Stern: Americans "Could Care Less About the Rest of Humanity"

(UPDATE: Stern has responded to pressure from our site and changed the headline. See our open letter to Stern magazine: online regarding this.)

This is what Stern magazine online wrote about the USA in its introduction to a series the magazine has been actively running on American history since 2002:

"The History of the USA: No nation has ever dominated the globe like the USA. And its people could care less about the rest of humanity." (circled below)

Stern's selection of the Bush photo depicted (above-right) is no accident. They've done the same at least one other time. Note how a US flag is always in the background.

Really? Is that why the USA sacrificed the lives of hundreds of thousands of its sons and daughters to liberate Germany from National Socialism? Is that why the United States spent billions to defend and rebuild West German democracy for decades on end? Is that why the United States helped Germans to establish the very democracy that guarantees German journalists the freedom to make outrageous, dehumanizing and sweeping anti-American statements like the one above?

And let us examine the record for yet more evidence the American people "could care less about the rest of humanity.":

• US Massive Tsunami Aid to Asia
• US Pledges Billions to Fight AIDS in Africa
• Bush Plans to Double Aid to Africa
• US Defends Tens of Millions of Muslims in Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq
• US Strongly Supportive of Israeli-Palestinian Peace Efforts

And we know how much our multilateralist, holier-than-thou 'old European' friends love humanity so much more than anyone else. They would have left Saddam Hussein in power, they did nothing in Rwanda, were impotent in the Balkans until the US acted. They continue to stand around and do nothing but talk as African nations like Sudan and Somalia implode. And in another great service to humanity, Schroeder and Chirac recently sought to lift the EU arms embargo on China. Here's a simple question: Is anyone else sick and tired of elitist European "journalists" like the people at Stern lecturing us about how the USA doesn't "care about the rest of humanity"?

Now for some bad news: This won't end anytime soon. Stern's readers can't go without a steady diet of America-baiting. Hatred is a part of their ideological existence and they expect the magazine to deliver the goods. So the financial motivation to print hate is enormous for Stern. It is one of the foundations of the publication's monetary existence...and no magazine can exist without an income.

Update: Die Welt and SPIEGEL ONLINE are reporting that Germans "want to donate little or nothing to victims of Hurricane Katrina." Both publications report that up to Friday the 9th, the Red Cross had only collected 790,000 EURO ($980,000) in all of Germany. That is less than Celine Dion donated to the Red Cross relief effort by herself! It is also less than rappers P-Diddy and Jay-Z are donating jointly. That is over five times less than Starbucks and Chevron have already pledged individually. Just further evidence that Germans care so much more about humanity than Americans!

Note: Be sure to check out our most recent post on Stern's coverage of Hurricane Katrina including all of the most recent updates. For those of you unfamiliar with "Stern", it is Germany's best-selling political weekly magazine. (Article by Ray D., hattip T_R)

Comments

[joe]

Just wonder how the Germans would react if their own history was published in the same manner.

Would be interesting to see how they handled the 20th Century.

Of course, this is very much standard fare now in Germany. You have to give the mob something to think about other than their own condition. If you don't they just might demand change and you could lose your position as an elite. Then again you could just move a few hunderd km west and be in france.

Life just gets better and better for the Germans with each passing year and each passing election.

Then again you do have social justice and an economic system that is being copied all over the world. So I am probably being much too hard.

[Mike H.]

I think that the best I can do is to offer you my sympathy. It is rough watching a culture travel down a road tangent to reality.

[PacRim Jim]

Might be perturbed if a nation with a future bad-mouthed the U.S., aber est ist nur Deutschland.

[williamP]

Unglaublich. Nach langer Aufenthalt in DE, habe ich als Amerikaner überhaupt keine Lust mehr wiedermal nach Deutschland zu fahren.

Die deutschen Medien können mich doch am Arsch lecken. Blöde Wichser.

[ic]

But the Americans don't know anything about human rights. "We do not agree ... that the human rights of the victims are more important than the human rights of the terrorists." - Graham Watson, leader of the Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament, (http://www.eursoc.com/ Quote Of The Day 07 September, 2005)

[Pat Patterson]

Actually the weakness of the European nations is all part of our fiendish plot. Germany and France may irritate us, when we notice the complaints, but then again the global reach of either of these two countries is negligible. France's last great expedition involved a nasty shoot out in Africa, and come to think of it, the last time Germany had a global reach was also in Africa, both against barely functioning states. By providing the military protection for forty years and the initial seed money the USA has achieved its two main goals, resisting the Soviet Union and demilitarizing the two countries that brought the world nazism and Bonapartism. I actually regret the we in the US are actually not that cynical.

[mbl]

If one only read this website, then one would could conclude that this is "standard fair" being served to divert the attention of the people. But as someone (an American) living in Germany now just over a week from a national election, I can tell you that people, at least the ones I know and have watched, are not being diverted by sensational journalism like Stern's piece on the Hurricane. Schroeder's "anti-American" positions have received a lot of attention on this website, but the fact is most Germans don't give a damn about what the U.S. is doing at the moment. As is human nature, they care more about their own situation. Economics, not American policy, is what most Germans are concentrating on at the moment.

[Anondson]

"The History of the USA: No nation has ever dominated the globe like the USA. And its people could care less about the rest of humanity."

It is a simple fact that the majority of every nation don't care about the rest of humanity. Regular people just want to live their lives and be left alone by others (especially left alone by their own governments), including others from far away nations who think they know how those regular people should live their lives.

I heard one wag comment that America certainly is the unrivaled dominant power on the globe, yet if it is such the hyperpower unknown before in history, it is a unique one in that Americans earnestly don't want to be it...

[Redhand]

Your post does a good job demolishing Stern's slander.

My favorite reference is to Old Europe being "impotent in the Balkans until the US acted." I wasn't happy with our own delays in confronting Serb genocide against Bosnian Muslims, and thought Clinton's bombing campaign was too little, . . . until it worked! What amazed me was how the Europeans could sit on their asses and let Serb concentration camps, with starvation, rape, torture and mass murder, spring up again in living memory of the Third Reich.

Incidently, Stern betrays grotesque historical ignorance with a statement like, "No nation has ever dominated the globe like the USA." Only someone utterly ignorant of history could ignore the overwhelming global dominance the British Empire exercised during the height of the Victorian Era. And it was physical dominance too: "The sun never sets on the British Enmpire."

Oh well.

[BEAM]

"And its people could care less about the rest of humanity."

You mean it isn't just Bush they don't like?!

/sarcasm

[Don]

There is a developing concensus in Europe that Katrina is Yet Another Cause for the US to feel Shame. There are so many such causes (for Shame) that it's difficult to keep track of them at times, But Katrina is clearly The Shame of the Week (tm).

Let's compare Katrina and what happened in the Balkans. Both were enormous humanitarian crisis, and both were fouled up.

In the case of Katrian there may have been a delay of one or two days in effective help arriving - not least because the Red Cross was not allowed to pre-position supplies of food and water at refugee centers in New Orleans. Surely there is room for improvement at all levels of American government.

In the Balkans the Europeans initially shouldered the load - with a delay of a few years before the problem was finally solved. And when the problem was solved - it was mostly solved by the US. Not Germany, not the French.

How many died because of the mistakes? Another good question, given that 10,000 people died in New Orleans alone.

Or.... Perhaps not. There are news stories coming from New Orleans about a curious lack of - deaths. Or at least that the numbers of bodies being found are falling far short of what was expected.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/HurricaneKatrina/wireStory?id=1111183

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/07/news.update/index.html
You have to dig deep on CNN to find numbers at this point - but indications are that the estimates may have been overblown by 1000% or more. This from CNN as of 1:45 yesterday:

Current Death Toll

Total Confirmed fatalities -- 337

-- Mississippi - 204

-- Louisiana - 118

-- Florida - 11

-- Alabama - 2

-- Georgia - 2

How many died in Bosnia before the Yankee Imperialist Swine came in and unilaterally and illegally finished the job? 100,000? 1 million? More?

[Danny Lemieux]

WWI, WWII, WWIII (The Cold War), Bosnia, Middle-East Colonialism, African Colonialism...I think that most Americans are getting very tired of cleaning up Europe's messes and getting slandered and lectured to by Europeans in response. Plus jamais! Asia and the Americas look better all the time.

[Pamela]

Wow. I guess humility isn't part of the German cultural psyche. I don't need to reel off the litany of the 20th century horrors that can be traced directly to just that lack of German humility, everyone here knows it. But let's just try the substitution game for a second:
--------------------
"We do not agree ... that the human rights of the victims are more important than the human rights of the terrorists."
-------------------
"We do not agree ... that the human rights of the Jews are more important than the human rights of the Einsatzgruppen."
-----------------

Has a certain ring to it, don't you think?

David and Ray, please give us more translations of this series. Just through the prism of clinical psychology it's fascinating in a morbid sort of way.

[Zyme]

"Really? Is that why the USA sacrificed the lives of hundreds of thousands of its sons and daughters to liberate Germany from National Socialism? Is that why the United States spent billions to defend and rebuild West German democracy for decades on end?"

Ah - so fighting for its own interests is called "caring for others" today. I will remember that.

Now to that ever-lasting lie of "ilberation": The US have liberated most countries occupied by german conquerers - but they have occupied and not liberated germany! If you had actually liberated us, there would have been no need to occupy germany - is this so difficult?

@ Danny Lemieux

What mess was to clean up in both world wars? Countries wanted to increase their territory, their influence and the spread of their ideology - no need for alien forces (like the US) to interfere! Thats exactly the reason why europe does not want to change regimes like in Iraq or China - its not our buisness to interfere with those countries inner politics!
This is called RESPECT of their self-inflicted status quo.
(Even when colonizing the world, europe left the old order in those countries intact wherever possible)

"I think that most Americans are getting very tired of cleaning up Europe's messes"
That really keeps me hoping the US troops might finally find their way out of europe. There is really nothing more obtrusive than meeting US soldiers failing to behave in our restaurants and pubs.

back to the authors of this news:

"And we know how much our multilateralist, holier-than-thou 'old European' friends love humanity so much more than anyone else. They continue to stand around and do nothing but talk as African nations like Sudan and Congo implode."

How clever you are that you already noticed this. What an astonishing observation of european politics this is. Hopefully its not shocking for americans to hear that in most cases its more promising to say something nice and fluffy while actually planing less charitable buisness.
(For a country that is lacking sophisticated diplomacy this might be real news though)

[Eg]

David, Ray,

In fact everyone...Kofi's special 'high plenary meeting' being held this week, the 14th - 16th, might be something to keep an eye on.

While so far having received little attention - in my own estimate and opinion - the event contains every element necessary to turn it into a complete disaster. You name it, this grand meeting has it. From a General Assembly expected to honor and lend stage to Iran's newly selected terrorist-President with his attendant award-winning speech almost certain to take aim at the US; to Kofi attempting hoist the UN into position as some world-governing agency, controlled by non-elected nobodies, dictator's, tyrants and thief's.

Sounds grand, huh?

[americanbychoice]

@ Zyme,
As usual, you seem to embody the Sieg Heil mentality of many Germans. Most of the world may say nice things, but nobody trusts you. Germany is not at the center of the world, it has become insignificant. In another generation the failure of the post war uebermenschen will destroy the arian race.

[joe]

I believe the operative word is “ At the moment”.

Let us not pretend that once this moment passes life will not return to normal for the both the elites and the masses.

One cannot expect the ruling class and their allies to accept responsibility for what might happen. Just as they have not accepted responsibility for what has already occurred. It has to be the fault of someone else. It cannot be the people so it has to be those evil ones who are a threat to world peace and who seek world domination. They will become even greater victims in there own eyes.

Yes Germans should be focused on the upcoming elections. It is in fact there one opportunity to influence the future direction of their nation. It does not matter very much that more than 50% of them fear this future. What matters is the choice they will make. Unfortunately many believe nothing will change no matter what choice they might make.

Historically Germans are not very good in making these choices. Most recently they fell for the promise of a reduction in unemployment only to see it rise even more. Many say they want change but their actions indicate they do not want change. It is a form of envy, to want something but not be willing to work to cause it to happen.

It would appear now unable to choose they will put into place a grand coalition. This might be called Germany’s own coalition of the willing. This will insure nothing gets done. They can watch in amazement as their leaders in Berlin rearrange the deck chairs on a sinking nation arguing about training programs for jobs, which do not exist. This will allow them to cling to the past fighting the future for a few more years as the rest of the world moves forward. They can turn to their true allies, the french and the Russians, to provide them with justification for social justice, common protection, and moral support to booster their own sense of superiority in the face of reality.

But worry not for this moment too will pass.

[dtlc]

To counter these complaints, she [Mrs. Merkel] points to Ursula von der Leyen, a 46-year-old doctor and mother of seven tapped to serve as her minister for women, families and health in a possible future government.

from
"Gender dominates Germany chancellor race"

If Leyen spents 12 hours at her job as a minister, including other party and political events, and sleeps 8 hours a day, and spends only 1 hour on her personal affairs (eating, taking a bath, combing hair), then she has 3 hours left for her husband and 7 kids. That comes down to 10 min with her husband and 25 minitues with each of her child.

What am I missing here?

[Cue Bickle]

The article from Stern you are getting het up about is dated February 2002. Wouldn't it have been fair to tell your readers that you are recycling "old hat" material. You are putting a 3 and a half years old article in the context of Katrina. That's bad style, to put it mildly.

[RayD]

Actually this is a series of articles that the Stern site has had up for over 3 years now. I think the fact that they have left it up that long and continue to leave it as an active series strengthens our point. In fact, it takes just 3 mouseclicks to access the series from Stern's homepage and anyone who wants to try it should go to www.stern.de and then: Click, "Serien" towards the top of the screen in gray, scroll down and click on page "3", then scroll down and click on "Der Aufstieg Amerikas."

In other words, it is laughable to accuse us of bad style when stern has had this garbage on their site for such a long time and obviously still stands behind this series since it is clearly still easily to be found and not buried in some archive.

As far as Katrina goes, the claim that I placed it in the same "context" as the series is hollow. I was pointing out how little donations the Red Cross had received in Germany and how ridiculous it is that these folks continue to lecture us about how the US doesn't care or how the US is stingy. On that level, this continues to be a cutting-edge, current issue. If you want to read something about Stern's most recent coverage of Katrina, all you have to do is read our very next posting. So please don't give me the bogus "old hat" line. It would only be "old hat" if stern had removed this series from its site long ago or buried it in some archive. It hasn't.

[Cue Bickle]

@Ray

I see you have added the date 2002 to the headline of your posting. Thank you.

As for the donations, the articles you are quoting clearly point out that the general perception in Germany is that the United States are much less in need for donations than the tsunami victims last year. The US is one of the richest countries around. What do you expect? Also, the tsunami death toll has been estimated to exceed 200.000. This is several orders of magnitude higher than what we have currently seen in the US.

[RayD]

@ NotForSale:

"I see you have added the date 2002 to the headline of your posting. Thank you."

No problem. I didn't really think it changed much, but we want to be as accurate as possible.

Sure, the US certainly doesn't need as much help as the tsunami nations...but when all of Germany donates less to the Red Cross than Celine Dion than that is clearly not a sign of enormous generosity.

[PacRim Jim]

People, dot you not see what's happening here? It's not about logic. Germany has borne and still bears a tremendous load of guilt from WWII, when they (and the Japanese) were reponsible for the deaths of about 50 million people. Now they are demonizing the U.S. to assuage their own guilt. "See, the U.S. does the same evil things, so we Germans aren't so bad, after all. In fact, we're better." The human brain is wonderful at recasting reality.

[Pamela]

PacRimJim
>>"See, the U.S. does the same evil things, so we Germans aren't so bad, after all. In fact, we're better."

There's alot of merit to what you say. Unfortunately for the Germans, the U.S. doesn't do the same evil things as did the Germans or the Japanese (and believe me, I have lots more problems with the Japanese than I do with the Germans - most Japanese are still unaware of what they did in Nanking - the Germans have at least owned up to their crimes - mostly).

As far as the lack of monetary generosity shown by the Germans for Katrina relief - well let's see - it's almost as much as Japan has pledged - 1 million - which is what, believe it or not, Afghanistan has pledged. And the EU. Nada. The EU asked the UK, in it's role of holding the Presidency of the EU to decide how much aid to pledge. Jack Straw, that anti-semitic paragon of virtue responded "Nothing". His rationale was rather vague - something about hurtin India's feelings because India had not received aid for something or other. So, it is EU member countries as individual countries that are donating whatever aid they feel is justified. In comparison, Germany looks very generous indeed.

Oh. I almost forgot. Kuwait: hundreds of millions of dollars plus oil.

Thank you Afghanistan and Kuwait.

[Cue Bickle]

@Ray

Another reason for the reluctancy to donate is that the US is apparently being a little selective about the offers it gets: Several countries have been told that their help is not needed. People don't like it when their donations are refused. According to the Spiegel, 15 tons of German care packs had to be brought back to the depot after the US refused to accept them. This doesn't exactly encourage people to donate.

[RayD]

@ NotForSale

That's a typical defense these days: It's America's fault no matter what.

Whether America accepts every single offer of aid or not is beside the point. If the US sent aid to Germany, there would also certainly be issues with customs and laws on GEN food, etc. Some aid from America would also likely be rejected or delayed. The point here is that America is often accused of being stingy and not caring by Euro elites. Yet that is exactly how the German media is now describing its OWN peoples' reaction to Katrina. And that is the real story.

I mean seriously, when Celine Dion donates more than all of Germany combined to the Red Cross, that is just plain sad. End of story.

[alexander]

Anyone who speaks german should check out the interview with James Graham Ballard, a british science fiction writer, at the webpage of the german newspaper DieZeit. http://www.zeit.de/2005/37/Ballard_Interview

It's a must-read. Quote: 'What has happened at the mississippi was some kind of ethnic cleansing, the hurricane katrina played the role, the civil war in the former Yugoslavia played. Katrina gave the excuse to attack the underprivileged Blacks.' Please read it all.

It was really never about George Bush. Never. He is and was just an excuse, a vail to hide anti-americanism.

alexander/austria

[Jabba the Tutt]

Just further evidence that Germans care so much more about humanity than Americans!

Americans aren't human.

[Cue Bickle]

@Ray

In 1962, Helmut Schmidt demonstrated that if you want to help people in an emergency, you may have to break the law. Although unconstitutional, he deployed the German Army in the worst flooing ever to hit Germany, saving thousands of lives. Help first, ask questions later. I don't recall any help being refused or held up during the tsunami last year. What's happing in the aftermath of Katrina verges on the unbelievable.

[frechdachs]

@RayD
"I mean seriously, when Celine Dion donates more than all of Germany combined to the Red Cross, that is just plain sad. End of story"

I wonder how much did americans donate when germany had the "jahrhundertflut" 2oo3?
I bet 95% did not even know we had that flood. Well we did not expect any donations from other countries because we could handle this disaster by ourselves!

Germans donate money for people in poor countries where their own citizens are not able to solve the problems alone! Well I hope you agree with me thats not the case here!
Another point is why should germans donate money to the usa if they hear that help from different countries are getting rejected, thats a sign for many germans help is not really needed!

[joe]

You people must be kidding me today.

Does the German or for that matter the french reaction actually surprise any Americans?

[Cue Bickle]

@joe

I don't know which report about the "French reaction" you are referring to. But you may have noticed that we were referring to the US reaction to the international help (including help from Germany), and this reaction was surprising indeed.

[disillusioned_german]

@Frechdachs: I suggest you take your head out of your backside. If your so called "Jahrhundertflut" had had the impact of Hurricane Katrina I'm sure Americans would have donated money. Fact is: Germans should know that Hurricane Katrina caused a disaster of almost "biblical proportions" (maybe biblical is the wrong word because few people over here believe in God). I firmly believe that a lot of Germans are self-centred, ego-centric scum (unless they can help someone they consider inferior). I'm telling the visitors to my website to boycott German products from now on, that's for sure.

[Don Miguel]

"There is really nothing more obtrusive than meeting US soldiers failing to behave in our restaurants and pubs."

Ha! That's a good one. Did you ever think that is possible that many of them at one time or another worked in the U.S. restaurant industry as waiters or busboys? All of the people that I've known in my life that worked as such could add up the tips given by Germans (and other Europeans) and maybe have enough money to buy pint at their local pub. What's that? You didn't know that tips are how they make most of their money because it's not that way in Germany? I thought Europeans knew all about the ways of the world, unlike those provincial amis that have poured billions into your economy over the decades.

To paraphrase you, there is really nothing more obtrusive than meeting German tourists failing to behave in our “fill-in-the-blank.” Countless times I've listened to Germans in my country and other countries I've been visiting badmouth the people, the culture or whatever thinking in their snobbish superiority that none of the local gentry could understand what they are saying.

[Bella]

"The History of the USA: No nation has ever dominated the globe like the USA. And its people could care less about the rest of humanity."

The only thing I could care less about is what Spiegel, Stern and their like think about the US. Also included in this group are the Germans who believe this drivel.

One rule of thumb, if those around you or in this case the scribblings of a magazine place you in a position where they feel you need to justify yourself, you are most definitely in bad company.

My prediction is that the REDS, GREENS, PDS AND LEFTIES will win. Then Germany will fall back into the Weimarer Republic, reliving what happened once before in Germany, namely the German People and their politicians: DO NOT BELIEVE IN DEMOCRACY.

After that all bets are off.

[RayD]

@ NotForSale:

So if the US refused German help, why did President Bush thank Chancellor Schroeder for aid from the German government? And why is the German embassy advertising this fact on its website?

[Cue Bickle]

When the Stern writes: "And its people don't care about the rest of humanity", this is inexcusable. When the translation of this statement is unnecessarily exaggerated to "couldn't care less", this is bad style.

[disillusioned_german]

NotForSale: What Der Stern actually means is "The American people couldn't give a toss ..." - now that is bad style. Shouldn't you be on the Michael Moore website? It's hilarious to hear lefties talk about "bad style"

[KiddCabo]

Hey Volks-
Don't know if this article has been analyzed here yet, but it makes for interesting reading and should be of interest to those who watch germany crumbling under the combined weight of a modern era and an unsurpassed national intellectual retardation.
We are seeing an extraordinary and completely phukedup national zeitgeist which once again, explains it's own failures as being the fault of another entity other than itself. Who would have thought that in the year 2005 that we would find a nation within europe possesive of such irrational thought?
"From Nationalism to Fascism to Terror-Parallels between Germany and the Arab World"-
* On occasion, one finds a historical pattern that provides a paradigm useful for interpreting contemporary world events. One such paradigm is the almost eerie parallel between Germany’s history — its progress from Nationalism to Fascism and ultimately Terror — and the recent history of the Arab world.
** read it all- http://victorhanson.com/articles/ibrahim090405.html

[Pato]

hey that KiddCabo guy above is actually me.
Now I am a licensed typepad dude.
I am back, and am anticipating the 6 days untill Angela M knocks crusty-assed Gerhard back into his comfy nanny's cave, thereby tethering this imbecile and perhaps slowing the stifling of euro progress as was schroeder's claim to fame. The guy is nothing but a marxist Flinstone character.

[RayD]

@ NotForSale:

Why don't you just admit it: It really pisses you off that we are reporting what is really going on in Germany and in the German media for everyone in the United States to see. All of the downplaying and complaining and nitpicking on your part about translations (our translation is absolutely correct) isn't going to change a thing. We know that many Germans share your attitude NotForSale. But you know what, we are going to keep doing what we do until the hatemongering and bias stop, whether you are comfortable with that or not.

[Dan Kauffman]

"Both publications report that up to Friday the 9th, the Red Cross had only collected 790,000 EURO ($980,000) in all of Germany"

Sad when you consider what the Truth Laid Bear Blog Ecosystem managed to collect.

http://www.truthlaidbear.com/index.php

$ 1,345,837 in contributions so far
contributions detail
contributions by country
log your contribution

1,874 blogs participating
list of blogs
blog leader board
blogs by country
add your blog

So less than 2000 internet blogs collected 37 1/3%
more than ALL of Germany?

Hmm may indicate the supremacy of voluntary Libertarian Associations over those with a Socialist mindset? ;-)

[Cue Bickle]

@Ray "our translation is absolutely correct"

No it isn't. "Couldn't care less" translates back to "völlig egal". The proper English translation would have been a plain "don't care". First you present a three and a half years old article in the context of Katrina like it was the latest example of biased media in Germany (thanks for adding the year 2002 in the meantime), then you exacerbate the meaning of the statement by deliberately persenting a wrong translation. One could be inclined to believe that your are being a little overzealous in trying to prove whatever you are trying to prove.

[frechdachs]

@Niko

"Leaving aside the fact that German media calls every flood "Jahrhundertflut" inasmuch as broken air-conditioning in editorial departments qualifies as "Killer-Sommer", fact is that the flood you mentioned did not kill anybody"

That shows that you are one of the 95% of americans i mentioned who did not know we had that big flood 2003! People got killed and it was not a normal flood, it was one of 3 biggest floods of the last 50 or 70 years!

"Americans have now donated to Americans over $632,783,990.
So how much did Germans donate to Germans in the aftermath of the last "Jahrhundertflut"? I bet that even when one is adjusting for less population and a smaller scale of disaster we'd see figures that resemble stinginess in a style reminiscent of John Kerry (<- inside joke)."

Deutsches Rotes Kreuz: 121 Millionen Euro
Caritas International: 50 Millionen Euro
Diakonie: 50 Millionen Euro
Thats only 3 of many more organisations which got donations for the "German Jahrhundertflut victims"

[frechdachs]

That shows that you are one of the 95% of americans i mentioned who did not know we had that big flood 2003! People got killed and it was not a normal flood, it was one of 3 biggest floods of the last 50 or 70 years!

I meant 2002 of course not 2003

[Gabi]

Hilfslieferungen aus Deutschland sollen peinlich sein. Ja, ja, das glaubt man wieder all zu gerne.

Bei diesem Thema sieht man deutlich, welche deutschen Zeitungen gerne bereit sind, jedes Gerücht zu verbreiten und als Wahrheit darstellen, ohne Korrekturen zum wahren Hintergrund zu bringen. Die SZ ist immer dabei.

1. Süddeutsche (Das Gerücht wird als Wahrheit suggeriert. Das tatsächliche Motiv wird durch das Wörtchen "angeblich" in Zweifel gezogen)
10.09.2005 16:30 Uhr
Spenden für New Orleans
USA stoppen Hilfslieferung aus Deutschland

Angeblich aus Angst vor BSE wollen die USA eine Hilfslieferung mit Essenspaketen aus Deutschland nicht annehmen. Aus Militärkreisen sickerte jedoch durch, dass die Bush-Administration lediglich peinliche Bilder vermeiden wollte.

http://www.sueddeutsche.de/,tt3m2/ausland/artikel/320/60260/

2. Tagesspiegel (korrekt)
Meldungen, wonach ein Airbus mit deutscher Nahrungsmittelhilfe für die Südküste unverrichteter Dinge habe zurückfliegen müssen und die US-Regierung ausländische Hilfe im Grunde nicht wünsche, erwiesen sich als irreführend.
Verwirrung lösten am Wochenende Nachrichten aus, das amerikanische Agrarministerium habe einem deutschen Airbus mit Notrationen – das US-Kürzel lautet MRE (Meals Ready to Eat), das deutsche Epa (Einmannpackung) – die Einreise wegen BSE-Bedenken untersagt und das bereits angereiste Flugzeug nach Deutschland zurückgeschickt. Die Intonierung der Meldungen, Bush wolle peinliche Bilder von Lebensmittelhilfe aus Europa vermeiden, steht in scharfem Kontrast zu Darstellungen der deutschen Botschaft in Washington und des US-Außenministeriums. Dort heißt es übereinstimmend, ausländische Hilfe sei äußerst willkommen, kein Angebot werde abgelehnt. Nur dauere die Prüfung, wo welche Hilfe sinnvoll sei, in manchen Fällen länger. In einer Pressekonferenz hatte der Koordinator des US-Außenministeriums die 45 Tonnen deutschen MREs als besonders nützliche Soforthilfe gelobt. Die Bundeswehr verfügt aufgrund der langen Zusammenarbeit über eine permanente Landegenehmigung in Pensacola, Florida. Das Technische Hilfswerk (THW) baut gerade Hochgeschwindigkeitspumpen in New Orleans auf.

Ein deutscher Regierungssprecher bestätigte dem Tagesspiegel, dass Airbusse mit je 15 Tonnen MREs am 3., 4. und 6. September in Florida gelandet seien. Vor dem Start eines vierten am 8. September habe das US-Agrarministerium Bedenken angemeldet unter Berufung auf eine Verordnung aus Hoch-Zeiten der BSE-Krise. Daraufhin sei die Maschine nicht gestartet, jedoch hätten US-Behörden die Verordnung inzwischen aufgehoben.
http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/index.asp?gotos=http://archiv.tagesspiegel.de/toolbox-neu.php?ran=on&url=http://archiv.tagesspiegel.de/archiv/11.09.2005/2047248.asp#art

3. AFP

USA stoppten deutsche Lebensmittel-Hilfe für Hurrikan-Opfer
Berlin (AFP) - Die USA haben eine Hilfslieferung der Bundesregierung mit Essenspaketen für die Opfer des Hurrikans "Katrina" gestoppt. Der für Donnerstag geplante Flug mit 15 Tonnen Lebensmittel-Rationen der Bundeswehr sei ausgefallen, weil die US-Behörden keine Einfuhrgenehmigung erteilt hätten, sagte ein Sprecher der Bundesregierung am Samstag in Berlin. Gründe seien ihm nicht bekannt. Es wäre der letzte von insgesamt vier zugesagten Lebensmittel-Transporten gewesen. Bei den vorherigen Lieferungen habe es keine Probleme gegeben, betonte der Sprecher.

http://de.news.yahoo.com/050910/286/4okul.html

4. Bei yahoo.news keine Ergänzung bis jetzt, 11.09.05, 8.40 Uhr

New Orleans soll bis Oktober leergepumpt sein
10/09/2005 19h23
...
Die US-Behörden stoppten derweil eine Hilfslieferung aus Deutschland mit Essenspaketen - angeblich, um peinliche Bilder zu vermeiden.
...
Das Nachrichtenmagazin "Der Spiegel" berichtet unter Berufung auf US-Militärs am US-Stützpunkt Pensacola in Florida, die US-Regierung habe mit dem Stopp der Essenspakete aus Deutschland die für sie peinlichen Bilder von Lebensmittel-Lieferungen aus Europa vermeiden wollen. Offiziell hatte das US-Landwirtschaftsministerium den Transport aus Angst vor BSE verboten. Der neue US-Botschafter William R. Timken dankte den Deutschen dennoch für ihre Hilfsbereitschaft.
http://www.afp.com/deutsch/news/stories/050910172356.mjznof90.html

(Bis jetzt keine Ergänzung auf der website von APF. Kein Interesse, die Wahrheit zu verbreiten)

5. Der Spiegel selbst bereits am 10.09. dies:

"SPENDENDESASTER

USA blockieren Hilfe - und die Deutschen knausern

Weil die US-Regierung befürchtete, deutsche Care-Pakete seien BSE-verseucht, hat sie 15 Tonnen Lebensmittel für "Katrina"-Opfer nicht ins Land gelassen."

http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,374093,00.html

6. FAZ bringt immer noch die erste Spiegel-Version:

Hilfslieferungen
Amerika verweigerte Lebensmittel aus Deutschland

10. September 2005 Die USA haben in dieser Woche die Annahme von 15 Tonnen Lebensmittelhilfen aus Deutschland für die Opfer des Hurrikans „Katrina” verweigert.

Ein Regierungssprecher sagte am Samstag in Berlin, ein mit 9000 Einmannpackungen der Bundeswehr beladener Luftwaffen-Airbus habe keine Einfluggenehmigung für die USA erhalten. Inzwischen sei die Sperre aber wieder aufgehoben worden. Er wisse nicht, was die US-Regierung bewogen habe, die Annahme der Rationen mit Fertiggerichten wie Gulasch, Wurstkonserven, Marmelade und Getränkepulver zu verweigern.

Angst vor BSE?

Mittlerweile sei das Einflugverbot wieder aufgehoben. Ob und wann eine weitere Lieferung erfolge, sei offen. Ein Angehöriger der US-Botschaft in Berlin sagte, es habe vorübergehend ein technisches und logistisches Problem gegeben, das nun gelöst sei. Das amerikanische Landwirtschaftsministerium hatte nach
Darstellung des Nachrichtenmagazins „Der Spiegel” die Einfuhr untersagt.

Laut Spiegel hätten die Vereinigten Staaten als offiziellen Grund die Furcht vor der Einführung der Rinderseuche BSE genannt. Auch die Verteilung von Notrationen aus Rußland und Großbritannien sei deshalb untersagt worden.

Peinliche Bilder vermeiden

Militärs am US-Stützpunkt Pensacola in Florida, wo die Deutsche Transporter bisher landeten, bezweifelten laut „Spiegel” die offizielle Begründung. In Wirklichkeit wolle die Bush-Regierung weitere für sie peinliche Bilder von Lebensmittellieferungen aus Europa vermeiden."

http://www.faz.net/s/RubBB4384140F734CB39B5B205830A3FE02/Doc~E7817C9D0812B47138C81F14359F0754D~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html

Bei BILD suchte ich vergeblich nach Negativ-Schlagzeilen zum Thema. stattdessen das:

Technisches Hilfswerk im Einsatz in New Orleans
So helfen die Deutschen
in der Todesstadt

UND:

Helfen Sie den Kindern von New Orleans!
Herzensbrücke nach Amerika


Die traurigen Kinder von New Orleans: Wer hilft ihnen jetzt?



Die Hurrikan-Kinder von New Orleans brauchen uns! BILD wird mit der „Herzensbrücke nach Amerika“ helfen!

Im übrigen: Deutsche spenden so wenig wie nie zuvor! Angeblich brauchen die reichen USA keine Hilfe. Aber ich kann mir da ganz andere Gründe vorstellen. Vor wenigen Tagen fragte man auf WDR 5 nach der Spendenbereitschaft. Ich fand die teilweisen haßerfüllten Antworten ganz schön erschreckend.

[RayD]

@ NotForSale:

Actually there are numerous translations provided online for "could care less." Whether you include a "völlig" before the "egal" is really beside the point. If you "don't care" about something, that also means that you "could care less". Our translation accurately reflects the meaning of the statement. Again, if all you can do is nitpick about our translation, that is pretty pathetic.

By the way, if you want to talk about being correct, your link leads us to "couldn't care less" which is not the phrase I used (could care less).

As far as your other point goes, you sound like a broken record. Stern has had this series on its website for three years and continues to run it as an active series on US history. The fact that they haven't archived it yet actually strengthens our point. You can reach it directly from their homepage with just 3 clicks as I detailed above. And again, this IS totally reflective of Stern's attitude towards the United States and continues to be reflective of that attitude (otherwise they would have removed it instead of leaving it up for so long). If you want criticism of the most recent Stern work, we have plenty of that on our site as well. So come up with something real to criticize.

[Cue Bickle]

@Ray

I know you said "could care less". But I'm not talking about language habits. "Could care less" is an intensification of "don't care". If it does not make any difference to you, as you seem to indicate, why not stick with the accurate translation, because most people understand the difference.

As for the Stern statement, I strongly disapprove of it. But it's hardly an "active series". It started in 2002 and ended in 2002. The fact that you can still find it is common practice in many online magazines or newspapers.

[RayD]

@ NotForSale

My point has always been that my translation is accurate. If you "could care less" about something, you "don't care" about it. So that is the end of the argument for me.

If you want to consult some PhD in English about language and write a book about the "degrees of caring" and the differences you perceive between "don't care" and "could care less", please do that on your own time and not on our site. We frankly are tired of your Oberlehrer mentality and we could care less, (i.e. we don't care) about your lame criticisms.

(Furthermore, I am not going to argue with you for the third or fourth time about the definition of an "active" series.)

[kdoh_2000]

I've been concerned with the European point of view of the US even before 9/11/01. Since the end of the Cold War, it has seemed they would like to put America back in its place, which seems to be prior to 1914.

In any case, unlike some of our European cousins, I am concerned by the seeming impossibility of Americans to cross politically to help one another, actualized by some of the reaction to Katrina.