Ze Greates Kountry in de Vorld

One of the fascinating aspects of blogging is the contact with others in the blogging universe through trackbacks.

It so happened to Ray's posting on "Stern's Gallery on Stereotypes" which was trackbacked by scores of other blogs.

Here are two particularly funny trackbacks:

Blog: Ubique Patriam Reminisci:

Meanwhile, Somewhere In Polkakrautland...

“I liff in ze greates kountry in de vorld vor androgynous human beings vith girlisch blond herr und lederhosen. But I zink zere are still zum tings ve can vork on, like, being more zolerant of upposing viewpoint. Except for zose SCUM SUCKING IMPERIALISTIC HALIBURTON AMERIKANS! ZEY MUZT DIE FOR ZE GLORIE UF ZE PERFEKT ZOCIAL ZOCIETY. STERN MAGAZINE HERSCHT VOR!”

Blog: IMAO

Totally True Tidbits About Germany

Germany is a medium-sized European country, with approximately the same square-mileage and speed limit laws as Montana.

Germans invented the form of music known as "opera". It soon spread to Italy and Japan, which led to the formation of the "Axis of Warble".

Attempts to spread opera to other nations led directly to WWII

The practice of cooking ground-up meat and serving it on a bun began in the German city of Cheeseburg.

The German city of Hamburg is populated entirely by lactose-intolerant former Cheeseburgians

Despite what you might infer from its name, the Dutch oven was actually a German invention, as were the Gypsy and Jew ovens.

Like Iraq, Germany was home to numerous military geniuses who were eventually

killed by Americans.

Hitler was the first dictator in modern history to prove that a bad moustache is no match for American military might.

Hussein was the latest.

Looking YOUR direction, President Asad...

Germany is known the world over for its fine cuisine, in much the same way that France is known for its battlefield prowess.

The colors of the German flag are black, red, and yellow. It was originally just red and black, but the yellow stripe was added to commemorate their frequent wars with France when "the River Rhine would run yellow with the blood of French soldiers".

Because of the location of the Swiss Alps along Germany's southern border, it's impossible for tornados to form in Germany. The only weather hazards faced by the nation are flooding and occasional drifts of radioactive ash from Russian nuclear power plants.

Like Americans, Germans are allowed to vote in their national elections at age 18. Also like Americans, 18-year-old Germans spend election day at home with their PlayStations.

Postage stamps in Germany celebrate national heroes such as Werner von Braun, who invented the liquid-fueled rocket and lederhosen.

People of German heritage frequently celebrate family get-togethers with such German traditions as bland potato salad, warm beer, and hairy-backed women.

Unlike America, Germany has no legal drinking age, because German parents think it's cute when their toddlers drink beer and stumble around.

---

If you have information about Germany that America needs to know, call the Department of Homeland Security, or leave it in the comments.

...or you might check Davids Medienkritik!

Comments

[PacRim Jim]

Italians invented opera. Hooray for Puccini.

[Bo]

here's another one by Kim du Toit... :o)

[Ralf Goergens]

This blog is by now indeed much more about German-bashing than critizing our media. As Ray put it in the Stern thread:

Stern magazine is not shy about supplying its readers with the regular fix of anti-American bias they so seem to crave.

[amiexpat]

I don't often agree with you Ralf..
but I think think certain contributors to this blog sometimes go too far. the official entry from Ray/David is on the border..
the one from Kim du Toit is DEFINITÈLY out of the park.
I come hear for info but sometimes I have to ignore certain entries.. but that is what blogging is about

[George M]

Ralf:

The difference between Ken du Toit and Stern is: Stern is an established German weekly magazine published by a professional staff. Ken du Toit is just one person with a Web page.

Even Ken du Toit admits that he has only been an American citizen since 1989. He is not even a main-steam American, he is an immigrant.

It is one thing for people like Ken du Toit to have opinions about Germans, guns, good and bad Nazis, etc. It is one other thing for a weekly national magazine to make stereotype characters of American citizens.

Just the same, I find Ken du Toit funny and sympathetic. Stern's example of professional journalism is pathetic and not deserving the prestige of a national weekly.

Note that Dennis Boyles picked up this story from Medien Kritik for his monthly contribution to National Review. Stern's attempt at depicting Americans as good Amies and bad Amies will now be read by the readers of an influential national magazine, whose readership has connections to high places. Kiss Germany's admission to the UN security counsel good bye.

[Ralf Goergens]

George M,

I don't have any problem with Kim du Toit post; if you bother to check out the comments to Kim's post, you'll find my laid-back reaction to that post.

What I was referring to was *this* blog.

Note that Dennis Boyles picked up this story from Medien Kritik for his monthly contribution to National Review. Stern's attempt at depicting Americans as good Amies and bad Amies will now be read by the readers of an influential national magazine, whose readership has connections to high places. Kiss Germany's admission to the UN security counsel good bye.

I don't think so.

[Ralf Goergens]

Point is, David and Ray are so disppointed with Germany that they do their best to damage this country.

For example, when Alice Schwarzer compared photos from Abu Ghraib with photos from concentration camps (a very stupid comparison, but hers alone) David claimed that German media in generak were making this claim. THat was untrue, and about as damaging as it gets.

As to the Stern thread: David and Ray inserted the 'good American vs evil American' angle, that in my opinion wasn't there in the original article.

Note from David: Hmm... "that in my opinion wasn't there in the original article."
How about this statement, which is part of our posting: "Note: Just to be very clear, the (ironic) comments directly following each red page number are from Davids Medienkritik and are intended to reflect the way we think Stern really views the pictures. The translated captions beneath each page are directly from the original Stern gallery."

Ralf, check the availability of Irony 101 at your local college...

[David Kaspar]

Ralf Goergens: You are falling back into your old habit of lecturing our readers on the many, many shortcomings of this blog. I'm sure, if this were your blog you would run things completely different. Postings would be politically middle of the road, much more nuanced, carefully weighing pros and cons.

We thought we had lost you, but now you're back with old strength: 15 comments in the last 3 days!

I just wonder if you could find the time to check our comment policy (link in right column). We definitely don't want to turn this blog into "Ralf Goergens' observations on Davids Medienkritik". Why not start your own blog and build up your own audience? I can tell you, it's so rewarding...

And I promise I won't try to change the focus of your blog by extensively contributing to your comment section.

[Ray D.]

@ Ralf,

I love it. The usual knee-jerk insecurity once again rears its ugly head.

We always get comments like this. We post something mildly critical of Germany or obviously meant to be funny once or twice every couple of weeks and all of the sudden know-it-all commenters like Ralf pop up like mushrooms and declare that we are "now indeed much more about German-bashing than critizing our media."

Well just a little FYI Ralf, David and I are both proud German citizens. Your comments are both clearly wrong and a reflection of the massive hyper-sensitivity and incredible lack of humor and humility that characterizes the German left. It is alright for them to call their opponents Hitler and Nazis all day long. But just try calling Germany a part of "old Europe" and they are furious for years.

The most ridiculous sentence of all was this:

"Point is, David and Ray are so disppointed with Germany that they do their best to damage this country."

We are doing harm to Germany? How so? Ralf, do you read this blog regularly? On the contrary, we are trying to appeal to the better side of our German countrymen. Germans deserve better from their media and we want to do whatever we can to end the disinformation as well as the America bashing and stereotyping in the German media that has so badly damaged transatlantic relations. They are literally destroying a special relationship that it took over 5 decades to build.

And Yes, we also have the right to indulge in a little good-spirited humor every now and then. If it is not to your tastes, that is frankly your problem Ralf. You can take your smart-alec comments elsewhere if you don't like it.

---Ray D.

[Tom Penn]

Ralf, have you ever considered that the readers of DM actually read and see other news too? I read the bullshit on the BBC website regularly too. I get the social utiopia Liberal theocracy peddling CBC on satellite. I don't live in your cave. This a blog, one of miillions, not a major German print publication. Kim du toit is, just a one blogger too. One that this ignorant brainwashed caveman American, unlike you, has never read. In short, you are an apparently incurable jackass.

[chap]

Geez, some commenters have no sense of humor. How freaked out will Ralf get when we nuke the moon?