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"Hitler" not a tainted word in Germany? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Cultural Experiences in Foreign Languages | ( Topic Closed) |  |
| vonPeterhof Tetraglot Senior Member Russian FederationRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4771 days ago 715 posts - 1527 votes  Speaks: Russian*, EnglishC2, Japanese, German Studies: Kazakh, Korean, Norwegian, Turkish | Message 9 of 14 20 January 2012 at 7:03pm | IP Logged | ||
As for the OP's examples, the theatre article doesn't really count as using his name in jest, just an illustration of the theatre's high status in Berlin. You didn't really give any context for the movie so I don't know if it was in jest or not, but I don't find it particularly weird that a mainstream German movie would mention Hitler, even if it has nothing to do with the war. Now the Hipster Hitler cartoons do seem to be pushing the boundaries of taste a little too far for the German mainstream, but keep in mind that they were posted in an English-language magazine directed mainly at Berlin's expat community, who would probably find them a little less tasteless than the Germans. Also, the editor's note at the bottom states that the magazine no longer publishes the cartoons. Edited by vonPeterhof on 20 January 2012 at 7:05pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| zenmonkey Bilingual Tetraglot Senior Member Germany Joined 6551 days ago 803 posts - 1119 votes 1 sounds Speaks: EnglishC2*, Spanish*, French, German Studies: Italian, Modern Hebrew | Message 10 of 14 20 January 2012 at 11:58pm | IP Logged | ||
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Despite the taboo of the word, the subject and the jokes that the previous posters in this thread have outlined; and they should know as they are Germans living in Germany, my experience as a foreigner living in Munich is that the subject isn't that closed off. Not a week goes by without a TV, magazine or newspaper article about the man or other war criminal, educational element, or related modern tragedy. Omnipresent and, yes, quite overwhelming when I initially arrived.
Personally I would never bring up the subject. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| druckfehler Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4867 days ago 1181 posts - 1912 votes Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Korean Studies: Persian | Message 11 of 14 29 January 2012 at 12:23am | IP Logged | ||
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As others mentioned Hitler and other third Reich officials have become a subject for comedy and I guess it's also become rather common in fluffy romantic comedy movies. In "Rubbel die Katz" they also have some jokes about an actor playing Hitler. But many, including myself in most cases, would still consider it bad taste to entertain people with Hitler impersonations or jokes.
In any case, you should note that not everything relating to WW2 is open to ridicule. If you find a German joking about concentration camps you can be sure you've met someone unpleasant. It's the difference between ridiculing Kim Jong Il and ridiculing famine in North Korea or between ridiculing Bush and making fun of bombing Iraq (not that I think these can be compared in magnitude or their specific significations). Hitler is not only part of pop culture in Germany, he's become an international symbol of "the evil" (in the Western world) and therefore will of course be the subject of jokes and myths and all sorts of stuff. Part of the reason Germans make comedy about Hitler is probably influenced by international pop culture while part of it is dealing with taboo and cultural trauma. As zenmonkey pointed out, the subject of WW2 is certainly not closed off, it's a favourite of newspapers and TV producers. Also, most Germans my age (I'm 24) have been repeatedly (sometimes exhaustingly) exposed to the subject in school from age 10 upwards, sometimes younger. The generation of our parents, teachers and current media producers was raised in an atmosphere where any mention of WW2 was more or less taboo, so in our generation they make sure it's pretty omnipresent. You'll observe a similar phenomenon in Israel, where the Holocaust is just as omnipresent, although with a difference in emphasis. And while Germans usually try to distance themselves from their ancestors it seems Israelis are more likely to seek continuity and identify themselves with the tragic fate of their ancestors. I guess that makes sense, too. Oh well, going off-topic now and I've raised too many sensitive topics already, so I'll keep it at that. Just one more thing I want to point out:
My guess is that the German sentence was "Selbst der Führer hatte dort eine Loge" ( = even the Führer had a box there) and not "der Führer selbst hatte dort eine Loge" (as in your translation). It's only a slight difference in meaning, but "The Führer himself" would imply a greater importance and even a measure of respect for Hitler than "even the Führer" does. 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Richard Burton Newbie Spain Joined 4331 days ago 34 posts - 64 votes Speaks: Ancient Greek* | Message 12 of 14 15 January 2013 at 9:00pm | IP Logged | ||
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Yes, Germans are under perfect mind control, you dont need to worry about anything and just follow usual expectations in your territory.
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| Wanabe Triglot Newbie United States Joined 4335 days ago 18 posts - 21 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish | Message 13 of 14 15 January 2013 at 10:37pm | IP Logged | ||
That was uncalled for and very Trollish. When I lived there in the 70's, things Third Reich seemed still very taboo. Even a Hitler style mustache could start a ruckus and a "Hitler Style" salute even in jest, could get you beaten arrested and probably beaten again. Edited by Wanabe on 15 January 2013 at 10:38pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
 newyorkeric Diglot Moderator Singapore Joined 6378 days ago 1598 posts - 2174 votes Speaks: English*, Italian Studies: Mandarin, Malay Personal Language Map | Message 14 of 14 16 January 2013 at 2:18am | IP Logged | ||
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Thread closed for obvious reasons.
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