Posted on 06/26/2006 5:10:57 PM PDT by Past Your Eyes
JFK, RFK, Scoop Jackson and Harry Truman would be to the right of most in the GOP today, Hubert Humphrey would be considered a fairly conservative Republican. Even FDR would be considered too much of a "hawk" by modern 'Rats.
What JFK meant: "I am a Berliner."
What his German-speaking audience heard: "I am a jelly doughnut."
Yeah, I've heard that over the years, but Babblefish translates 'ich bin ein Berliner' to "I am Berlin."
T thought that in Berlin, it was taken to mean "I am a jelly donut!"
So, you insist that you are a jelly donut? Tell me about your childhood......
Well, let's see...I've been to Berlin, New Hampshire (pronounced BER' lin) and Berlin, VT but I don't think I've been a jelly doughnut there.
I took 2 years of German in high school. My German teacher told us about this. President Kennedy should have said "Ich bin berliner" (no ein).
Puzzled, I needed Websters for a foggy explanation, I was thirteen.
Google translates it to "I am a citizen of Berlin."
Google translates "I am a jelly doughnut." to "Ich bin ein Geleekrapfen."
They must not like jelly doughnuts.
LOL. I didn't think anyone had even invented "premature ejaculation" that far back.
I wonder what your grandfather would have said about the Bent One. All hard drive and no memory.
BTW, my father always called JFK "Meathead", long before Norman Lear ever invented Michael Stivik.
I believe you and I are the same age.
Those who understand German that were listening to the speech understood what he meant.
But it is still fun to make fun of him for it.
That comes back as "I am Berlin".
I noticed that you live in The Partially Enslaved State of NH, I also have noticed that you have no FReeper stuff going on, need help? You have a lot of commies infiltrating your midst, want to do a FReep?
A "Berliner" is not actually a jelly or cream "filled" donut, but rather a pastry with a glazed fruit topping (and quite delicious). (If I could ever master posting pics on here, I'd post one)
When I was stationed in Berlin the Germans would say "Ich bin ein Berliner" to be 'cool'... They loved Reagan over there too (except for the hippies who hid out from the draft in West Berlin [draft exempt city]). When Reagan passed there was some movement to name a square after him - I don't know what the status of that is...
" The Partially Enslaved State of NH"
LOL! Which part is the enslaved part? ;)
Plastow, Durham, Portsmouth, Keene, Plymouth, Rochester, Exeter, Sommersworth, Durham, Concord, Berlin, Littleton, Laconia, Manchester..............And Others.
It was incorrect but I bet no German thought he meant jelly doughnut.
It is like saying I am a American vs. I am American. You would not say I am a American.
If a German said I am a American how many Americans would think that they German meant anything other than they meant to say I am an American or I am American.
Point #B on this is ( I know some of you liked him (But Monkey) but..) would any of you accept GWB or WJC(Clinton) saying I am a German or Parisian or Roman or Bagdadi? I would think it would be a bit treasonous to claim you are anything but American...EVER!
But most people just play it off as him mispeaking.
Oh well
Back in the early 60's, my German professor, Frau Doctor Schreiner, said that the "ein Berliner" should been just "Berliner". "Ein Berliner" is a jelly filled donut.
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