Don't Make Fun Of...

beabeenMonty Python already realised it in 1980: "there's fools and idiots sitting on the trigger".

Bear with me, for I am leaving my comfort zone of travel reflections to grapple with something that is confounding me, and quite frankly scared me, more and more. I realise there is a danger of sounding patronising, but if this is the case, then so be it. You see, unlike the people who could have wiped out our very existence (if you want to look at the bright side, including what would have been Justin Bieber....yeah, it's a cheap shot, but I'm trying to lighten the subject just a bit), the motives of the men (and some women) during the Cold War were, at least to me, understandable. Cold, naked power has always led to rivalry, wars, and you could even say (mostly testosterone-fuelled) stupidity. But it's human nature. And so it is, too, human nature to believe in a greater entity, something that makes the suffering in our earthly form comprehensible. A very much needed respite from lives that, until not too long ago, lasted a fraction of the time we live now. Where work was more physical than mental and earthly pleasures were few. And hardship has by no means be eradicated on this planet, so it is natural for people to go on believing in a benign being to guide the way.

More and more people are being lifted out of abject poverty and dire material situations; people live longer, more fulfilling lives. Many people in the "developed world" (Global North, the core, the Western world, however you wish to call it) have turned to atheism or a more spiritual form of religion as times got better. But there are exceptions, and these are what scare me. One form is what can be witnessed in the Middle East. Yes, the people finally laying down their lives for religion are true believers in literal sense of the word. But these are not the men behind the plots, the minds that think up the atrocities. These people actively use the ideas of others to manipulate them; blatantly exploit misery for political gains. This is not a new phenomenon, pick up a history of the Borgia family and you'll know what I mean. And it comes back to power. Explanation is not a justification, but this form of religious over-enthusiasm I can at least begin to fathom.

What scares me the most is that there are people who lead satisfying lives and yet still believe there is a literal big man in the sky who watches their every move. That educated and by all means intelligent people are capable of blaming atrocities blatantly committed by men to such a man and that by simply showing more loyalty to one deity, without any reflection of the meaning behind this reverence can magically make all bad disappear. I am not criticising anyone's beliefs per se, but the translation of beliefs into actual actions, often without any critical reflection. I could go on, but I believe I've made my point.

I am not calling on you to change your ways or to petition for this or that. I have respect for religion and I recognise the comfort it can give. But sometimes, just naming a fear is enough to put it into perspective. This has done so, and I believe it scares me more.

Signal Right and then Turn Left?

Contrary to what the inactivity of this blog might suggest, the past year has been anything but inactive. It’s been filled with theses that managed to satisfy my need to spout my opinion on the internet (if you do however feel the need for some opinionated comments, I recommend youtube.com) and some travelling, however not lengthy enough to get an inside view.

So instead of foreign cultures, maybe it is time to take a candid look at my own native society. But with so much fodder being thrown my way in the form of the US presidential elections, I find myself unable to resist at least a very short commentary on the goings-on on the other side of the ‘big pond’.

So here goes: The Presidential Elections As Seen By [A] German[s] (abridged version; trust me, I could go on about this all day).

1. The Social Issues: At its starkest, Todd Akin stands against Mr. Obama. Somewhat reassuringly, the GOP has urged Mr. Akin to give up his candidature for the Senate (which he has yet to do), but on the whole this discussion cannot but leave the sour aftertaste in your mouth that America may be the Land of the Free, but the Free doesn’t quite manage to cover those citizens with a uterus. Seen from a country where the freedom to choose when in comes to abortion, especially if a criminal offence is involved, is and has been the norm for more than forty years, this discussion strikes one as just as outdated as the ongoing claim that homosexuality is a curable disease or (my personal favourite) the controversy surrounding the religious beliefs of the President. In Germany, as in much of the rest of Europe, secularism in general is on the rise and the latest discussion about same-sex marriages here to hit the headlines focussed on tax breaks.
2. The Economic Issues: Quite frankly, since the PIGS (I swear I didn’t make that up) are on the verge of bankruptcy here in our own back yard, the plight of the American finances is only of marginal importance. Add to that the growing importance of Asia and the already established dominance of other EU states as the main German trading partners, and you have the perfect ingredients for an ‘As long as you don’t want money from the ESM, you can do whatever you want’ attitude. Which is fortunate, since the candidates seem to have forgotten their own economic plans and their voting history (yes, I’m talking about you Mr. Ryan. That’s right, blush in shame) in all the fervour of digging up dirt on the opponent. So it doesn’t really matter that Mr. Romney was a successful businessman or that Mr. Obama actually didn’t do so badly when dealing with the crisis in 2009. Just don’t sell off Rhode Island quite yet, the market for islands is already saturated.
3. The Foreign Policy Issues: There’s a reason why the word Schadenfreude only exists in German. Yes, a part of us would have loved to see the London Olympics go wrong. But for an American to come over here and lord over our next-door neighbour? Not cool, Mitt, not cool. On the whole, however, German expectations of US geographical knowledge are so low, we’re quite content if you don’t invade Uz-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan by mistake.

On a more serious note, even though I am a supporter of Barack Obama and would be a Democrat were I a US citizen (for numerous reasons), I didn’t always believe Mitt Romney would be a complete catastrophe; his record as governor of Massachusetts is quite heartening. Sadly, however, he has chosen to renounce his ideas and beliefs from his time as governor to instead pander to the right wing of his party. This is not only disturbing in regards to content, but more so in that he seems to be willing to give up what he stood for at the bat of an eye for a chance at the top job. And in today’s world, where all countries are in the end interconnected in some way, is it really wise to have a leader, any leader, much less of one of the most influential countries in the world, who seems able to change his mind faster than you can say “I’m generally suspicious of people who don’t drink anyway”? I didn’t think so either.