Final Blog

Learning about Germany was interactive.  We did a lot of the work ourselves through research, and were further enlightened on topics of Germany by our professor.  The class started by learning about Germany’s 16 states, and ended with the topic of German food.

• There are 16 states in Germany: Baden-Wurttemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia. Three of the states are actual cities (Bremen, Hamburg, and Berlin) and the capital of Germany is Berlin.
• The German Political System is made up of two major parties.  The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), which represent the centre-right, and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), representing the centre-left.  There are three other parties represented in the Bundestag: The Free Democratic Party (FDP), the Green Party, and the Left Party (Pirates).  The head of the government is the Chancellor, who at this time is Angela Merkel of the CDU party.  She is also the first female to be Chancellor of Germany.
• Dance & Fine Arts.  We learned about Pina Bausch, Wim Wenders, and Richard Wagner.  Pina died during the making of a 3D film by Wenders.  Pina had a unique way of expressing words and meanings in dance; such as love, power, beauty, joy, freedom.
• All Quiet on the Western Front – This was a book about a German soldier during WWI.  The book gave me perspective of what it was like to be a soldier during the time.  The main character is Paul Bremer.  His comrades are mostly his school pals, but there is an older mentor to Paul whose name is Stanislaus Katczinsky, or Kat. He is my favorite character in the book.  I enjoyed his caring manner, his ideals on life, and his ability to be self-sufficient.
• German Culture was discussed in the 18, 19 and 20^th centuries regarding topics of Industry & Business; Fine Arts, Music, Theater, Dance; Literature; Media; Role of Women; Health; Sports & Health.  Much information was given about these topics - too much to list - however, I will comment that it was interesting to learn about famous people from Germany, the many inventions, and firsts this small country had on the world.
• Youth Culture – The movie “Berlin Calling” depicted the life of a young DJ, Ickarus, who seems lost in life.  He takes many kinds of street drugs and ends up in a rehab clinic where he struggles to get a hold of his life.  In the end, it appears he is on the right path, but the movie leaves you questioning whether he goes back to drugs.
• Der Baader Meinhof Komplex – this movie tells of the Red Army Faction (RAF), which started in 1970 in Germany.  The RAF was a movement of young adults trying to change Government from its current state of fascism.  The group was in existence until 1998.
• German Food –I found it interesting that Pizza is very popular, and not just pepperoni pizza, lots of different toppings are put on pizza.  Another very popular food is Doner.  We also talked about German Christmas cookies and Stollen.  Food is a main determinant of any culture and most of us are already familiar with some type of German food.  But just because we have German restaurants in the states, doesn’t mean we’re eating authentic German food. 

Personal Comments:

What a great class to take.  I even learned how to blog!  I enjoyed the idea of not following strict rules.  Presentations and blog posts were left to our own creative minds.  And by allowing that, I saw a lot of different ideas of teaching a class.  Thanks Professor Specht-Jarvis for the added humor and making the class entertaining. 

 

German Christmas Meal

http://www.ifood.tv/network/italian_christmas

The Christmas meal is a very important part of the Christmas celebration.  And the Christmas dinner is traditionally served on Christmas Day rather than Christmas Eve.  The primary Christmas dish is roast goose and may be accompanied by apple and sausage stuffing, red cabbage and potato dumplings. 

The Christmas Eve meal is a simpler affair serving sausages, salads, soups and different types of breads and pastries, as well Christmas cookies (Weihnachtsplatzchen.)

             http://www.germanlanguageguide.com/german/christmas/

 

http://www.germanpulse.com/2011/12/14/world-capital-of-marzipan/

Stollen is a German delicacy served at Christmas time and is a unique, delicious, sweet bread containing nuts and fruit.  It is considered one of the most precious Christmas pastries.  The most famous is Dresden Stollen, originating in the city of Dresden.  This sweet bread will surely change your mind about the American fruitcake we are accustomed to.   Stollen is shaped with tapered ends and a ridge down the center, symbolizing the Baby Jesus in swaddling clothes.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marzipan

Marzipan is also very popular in Germany and especially around Christmas time.  Marzipan is an almond flavored confection, consisting primarily of sugar or honey and almond meal.  It is commonly found in chocolates, but is also used as a spread.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_dinner#Germany

http://www.germanfoodguide.com/holiday-christmas.cfm

http://www.germanfoods.org/consumer/facts/germanchristmas.cfm

http://www.germanlanguageguide.com/german/christmas/

Answers to Questions

1. The opposition to the German authorities, as developed and implemented by the first generation of Baader-Meinhof group members needs to be defined.

How did they organize their protest?  What actions did they execute?

The first generation protesters were organized by Andreas Baader.  Although Andreas was bold in his actions, he wasn’t exactly ruthless.  Protests were mild at first and became increasingly more dangerous, but during the first generation of protesters, there weren’t many civilians in harms way.  It was the beginning and they were a small group.  Bombings were executed with careful consideration of time and place, which was successful to their cause - to get the Governments attention.  Besides the bombing at a department store, a protest was held at the newspaper publishing building.  Rocks were thrown into the building, and vehicles were burned and tipped over.  Guns, during the first executed actions, were used only in defense or to motivate their opposition.

2. In what ways did your level of identification with the group change from the beginning of the movie to the end?

At first I was confused as to who was on what side.  It was clear there was the government, but I wasn’t clear of whom the opposition was and why.  But eventually the cause and fight against government became known.  Seeing the government/police force act against protesters in the beginning of the movie really set the tone.  Their violence gave way to fight back with violence, which is exactly what the RAF group did.  I can understand why the RAF group formed, and believe they had a viable cause; however, as the movie progressed and the fighting and killing was more prevalent, I had less and less of an understanding as to why the RAF was taking the actions they did. At the end, the killings were absurd.  One shot would have been enough to kill a person, but when they unloaded their guns on a person, something was lost along the way. 

3. Did the determination and rudeness displayed by Andreas Baader have a key role in the group dynamics, and in what ways?

Yes, I believe the determination and rudeness of Andreas Baader played a key role in the group's dynamics.  A leader needs to be determined and not wishy-washy.  Determination and drive to change something like government, is a huge undertaking and only a strong leader can prevail in forming a group and motivate them to fight for a cause.  As for rudeness, this too has its place.  Rudeness defines a guerilla group.  If there wasn’t rudeness, then be politically correct and call yourself government.

 

The RAF

The RAF, which is the Red Army Faction, is a guerilla group standing up against the Grand Coalition.  The coalition comprised of two main political parties (SPD and CDU) and the Chancellor, Kurt Georg Kiesinger, a former Nazi Party member.  In 1966 ninety-five percent of the Bundestag was controlled by the coalition.  The RAF was in existence from 1970 to 1998.  The group was founded by their first leader Andreas Baader and described themselves as a communist and anti-imperialist “urban guerilla” group.  They were considered an extreme left-wing militant group fighting against fascism.  There were three generations that succeeded in the existence of the RAF group.  The first generation consisted of Andreas Baader and his associates.  One of his associates was Ulrike Mienhof, a well-known German journalist.  This generation operated in the mid to late sixties and into the late 1970s.  The wave of the second generation came about with the joining of former members of the Socialist Patients’ Collective.  The RAF actions between the 1980s and 1990 is considered the third generation of activists.  The end of the RAF was announced by an eight page letter being faxed to the Reuters news agency declaring the group had dissolved.  The similarities I see today with terrorist attacks and the RAF is that they are taking extreme measure to get attention.  The attention of whom they are trying to get is usually a government body that doesn’t seem to listen or hear opposing views until it’s blown up in their face.

Personal Response to Der Baader-Meinhof Komplex

How much sense is it to fight war with war, or violence against violence?  But then again, what other means did the RAF have to standup against their state government?  I recall thinking during the moving that I really don’t like this, and if I was at home watching this movie, I would have turned it off.  However, there is one reason I would stay and watch the movie, and that is that it’s a true story.  I enjoy learning about history in the 20^th century because it explains to me why we are in the place we are today.  The RAF made the government in Germany stand up and take notice.  There were times during the movie, though, that it seemed the government wasn’t taking the group as serious as they should , or they believed the groups actions had subsided.  I strongly believe there should be opposition represented in government because no two people think alike. 

The movie also made me think about how important it is to stand up for something believed.  I don’t see myself of someone that would have taken the side of the RAF, mostly because I don’t support violence and fighting, and am not an extremist by any means.  But I also understand someone has to make a stand and not just sit back and be silent.  The RAF was for a good cause and it is very unfortunate that innocent people were killed.

I walk away from the movie thinking that it’s sad to know all the war and fighting that has taken place and still takes place today.  I truly believe we (the human race) will terminate ourselves through war.  Not in my generation, but in the distant future.

Berlin Calling

1. What do drugs mean to Ickarus?

I see Ickarus using drugs to relieve stress, but also to break up what he sees at monotony. 

2. Why, when, and how are his fans taking drugs, and which drugs do they take?

Why they take drugs is a choice.  When they take drugs is to party.  And how they take drugs is a mish mash.  They take whatever drug is available; not specific.  A drug is a drug!

3. While we can see that his drug habits get him ill and into a psychosis, and while we witness his relapse and inability to work successfully, why does the subculture Ickarus is in focus on drugs?

It’s the type of music or beat that coincides with drugs; goes hand in hand.

4. Compare the standards you know from your home society with the people you see depicted in this movie. Which are the stark differences and contrasts?

My home society is small town and I may be blind to what is really going on.  My standards are very opposite to what I witnessed in the movie.  I think the group of individuals you hang out with and the type of work you are involved in is a choice and these choices play a part in the society you live in. There is no comparison of my family life to the life of Ickarus and Malthide in this movie.

5. Germany is considered a strong industrial nation the world over. Do you think that the youth culture as depicted here could change that? How about work ethics of Ickarus and of Alice, the label director who fires and then re-signs him?

The youth culture as depicted in the movie will change Germany.  They will no longer be a strong industrial nation because they lack a work ethic; very selfish. The work ethic of Alice plays into the norm of what is witnessed in the movie; it is not industrial, but superficial. 

6. Which similar "cult movies" of US origin have you seen, if any?
I’ve seen drug movies in the past, but I’m not sure if they are “cult movies.”  What I do recall are the movies always involved music, and more specific, music singers and their struggles with drug additions, which more often than not, leads to death.

Film Reaction:

Sex, drugs and rock and roll!  The words of a great party, or the sins of the world?  The words by themselves tell me fun, free of religion, selfish desires, living life.  But together, I can’t imagine living a life by these words.  If my life only involved sex, drugs and music I would feel lost and abandoned.  I would have a life without meaning.  There is so much more to life than these three words procure.  The movie, “Berlin Calling,” takes place in Germany, but it could take place anywhere in the world.  For sex, drugs and music is not specific to a region or country, but is most prevalent among youth.

I don’t seek out this type of movie to watch, mostly because it makes me cringe. I feel sorry for the person, or character, in the movie and want them to find help and a way out, but also feel disgusted that a person would allow themselves to fall into such an addiction.  In the movie, it is discovered that Ickarus lost his mother when he was young, which may or may not explain the path he has fallen into; abandoned by his mother and a father not really being there to fill in the gaps may explain Ickarus’ choices.  It’s sad to see an individual struggle with acceptance and something to believe in.  It tells me he has a hole in his heart and needs something besides sex, drugs and music to fill it.  Love may be an answer.  Acceptance from his father may be an answer.  I am not sure of the answer, but only know I see emptiness.

The end of the movie leaves you without a definite answer; more of a “fill in the blank.” Does Ickarus continue to say ‘no’ to drugs, or does he go back to his old ways?  I’d like to believe Ickarus has changed.  That he is heading down a path without drugs.  But is he really?  Given Ickarus’ profession, is it really possible to stay in his job and not be on drugs?  I tend to think they go hand in hand.  But I could be proven wrong!

Music

 
Music is a universal language.  Notes written on lines and spaces can be read and played by anyone throughout the world.  Classical, folk, and hymns, to name a few, are types of music we are familiar with.  Germany, though, was a leader in classical music. 

Famous composers from Germany include Mozart, Bach, Handel, Haydn, Beethoven, and Schubert.  Bach and Handel were part of the Baroque era (1600-1750).  Begin quote, “During the Baroque period, the foundations were laid for the following 300 or so years of musical expression: the idea of the modern orchestra was born, along with opera.”  

The classical era (1750-1830) followed with known composers of Mozart and Haydn.  Begin quote, “it was the Classical period which saw the introduction of a form which has dominated instrumental composition to the present day: sonata form.”  It is also said that the classical era is characterized by its structural clarity.

Beethoven came on the scene at the end of the eighteenth century and made way for the romantic era (1830-1860), which Schubert was also a part of.  Begin quote, “The emotional range of music during this period was considerably widened, as was its harmonic vocabulary and the range and number of instruments which might be called upon to play it.” 

I rarely listen to classical music, but as my children are learning to play piano and are playing music composed from the artists named above, I find myself enjoying the sound and see myself, one day, listening to classical music often.  In fact, I may even find the ambition to play it myself!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Germany

http://www.germany.co.za/german_music.html
http://www.naxos.com/education/brief_history.asp