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ZDF

Comedian goes viral with ‘Be Deutsch, Be Nice’ video

TV Comedian Jan Böhmermann is once again going viral - this time with a music video spoofing rockers Rammstein but calling for the world to embrace the modern German values of multiculturalism and niceness rather than nationalism.

Published: 1 April 2016 11:29 CEST
Updated: 1 April 2016 16:29 CEST
Comedian goes viral with 'Be Deutsch, Be Nice' video
Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

Under the hashtag #makegermanygreatagain – a nod to populist US presidential candidate Donald Trump – the song “Be Deutsch” by German comedian Jan Böhmermann topped a million views within 24 hours with its lyrics hailing Germany's modern, liberal values and trashing its dark past.

 

“Be Deutsch! Be nice!” the sharp-tongued entertainer repeats throughout the song, redefining what it means to be a Bundesbürger (federal citizen).

Böhmermann, whose show Neo Magazin Royale is broadcast weekly on publicly-owned ZDF, borrows heavily from world famous industrial metal and hard rock band Rammstein.

The striking images in its video and strong political message assured a mass of reaction – both positive and negative – on social media after it was posted.

There were thousands of messages in praise of Böhmermann's latest video spectacular on Twitter, with one user saying “I can't decide whether Jan Böhmermann should represent us at the Eurovision Song Contest with Be Deutsch or extra 3 with their Erdogan track.”
 

“Take that, you 'concerned citizens'!,” another wrote. “Böhmermann has used the broadcaster fee for the public good.”

Some people complained that despite its anti-nationalist message, Böhmermann was sparking a “contest to be better at being German” that wasn't particularly helpful.

In times of refugee crisis and a supposed threat to German culture, what is being Deutsch really about? According to Böhmermann, this is what it's not about:

1. Nationalists with torches and pitchforks

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

“Remember, remember the 9th of November…,” sings the entertainer in the beginning, alluding to the infamous pogrom against Jews called Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken Glass, on November 9th 1938. We definitely don't want that again.

2. “Authoritarian nationalist dorks”

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

Böhmermann selects a video of Alternative for Germany (AfD) leading light Frauke Petry to illustrate his idea of an “authoritarian nationalist”.

The entertainer's lyrics also paint a picture of modern-day Germanness:

1. Socks and sandals

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

Sandals against smelly feet and socks against the cold. Makes sense, right?

2. Birkenstock shoes

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

Another German foot-fashion-fetish. The rest of the world will eventually come around to appreciate their beauty. They'll come around…

3. Bicycle helmets

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

There is in fact no German law obliging people to wear helmets. It's all for reasons of style.

4. Reserving sun loungers with towels

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

Some things never change. Especially the German need to colonize lounging areas.

5. Döner kebab

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

And you thought all Bundesbürger ate was Schnitzel and sausage? Wrong! Those two have long made way for this greasy feast.

6. Sausages

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

Alright, fine. They still eat sausages – but at least this time they're vegan.

7. Liberal

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

Yep, the Bundesrepublik still feels pretty liberal when it comes to homosexuality (despite the whole lack of legal recognition of gay marriage thing).

8. “Everyone can do whatever the fuck they want”

Okay, maybe some people might find the kinky priest a bit too liberal.

9. Dosenpfand (refundable cans)

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

Despite all how liberal Germans may be, they still follow the rules and are very conscientious when it comes to recycling and saving money. Also, how intense is this boy? There's good odds his name is Max.

10. Multicultural

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

Luckily, the face of Germany isn't all staring blond children. In fact, it's multi-faceted – and by and large, it seems to work.

11. A different kind of pride

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

Considering the past of the country, there's really not much to be boasting about. So why not turn it around? Pride in no pride.

12. NICE

Photo: ZDF/YouTube screenshot

Despite all prejudices, Germans are actually genuinely nice. It's just taking some people a little longer to get used to the idea.

by Max Bringmann

SEE ALSO: Spoof hails Varoufakis as putting 'hell' in 'Hellenica'

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ZDF

Hitler or Höcke? Regional AfD boss cuts short German TV interview

The far-right AfD politician Björn Höcke broke off an interview with the German broadcaster ZDF after his words were compared to those of Hitler.

Published: 16 September 2019 10:07 CEST
Updated: 16 September 2019 11:30 CEST
Hitler or Höcke? Regional AfD boss cuts short German TV interview
AfD Thuringia boss Björn Höcke during the election campaign in Brandenburg on August 30th. Photo: DPA

Höcke, boss of the AfD in the eastern state of Thuringia, and his press spokesman had asked to restart the awkward interview because Höcke had allegedly been surprised by the questions on his use of language.

The ZDF journalist refused to do this. Höcke and his spokesman then broke off the interview after a short discussion.

At the beginning of the conversation, which was broadcast on Sunday evening during the programme “Berlin direkt”, the interviewer had shown the AfD politician short videos in which his party colleagues were confronted with excerpts from Höcke's book.

READ ALSO: How did Germany's 'most dangerous book' come into existence?

They were then asked to say whether the quotes came from Höcke – or from “Mein Kampf”, Adolf Hitler's 1925 autobiographical manifesto.

None of the politicians wanted to answer the question. AfD Member of Parliament Martin Reichardt said: “Well, I won't be able to answer the question because I didn't read “Mein Kampf”. And I don't know if that is from Mr. Höcke either.”

Another AfD MP, Jens Maier, said: “If (I had to guess) then more from “Mein Kampf”, I would say, but not from Mr Höcke”.

After watching the videos, Höcke said: “That says above all that most people have not read my book at all.” 

When confronted with overlaps in his language and the terminology of Nazism, the AfD's top candidate for the upcoming state elections in Thuringia said it was “absurd” to continually reference the Nazi regime.

READ ALSO: Five things to know about the AfD surge in German regional elections

According to Höcke, there is no universal definition of what Nazi language is. The ZDF journalist continued to ask Höcke whether the terms he used – such as “degenerate”–  were also well-known Nazi vocabulary.

Höcke defended himself, saying these terms “can’t be boiled down to any period in time,”  adding that the terms he used were mentioned before and after Nazism.

High emotional effect

The interview then got even more awkward, with Höcke appearing rattled.

The spokesman then intervened. He said:  “This is not possible.” He went on to say the questions had had a high emotional effect on Höcke and asked that the interview be restarted from the beginning.

“We certainly won't do that again, but you know that too,” replied the ZDF journalist, who added that it raises issues of freedom of the press when politicians are allowed to be satisfied with their answers.

Höcke and his spokesman claimed not to have been prepared in advance for the questions. However, the ZDF journalist stressed that he had mentioned the questions about Höcke's language before the interview.

When the journalist refused to restart the conversation, Höcke said that politicians and journalists could no longer talk to each other in a spirit of trust.

It was clear that “there would be no more interviews with me for you,” said Höcke. He then hinted that the journalist might regret this in the future. “We don't know what's coming,” he said, adding that maybe he would become an “interesting individual, political person in this country.”

'Dark chapter'

The interview was conducted last Wednesday in Erfurt. ZDF has published the interview and the dispute over the new beginning of the interview both as a full-length video and in written form.

The Federal Chairman of the German Journalists' Association, Frank Überall, said it was absolutely right that the ZDF journalist did not engage in “softening” the interview for Höcke.

“Björn Höcke opened another dark chapter of the AfD's disturbing dealings with freedom of the press in general, and critical journalists in particular,” said Überall.

'Monument of shame'

Höcke belongs to the extremist wing of the party and has stirred controvesy since he entered German politics.

There was national outrage when he described Berlin's Holocaust memorial as a “monument of shame in the heart of the capital” in 2017.

“We need nothing less than a 180-degree shift in the politics of remembrance,” he added during the speech in Dresden.

State elections will be held in Thuringia, in the former communist East Germany, on October 27th. In the recent Brandenburg and Saxony elections, the AfD made huge gains.

READ ALSO: Far-right AfD second strongest force in Brandenburg and Saxony

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