Kleinigkeiten aus der Provinz:Wir wollen mal nicht so sein!

(Here is another submission in German by an author with the penname Eva-Maria.)

"Ich will nicht so sein wie der typische Amerikaner, der sich durch völliges Desinteresse an seiner Kultur und Geschichte auszeichnet.", sagte der berühmte amerikanische Schauspieler, und die Provinzzeitung zitiert das. ("Heilbronner Stimme" vom 15.07.2006) Vielleicht hat er diesen Satz ja auch nicht gesagt, oder nicht in dieser Form? Zitiert wird der Satz jedenfalls, auch wenn er zum Thema, nämlich der Filmkarriere des berühmten Schauspielers, nichts Wesentliches beiträgt.

Weil wir als typische Leser einer deutschen Provinzzeitung sowieso schon alle wissen, dass der typische Amerikaner sich durch völliges Desinteresse an seiner Kultur und Geschichte auszeichnet, fordern wir hiermit von unserer Zeitung, sie möge sich nicht mit derartigen Binsenweisheiten aufhalten, sondern uns die wirklich wichtigen Zitate präsentieren! Sie möge uns enthüllen, was wir noch nicht wissen!! Nämlich dies:

"Ich will nicht so sein wie der typische Franzose, der immer nur Rotwein trinkt", sagte der berühmte Franzose Jean-Jacques S. und bestellte sich ein Bier.

"Ich will nicht so sein wie die typische Engländerin, die immer nur Tee trinkt", sagte die berühmte Engländerin Mary N. und bestellte sich eine Tasse Kaffee.

"Ich will nicht so sein wie der typische Italiener, der immer nur Pasta isst", sagte der berühmte Italiener Mario Z. und öffnete eine Tüte Kartoffelchips.

"Ich will nicht so sein wie der typische Schwede, der nur Regale zum Zusammenbauen verkauft", sagte der berühmte Schwede Carl Gustav L. und verkaufte ein fertiges Regal.

"Ich äh äh will nicht so sein wie der typische äh Bayer, der äh Problembären für äh äh Kuschel äh tiere hält", sagte der berühmte Bayer Edmund St., bevor  (oder äh nachdem?) er den Bären erschießen ließ.

"Ich will nicht so sein wie die typische Holländerin, die ausschließlich Holzschuhe trägt", sagte die berühmte Holländerin Antje van M. und schlüpfte in ihre Turnschuhe.

"Ich will nicht so sein wie der typische Russe, der immer nur Wodka trinkt", sagte der berühmte Russe Wladimir R. und bestellte sich ein Mineralwasser.

"Ich will nicht so sein wie die typische Spanierin, die immer nur Flamenco tanzt", sagte die berühmte Spanierin Carmen B. und meldete sich für einen Rock 'n' Roll-Kurs an.

"Ich hasse Stereotypen", flüsterte der berühmte deutsche Journalist ...

Comments

[RedLinda]

Yawn!

[George M]

Other than Frodo is banging the ugly chic from the Bourne Identity (Franke Potente), what is the big deal?

I think what Wood is saying is that he wants to know more about his ethnic heritage, which Americans don't typically celebrate after 3 generations. I don't think he is saying that Americans are ignorant about American culture and history.

Although it may be true that many Americans are ignorant about their own country's culture and history, the causation for the ignorance is the American education establishment, not any intent to ignore culture or history.

[PacRimJim]

If Americans clinged to baggage from the past, like Muslims, we would revile Germany and Japan, since old hatreds would never die. Is that the kind of world in which you would live?

[Germany]

Tolles Blog!!! Echt super!!!!!

Kmm bald zu mir

http://germanynews.ilcannocchiale.it

[amiexpat]

disinterested in their own culture.. hmmm..
I am an American who lives in Germany.
I have been in 'the new Bundesländer' more often than most Germans.
Many Germans I talk to say 'why would I want to go there'?
Geez, Eisenach, city of Bach and Luther..
Weimar - A cultural capital. the list goes on
Why indeed?
disinterest in their own culture.. oh wait, only the AMIS have that...

[storm72]

And here I've been thinking that America is the ultimate "it's always someone else's fault" society. Clearly that's also the case for some self-loathing, miserable Germans who seem to need to find some outlet to deal with their angst. It's sad really when you consider that there are much more effective, psychologically sound methods for dealing with such despair.

I find it particularly interesting that Germans, a people who still refuse to fully own up to and acknowledge their society's history of aggression and genocide against its neighbors and ethnic groups considered "inferior" to Germans are throwing stones at other nations vis-a-vis ignorance of history.

[flux]

It's a little ironic that all of all people, Mr Nazi non-sequitor himself, PacRimJim says: "If Americans clinged to baggage from the past, like Muslims, we would revile Germany and Japan, since old hatreds would never die." If your hatred hasn't died, why the constant uncalled-for Nazi references?

@storm72: Germans haven't acknowledged the Holocaust? Have you ever been to Germany? There's hardly any corner left you can turn to without looking at some sort of Holocaust memorial. Now, I am not saying that's the healthiest or best way to deal with the past, but it's a little rich to suggest Germans refuse to acknowledge their history. Can you name one country that has done more in terms of public memorials, education, reparations etc. than Germany?

Btw, there's a new memorial at the Checkpoint Charlie site.

[amiexpat]

yeah I am with flux on this one.

@PacRim.. found your Arbeit macht Frei reference on one of your previous entries over the top by far.
a cheap shot and unfair.

@PacRim.. read this from the National Review.. not exactly a 'liberal rag'

http://frum.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MjAzMzIzOGE5MTgwYjk0NDg4YjdjYmZiNWNhNDkyODc=

I an an American who lives in Germany. I hate anti Americanism with a passion (and there is loads of it here), but taking cheap shots doesn't help.

Flux, not that I am going to leave you off scott free..
My standard response when I am asked about how could AMericans be so stupid as to vote for Bush..

1. Joschka Fischer was at a PLO conference BEFORE ... BEFORE .. the PLO offically recognized Israels right to exist. The PLO still wants to destroy Israel..
and Joschka Fischer was the darling of German society for a LONG TIME.. and he was in charge
of foreign politics with Israel..
I know there are caveats, explanations, etc., but my point is.. your politicans 'cook with water' too..

2. ALSO.. in Sep 2004 there was an election in Saxony. over 30 percent of the people voted for the parties of Hitler Honecker and Ulbrecht.

Those are two asides.. the frum article is really my real opinion, but I do get tired of the 'holier than thou' attitude I see over here..

[Jabba the Tutt]

This comment about the typical American's disinterest in his own culture is right out of the oldest form of anti-Americanism from the period before there was a United States. As Ambassador to France, Thomas Jefferson tried to fight this. The leading naturalist of the world, Comte de Buffon, proposed the theory that the New World was degenerate, that versions of the same species found in Europe and America would be smaller in the New World. Here's a snip from a telling of this story:

http://www.temple.edu/lawschool/dpost/Moose.html

But there was another, more specific, purpose. He wanted to show them that this new world was not a degenerate place. The Comte de Buffon, probably the most celebrated naturalist of the late 18th Century, had propounded just such a theory about the degeneracy of life in the New World. Jefferson described Buffon's theory this way:

"That the animals common both to the old and new world, are smaller in the latter; that those peculiar to the new, are on a smaller scale; that those which have been domesticated in both, have degenerated in America; and that on the whole the New World exhibits fewer species."

Though it may be hard to appreciate from our more enlightened 21st century perspective, this was deadly serious stuff -- both as science and, more to our point here, as politics; to Jefferson, Buffon's theory had ominous political implications, for it was, as he put it, "within one step" of the notion that man, too, would degenerate in the New World. Thus, it could and did give a kind of intellectual cover to the notion that man in the New World could not be trusted to govern himself.

What gets me the most about these folks, is there absolute certainty of their opinions, which are absolutely ridiculous. For example, if the typical American isn't interested in his own culture (surprising admission that there IS an American culture), how has this culture survived for over three centuries?

[Brock Landers]

@amiexpat

Very good point. I have lived in Sachsen-Anhalt and enjoy visiting eastern Germany immensely. I can confirm that lots of Wessis roll their eyes, shrug and wonder why anyone would like to go there. Weimar, Dresden, Potsdam - - who cares?