now they're quite powerful in the government and the media. The country's Nazi past was a license to them to be as obnoxious as possible: if polite, well-mannered society had been willing to tolerate such atrocities then being ill-mannered and offensive looked justified.
The deeper question -- whether there's some real continuity or similarity between Germany's Nazi past and the New Left -- doesn't occur to the Mausshardts, though others have certainly wondered about it.
I appreciate the complete translation. Nevertheless, I don't really see the subtext, perhaps. He loves being a disaster-tourist, and his job allows him to be one. OK so far, I even sympathize I guess, I'm a news-junkie, and it would be grand to be paid for what I gladly do for free.
But the last paragraph is pretty transparently clear. He doesn't like us. And thats fine, the feeling is mutual.
As for compassion, he can keep it. We're Americans. We're fine. We appreciate any prayers and sympathy a friend may offer. If you're not a friend, though, really, we're busy right now, we don't have a lot of time for people like him.
Mausshardt IS a german intellectual writer from a german left wing see-the-point-of-the-person-mugging-you newspaper. in my opinion, if he was being serious, he would assume a holier-than-you position like every leftist.
Why would you even honor a "German left wing intellectual writer" with ... if?
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