Observing German(s)…

If the results of a survey that only Germans could come up with are any indication (the title of the survey was “Who Rules the World”), Germany’s low-profile days on the international stage since World War II (and you can’t get much lower than that) may soon be coming to an end.

Fascinating and completely unexpected insights have come to light with this fascinating and completely unexpected survey. For instance: Germans, living in an economic powerhouse as military midgets (except when it comes to arms sales, of course), do not see military strength as an important quality of a world power. “When you look at what qualities Germans attribute to world powers, it comes down to political stability and economic strength.” Wow. Is this what they mean when they say checkbook diplomacy?

Or how about this one: Germans have now realized that they have something they call “a responsibility” (only one?) in this world (as in Planet Earth?) and that because of this, they are no longer absorbed strictly with themselves anymore really-honest-no-kidding. That’s cool, I guess. But in the same survey and breath they also insist that the UN and the EU are the ones who need to take on larger roles when it comes to doing the “peace and stability in the world” maintaining part, which neatly takes them right back out of the equation again.

But we still want to play, you guys. OK? Von mir aus (sure, for all I care). Hmmm. Could it be that the Germans want to have their Kuchen and eat it, too?

Es darf eben nichts kosten.

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Like I said, I have my doubts. It’s more than half in Berlin, I’m sure. And these so-called modern family forms have been the future here (and elsewhere) for quite some time now. And the real news is that these statistics don’t really mean anything (I know, they never do). If you take not such a close look around you, you will see that the so-called traditional families that still do exist here are unfortunately no less psycho than the alternative forms supposedly replacing them. And that’s saying a lot. These folks at the German Federal Office of Statistics are crunching the wrong numbers, in other words.

What they need to do is measure the numbers representing how the lack of personal responsibility and sense of duty has been rising over the years. I don’t know which numbers represent this best - and I don’t really want to go there right now, thank you - but you can bet that these numbers are going threw the roof. In other words: It doesn’t matter what type of family you belong to if nobody in it is doing his or her job, and that is clearly the case. Once the “traditional family values” go, once you are out on your own like a rolling stone, it’s all over. For “you” as a society, I mean. Practically everything that’s wrong with everywhere you care to look in this world (yup, think USA) can be explained by this very real phenomenon.

And the punch line here (this is really going to kill you)? It’s only going to get worse! This is the Generation Me era we are living in, people, the age of Selbstverwirklichung (self-realization), and it’s going to have to get a lot worse than this before we collectively realize (self-realize?) that Me (as in you, of course) just ain’t all that interesting.

Das sind ja Zahlen ohne Ende.

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PS: Thanks for the Marco link, Wilhelm. I hope the vigil in Dortmund goes well. Is this thing turning into Midnight Express, or what?

The original idea was that whoever represents the state by doing official duties like issuing official documents or making official decisions should have a special kind of official employment with the state, officially. So now it is official, as is the fact that about 61% of those asked during a recent survey (3000 total, 1000 of these being Beamte themselves) do not like Beamte. This is strange because I was under the impression that Beamte must make up about 61% of the total population here, at least.

When asked just what it was that they did not like about Beamte, about a quarter of those surveyed said that they see them as being lazy and obstinate, which of course they are (although that’s actually the nice way of putting it). And it turns out that the Beamte themselves don’t trust the Beamte around them either, which only makes sense really, as they are officials working officially for the state and need to stay on their toes at all times.

But all of them here, Angestellte, Beamte and those surveyed alike, feel that they deserve to earn more money than they already do. Maybe that explains why German train drivers are demanding a 31% raise at the moment and have begun to strike. But that’s just a Vermutung (conjecture) on my part.

So is this type of attitude fair? Probably not. But who cares? After all, the very Germans surveyed who said they don’t like Beamte also said that the professions they admire the most were those of firemen, police, judges and teachers. And you guessed it, these folks are all Beamte here. So come on people. Give yourselves a push and go out there and start bashing these professions now, too.

Ich bin auf der Arbeit und nicht auf der Flucht.

Kommentare auf Deutsch? Logisch.