« Ventura County at 5:28 p.m. | Main | Oh, the humanity! »
November 26, 2005
Everything old is new again
The Telegraph reports that the German government has decided to battle early 21st-Century malaise by boosting the self-esteem of its morose citizens with the assistance of an advertising campaign.
According to the Telegraph:
Studies show that Germans are among the world's most pessimistic and unhappy nations. The gloom stems mainly from economic woes and chronically high unemployment.
Ever notice the dearth of German comedians? Hmmmm.
Anyhow, all great advertising campaigns need a catchy slogan, so they settled on "Du Bist Deutschland" -- "You Are Germany!" The print campaign puts a face on the slogan, with examples of Who ist Germany, like Albert Einstein, below.
Unfortunately, it turns out that this catchy little phrase has been used before to boost the fragile egos of der verklempt strudel sniffers.
A little digging by a German researcher who understands both the concept of due diligence and has a better grasp on his nation's history than the dumkopfs in charge of this ditzkrieg found an example of the last time his countrymen were cheered up by the slogan:
Doncha just hate it when that happens?
[A] historian from Ludwigshafen has provoked an uproar with his discovery that the same Du Bist Deutschland cry was used at Nazi rallies in the 1930s.
Stefan Mörz uncovered photographs of a 1935 Nazi convention in which soldiers display a banner reading, in gothic script, Denn Du Bist Deutschland (Because You Are Germany). The slogan was topped with the head of Adolf Hitler. Leading Nazis such as Hermann Göring and Joseph Goebbels attended the event.
"Every time I see the slogan Du Bist Deutschland I am reminded of this rather disturbing parallel with the past," said Mr Mörz, a historian and archivist.
Me too, bruddah, me too.
Captain Ed points out the irony of using Einstein, who fled the Nazi's anti-Semitism, to front the campaign.
As an aside, the whole self-esteem movement has always seemd like a bunch of psycho-babble hooey to me; whether kids or adults, most people need a swift kick in the pants, not constant praise. Despite fears constantly propagated by the mental health "profession," junior won't be emotionally crippled by an adult telling him to shut the hell up and no, his picture doesn't look anything like Spiderman.
I recall reading a study of inmates in the California Department of Corrections, wherein the researchers found that the lifers had an inflated sense of their self worth -- their self esteem -- and great contempt for the rest of us.
Food for thought.
Posted by Mike Lief at November 26, 2005 12:00 PM
| TrackBack
Comments
Kind of scary to see the Germans having another temper tantrum.
Posted by: L' Ninny at November 26, 2005 03:44 PM
I don't think it's a temper tantrum; more a staggering lack of knowledge about the history of the Third Reich and its propaganda.
Posted by: Mike at November 26, 2005 07:43 PM