Is "Nazi" the First Thing You Associate With "Germany"?

[Placebo]

C'mooooooon.

You can be honest here, you're among friends.

[BigMcLargehuge]

1. Actually I think of clark griswold in leiderhosen

[TK421]

2. Nein...the first thing I associate Germany with is CHOCOLATE

and some of the best chocolate in the world

[BigMcLargehuge]

4. But Homer, we are from the land of chocolate!

After careful consideration we are sad to announce the following layoffs - Homer Simpson.

That is all.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

61. That's what first came into my mind too when chocolate and Germany came up

:thumbsup:

[CanuckAmok]

106. Zat vas ten minutes ago!

...

[RevolutionaryActs]

3. .......

:rofl:



Either I need to stop drinking, or drink more. :rofl:

[Placebo]

5. I think the answer is...

More! :beer:

[RevolutionaryActs]

6. Then something like this will happen:

Minus the smoking. :P

[ghostsofgiants]

9. Minus the smoking...

But with the mullet?

[RevolutionaryActs]

15. That's not a mullet.

THIS is a mullet!

[ghostsofgiants]

17. Wow...

That is the fiercest mullet I've ever seen.

[Monk06]

35. Wow !!!!!!!!! Try Ow !!! The Mullet is God's way of telling you it's

time to replace the propane tank on the single wide.

It's God's way of tellin, you your sister
is pregnant with your child.

It's God's way of telling you the pawn ticket
on your Taiwanese Les Paul copy has expired.

It's God's way of tellin' you that the wife is
living in Seatle and she ain't comin' back.

It's God's way a tellin' you that Firestone does
not make performance tires.

It's God's way of tellin' you that Jimmy Swaggart is
sincerely sorry for fucking waitresses and stealing
your money.

It's God's way of tellin' you that Arab limo drivers
earn more in one hour than your long haulin', CB listenin',
semi drivin' cracker ass earns in a week.

HURK ON HAIR HEAD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


:headbang:

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

7. Mein namen ist Hessler

Germany is my heritage.

A funny thing- in high school, for my foreign language I took German- it was the only course I ever failed. I just have no knack for languages.

[Monk06]

11. Gerard Bruche hier. As Englsh as pound cake. Failed German and French...

Like you can't do second language. (sigh)
Maybe Spanish, I hear it's easy.

[Placebo]

13. Me too.

Foreign languages and me just don't mix well. I heart my English!

[Telly Savalas]

8. World Cup

[ghostsofgiants]

10. Nope, I think Hasselhoff and Heino.

[Monk06]

12. It's Goethe silly....................and Wittgenstein if you're with it.

[LouisianaLiberal]

30. Goethe, Wittgenstein, Nietzsche, Rilke, etc

That's why I took German. I could spend the next twenty years studying and still wouldn't be able to read Kant, though. He's impossible to read in German.

[Monk06]

33. Kant only makes sense in English silly. He was the first German

Anglophile.

Read Wittgenstein in German (Tractatus, Remarks on Color).
Then read Ray Monk's Biography of Wittgenstein. Ludwig was
a great admirer of Rilke and the only book he owned was Goethe's
gospels.

Now Schopenhauer in any language is insufferable. Hanna Arendt
fucked the guy. Much to her discredit.

[LouisianaLiberal]

75. My knowledge of philosophical gossip is limited, I guess.

I have to disagree with you about Schopenhauer. He was a brilliant stylist.

Read the Tractatus years ago - didn't know he was an admirer of Rilke, but that makes sense.

Not sure what you mean by saying Kant only makes sense in English. I tried to read the Norman Kemp Smith translation (I think that was his name - I have it here somewhere) alongside the original and gave up the comparison. Impossible, at least for me.

[Monk06]

87. I was just having a little fun. Truth is I've only read Kant's...

Groundwork for a Metaphysic of Morals.

One of the greatest difficulties for English
speakers reading Kant has been the lack of good
translations of his work.

The same with Schopenhaur who I found inpenetrable.

Personally my philosophical experience is logic
and Philosophy of science so I've read Wittgenstein,
Quine and the Logical Positivists.

The crack about Arendt should be taken as a joke also
She was a major influence on post war philosophy.
She did boink Schopenhaur who was investigated for his
Nazi Party membership. She paid dearly for that one.

[LouisianaLiberal]

96. Ok. Now I see what happened.

I think you've confused Schopenhauer with Heidegger (a boozy old beggar if you're a Python fan.)

Schopenhauer's notion of "will" was very different from the Nazi's. And it was Heidegger who had Nazi associations, and who could have had an affair with Arendt (I'm sure Schopenhauer was dead long before Hannah was born). Heidegger wrote Sein und Zeit, or Being and Time. It is a very difficult work, and like Kant's Critique der Reinen Vernunft, I gave up trying to read it in German. Its difficult enough in English, and the translator had to create a number of neologisms in an attempt to clarify the meanings.

I read Quine's Ontological Relativity in college, and remember almost none of it.

I've read Arendt's Human Condition, and the book about the Eichmann trial and the banality of evil(though again, years ago) and would be surprised if she held any real sympathy for the Nazis.

You're absolutely right about Kant's Prolegomena. If it were required reading in high school (and a good teacher could explain it properly) there would be far fewer Republicans in the world. A better book on the moral problems of situational ethics has not been written.

[Monk06]

97. You're right. What a dufus I am. Didn't mean to imply Hanna Arendt

was pro nazi either. But her relationship with Heidegger
did follow her around in later years.

[LouisianaLiberal]

98. Not at all. Enjoyed thinking about things

I haven't thought about in years. :-)

[Monk06]

100. Your remarks about Quine sent me down memory lane........

I was assigned an Essay topic by this guy

http://www.johnwoods.ca/

concerning Quine's Word and Object. Quine
at that time was being described as a Radical
Empiricist and a sceptic re non standard logic.

I was a TA for John Woods in his Into Course
on Logic.

I suspected after reading Word and Object that
Quine's notion of operational definitions was very
close to the verifiability criterion of the logical
positivists and that it implied an infinite regress.


Each operational definition based on contingent notions
is radically contingent and self referential. The
Gordian Knot of radical empiricism ala Hume resides in
the conflation of phenomenal contingency, which is a matter of
fact and the contingency of thought which is conditioned by the
wholly non random notion of will and agency.

Quine did not have an answer for the Ghost in the Machine
paradox of classical Cartesian dualism so he tried to paper over
it with a sleight of hand.

Any way to get back on topic. John applied to do his Phd at Harvard
He was turned down in favor of Jakko Hintika, Quine's protege.

Needless to say my short essay accusing Quine of the most elemental
of philosophical errors won me an A from John Woods.

John is an interesting duck. When Chomski published Language and Mind.
John came to class and shouted literally, Cartesian Dualism is Reborn!!

He was a devout Catholic so that kinda made sense. Very funny none the less.

[Earth_First]

14. Oktoberfest! n/t

[realisticphish]

16. nope

Beer is the first thing that pops into my head :shrug:

[Amaya]

18. No.... I think

my grumpy ass german boyfriend

x(

[MrScorpio]

19. I lived there for four years

Didn't see one nazi

[Placebo]

20. You just weren't looking hard enough! OPEN YOUR EYES!

:dunce: :spank:

[giant_robot]

21. Ach! Nein, nein, NEIN!

I have nothing but good memories of Germany! Wonderful beer, skiing, hiking, sightseeing, and nightlife! In many ways, I think Europeans enjoy life more than Americans (and I'm an American, by the way!).

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

24. Yes I think Europeans enjoy life more than Americans too .

I lived in Germany for 3 1/2 years and I noticed that relaxation is top priority.

[BlueIris]

22. The first thing I think of is actually, "legally-mandated recycling."

Then I get a visual of a blue-grey graphic of the country as it is represented in the World Books of the 1980s.

[mdmc]

23. automobile

then
fourth reich motors...

[njdemocrat106]

25. Nein!

Anybody who still associates Deutschland with Nazis is full of scheiße.

Ich liebe die deutsche Kultur!

[bridgit]

26. nope...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

27. Honestly?

"Nazi" the first thing I associate with "neocon".

[AussieDave]

28. Nope - sauerkraut and Volkswagons and lederhosen

[Oeditpus Rex]

29. Ach, nein!

This is the first thing I associate with Germany. :loveya:

[MissHoneychurch]

34. Honey ....

:loveya:

:blush:

[Rowdyboy]

31. Not by a mile......mom's family came from the Rhineland so its the mother-

country for me. We've traced family back to the village of Albisheim and 1600 or so.

[u4ic]

32. Nope - equestrian sports

they're almost unbeatable at dressage and show jumping.

[wildhorses]

36. I think of my great grandparents on my father's side.

They were born in Germany and immigrated here by way of Canada. Their daughter, my father's mother, was born in Medicine Hat, Canada. So I think of family when I think of Germany.

[clyrc]

37. I was born in Germany to American parents

My dad was in the Army at the time. We left when I was six weeks old, and I wanted to go back my whole life. I finally got to go two years ago, and we're going back this summer. If I think about Germany long enough, I will think of Nazis, but it certainly isn't my first thought.

[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MissHoneychurch]

39. Why should it be the first thing that comes to your mind?

Honestly, Germany is more than the Third Reich. Yes, it was a horrible time and should definitely not be forgotten. Still I don't think it is fair to connect Germany always with the Nazis.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

40. I think of you first.

:D

[MissHoneychurch]

41. Thanks Starbucks

that was the correct answer :D

[Starbucks Anarchist]

42. What if I told you I lied?

:P

[MissHoneychurch]

43. Then I will cry

:cry:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

47. Oh, all right.

:hug:

[everythingsxen]

44. Yes, Germany is more than the Third Reich....

However, the Third Reich did quite a lot in it's brief time and even Germans think "Nazi" when they hear "Germany". And it won't always be associated, just for another generation.

[MissHoneychurch]

45. I am German

and I don't hink "Nazi" first when I hear "Germany".

[Robeson]

48. "even Germans think "Nazi" when they hear "Germany"."....

...Do you need some more paint on that broad brush?....

[alcibiades_mystery]

64. Nope, I think that generation has already passed

I was born in the 70's, and I don't think "Nazi" when I hear germany, although I think this is probably true of older Americans. You shouldn't universalize your particular view.

[AlienGirl]

92. Everythingsxen is old.

[Kickin_Donkey]

46. Nope, I think of fussball (soccer) ...

Bayern Munich, Schalke 04, Borussia Moenchengladbach, Kaiserslautern, FC Cologne, Bayer Leverkusen, Munich 1860, Eintracht Frankfurt ...

and Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller, Jurgen Klinsman, Rudi Voller, Pierre Littbarski, Karl-Heinz Ruminegge ...

Hey, it's World Cup time!!!

[NMMNG]

49. Nope

I think of my last name, MissHoneyChurch and Rammstein. :headbang:

[Wetzelbill]

50. I am some German so no

:)

[Random_Australian]

51. Who would? Only a yoghurt.

Edit: As in no. What do you think I am, some kind of self-contradicting German/Nazi?

[tjwmason]

52. It's actually about the last thing I associate with Germany.

A short, if incredibly regretable, period in their history.

[Bassic]

53. Love the Care Bear

:rofl:

[Placebo]

88. Right...

He's so damn cute. You just wanna give him a big hug (do mind the luger in his back pocket, though).

He's gettin' no love around here, no love. :)

[Deja Q]

54. I think of German sausages...

[YankeyMCC]

55. Octoberfest

I have to admit though that Nazi/Hitler/WWII is not far down the list.

[Orsino]

56. No. I lived there for three years.

I remember people who looked like us, worked, played and laughed like us, and who for the most part were cordial to this member of the occupation forces.

[Burma Jones]

57. Nope, I think of Composers.....

I did marry into a Jewish family that largely escaped the Holocaust by leaving in the days after Kristallnacht, I think most of them think of Nazis first.

I saw the film, Sophie Scholl, The Final Days. Those of us on DU should especially be aware of those Germans that resisted, and died.....

[MissHoneychurch]

58. What did you think of the movie

I cried when I watched it. Of course I know the story of Sophie Scholl and Die Weiße Rose. But it breaks my heart every time. What a tough woman.

[Burma Jones]

59. It stuck with me

I saw it on Easter and it still has a presence in my head. The movie reminded me how crucial it is not to give in to the RW shills. Watching the trial scene, and having seen actual footage of this Judge in action, I could easily see Hannity or Coulter happily sentencing every free speaking person opposing the Chimp to a quick beheading for failing to "support the Troops."

I don't go in much for Saints and all that, but she and her companions are truly Saints.

[NewJeffCT]

60. I tend to think of Heidi Klum, Claudia Schiffier, Katarina Witt, etc

You know, the high points of Germany.

[JVS]

62. Mmmm, East German figure skater goodness

[Bucky]

95. High points? I see the high, but I can't see the points.

And you left off Steffie Graff.

[ulysses]

63. nope. J. S. Bach.

[Aristus]

65. Nope: Beautiful scenery.

Rolling hills, lush forests, tall mountains.

Fast cars, friendly, polite people, clean towns and villages, well-behaved children.

These things say "Germany" to me.

[Deep13]

66. Nope, cars, machines and no speed limit.

[scoey1953]

67. Actually I was thinking of ST.PAULI GIRL....

Though I never tasted it before..I wonder if its any good?

[JVS]

68. Bad news pal, they don't have that beer in Germany. They have becks...

but St. P G is all for export

[Hugin]

69. I dated her once...

It didn't work out, she kept knocking me in the head with
those darn mugs. Lots of spillage too. Ruined the carpet.

But, we had FUN!

Ah, good times... good times...

*sigh*

[DixieBlue]

74. Did you know that St. Pauli's Girl *m*

Is named after a district in Hamburg, by the same name, where all the "ladies of the night" hang out and sale their wares?

[NJ Democrats]

70. No but it is in the top 10=15

[gmoney]

71. The Fawlty Towers episode...

"Don't mention the war..." Basil then proceeds to mention the war at every opportunity, upsetting the German guests more and more as he rapidly descends into a fit of xenophobic ranting about everything and everyone that most Germans would rather forget.

When the fed up German asks Basil to stop going on about the war, Basil kindly reminds him that they started it. “We did not start it,” protests the German. “Yes you did, you invaded Poland”, replies Basil!

http://www.fawltysite.net/episode06.htm

[liontamer]

72. no

i have a lot of german friends.Their perversion of rock paper scissors usually comes to mind.

[DixieBlue]

73. Nope, beer, baby, all the way!

I could use a good, cold German beer right now.

[Sequoia]

76. Muddy Mud Skipper!

I sure miss Ren and Stimpy! That CareBear though!!! I think of Octoberfest and good brew!

[Placebo]

89. Dear God, so do I.

I remember when it was like "forbidden" viewing material in my house even though it was on Nickelodeon and followed by Rugrats.

It was pure comic genius.

[WoodyTobiasJr]

77. definitely not

My opas as well as an uncle were both in the German army in WWII. My dad was in the Hitler Youth (he didn't have a choice). NONE of them believed in and had nothing but contempt for Hitler or the third reich.

My Mom's side of the family all still live in Germany and they are the nicest and funniest bunch of liberals you could ever meet.

So - no, I definitely do not think of nazis when I think of Germany

[woo me with science]

78. strudel nt

[seemunkee]

79. I don't but my wife does

Due to her mother's experiences during the war.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

80. I grew up among German immigrant relatives, so my associations

with Germany are family gatherings in the 1950s with beer and liverwurst sandwiches, with half the men smoking cigars, and my great aunt pounding out German folksongs on the piano.

(That's why I have never been able to think of cigars as chic or trendy.)

[Ravenseye]

81. Third Base

The first thing I associate with Germany is getting to third base.

Ah sweet sweet high school language exchange programs...

[qnr]

82. Spent way too many years trying to understand German documentation

for programs on one of my old computers. That's always the first thing I associate with Germany.

[Book Lover]

83. BMW, Porche

and of course the Autostrasse!

on edit: How could I forget the Nurburgring!

http://www.nuerburgring.de/home/index.html#579

[Lilith Velkor]

84. I associate five things at once with Germany

Beer, lederhosen, Wagner, Nazis, and industrial techno.

[xmas74]

85. Heritage.

I'm part German.

[Ariana Celeste]

86. I think of family.

:).

[bikebloke]

90. Good autostop on the Autobahn

I had some good hitching on the Autobahn. Though it's not entirely bicycle friendly. Once a bike route spit me out on the Autobahn. I would have had to backtrack for kilometers. So I pedalled for about 10 km, before getting off. A few fingers were shaken at me.

And German chicas fancy me for some reason.

[Initech]

91. NEIN!! First thing I associate with Germany is beer.

German beer > all!

[MadHound]

93. First thing I associate with Germany is my childhood home

No, I didn't live in Germany, but in a small *very* German town in Missouri called Hermann. Founded by German immigrants in the 1820s, it has always had a steady stream of German immigrants coming into town. I grew up learning both English and German, for everybody spoke both languages interchangably.

It was a great place to be a kid, small, but with a lot of culture and intelligence. Sadly, being a farming based community, it took a hard, hard hit when surrounding farmers started going belly up in the seventies and eighties. In order to survive it had to remake itself, going from a self sufficient German farming community to a modern faux German tourist trap of a town. This brought in an large influx of new residents, mostly non-German, out to make that quick tourist dollar.

It is still German in its buildings and architecture. But as the native residents age and pass away, the old German culture diminishes and is replaced by crass commercialism.

[otherlander]

94. I think of the Berlin wall.

And then I think of the Wall-people,

who surely must live inside that wall
supposing they exist at all.
And then I wonder.... what happened to them, taken by suprise
they knocked down the wall? And then I realize:

it was only a perimeter settlement for them,
and each pioneering Wallperson returned to a den
in Wallworld which so briefly touched upon Earth
but are now gone away, back to home and hearth
in Wall-world, not to be confused with Wa.l-mart.

[Name removed]

99. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dead_Parrot]

101. Not quite...

..."engineering" is probably first. Although as a Brit, "War" does come pretty high on the list :)

[mwooldri]

102. Now it depends in which context.

I grew up with a lot of WW2 history.

However first thought of Germany is that darned Berlin Wall, I'm afraid.

Mark.

[reyd reid reed]

103. Nope

We lived in Germany when I was growing up...in Heidelberg and in Frankfurt. First thing I think of is gardens and castles and churches. It's where I got my first kiss, so that's in there, too.

[Placebo]

104. Adorable

:)

[Name removed]

105. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.