daredevil muffin-y genius (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} monanotlisa) wrote,@ 2008-01-28 22:20:00 |
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| Entry tags: | domestic politics, german politics, law, politics, rl, society, tatort, wine |
Except for the wine, these aren't all too simple topics. And even that....
Presentation in front of three wise men given and received metaphorical pats on the back.
Yesterday, I watched
1. the latest Cologne Tatort, "Verdammt," and while I wasn't too impressed with Klaus J. Behrendt's performance in the beginning, I think the director covered the pretty much most sensitive topic out there with some skill and sensible restraint. (xanphibian, if you're reading this, stop now; trust me.) I really couldn't have stomached more than the shaky video of the little girl doing a somersault on the ground, the camera then panning away to the faces of the police officers watching it and only the voice-track running on and on; just alluding to the paedophiliac content via settings (sand-boxes, park swings, the kiddie pool) and words ("How much?" "Well, she's all fresh." - "200?" - "250; it's really fucking hot, if I say so myself.") and characters (young boys, little girls, men watching them: with smiles and hair long in the back, with empty eyes and fuzz on their upper lips) was effective enough, and just as chilling: We've read enough and come across enough by now that our mind fills in the blanks, and that in and by itself is more than a bit scary. The reminders of the humanity of paedophiles were a bit heavy-handed, if necessary, the impact of such a verdict on the rest of the family, every innocent person surrounding the perpetrators, showcased rather deftly: shattered families, broken individuals. I liked the message regarding the mother very much, the message that no, it wasn't her fault; she'd done nothing wrong when raising that one of her two sons. Also the reminders of this pathological condition running through all stratas of society as well as the fact it's rarely ever some guy lurking in the shadows to snatch children away: It's your friendly neighbour, the caring sports coach; at the same time, Jesus Christ, don't jump to conclusions because someone loves and adores kids. Nice look at guilt and (over-)compensation, too: What set this Tatort apart from others was the focus not on the case at hand but the lasting and long-term effects of crime and punishment--the latter doled out by society--including actions resulting from that spiral of guilt, longing, and anger.
& of course,
2. the Hessia Election 2008 plus Anne Will poli-social talk. First, can I just say, PHEW? For all the non-Germanic types around here, the conservative party Governor (Ministerpräsident, head of a Federal State) of Hessia, Roland Koch, had, during the election, launched a populist campaign against "criminal young foreigners." Which backfired spectacularly, thank God and all the heavenly host; he lost 12% of the vote. TWELVE. This was not a given: Five years ago, he was elected after attacking the double citizenship and its implications especially for Turkish kids born in this country*.
* Yeah, ius sanguinis, law of the blood here: A German used to be defined by her or his parental heritage, not the place s/he was born (ius soli, law of the soil); only very recently, this has been modified as to adopt a quick naturalisation process, especially for youth. The clash of these systems in international law makes for unpleasant effects, such as no citizenry or a double one, but the worst problems are undoubtedly the individual and personal ones.In any case, it seems the people in Hessia have this time seen through the blatant attempts at emotional manipulation and fear-mongering, have not reacted to the evocation of the Munich incident where a few weeks ago, two young men of Turkish and Greek heritage had brutally beaten a pensioner in the Munich subway.
My newspaper says it like it is:
"Roland Koch has reaped what he sowed. His aura is gone. He destroyed himself. A campaign as dirty as the one he led, still has to be won cleanly -- and clearly."This, I think, is exactly it: It'd be fair to focus on youth crime including the offences committed by young guys born to immigrant parents, but then, you better not have cut the State Attorney and the Criminal Judge seats beforehand (you tosser), and even more importantly, you better focus on the decades-old problems arisen from the sorry lack of proper integration policies in this country. The very term and concept of the "Gastarbeiter," guest-worker, was idiotic the very moment it came up in the 1950s, but admittedly, there's that thing they say about hindsight. By now, however, it's been blatantly obvious that ignoring immigration and integration comes at a high price, and despite what the Bild and other yellow press papers are trying to say, it is almost always paid by the "people of migration backgrounds" themselves and not people merrily considered "Germans."
"Koch failed to deliver on his promised political successes and also made crude campaign mistakes. Although he had in fact found an important political topic with the issue of youth crime, he expressed it incorrectly and meanly, with the result that those who had been sceptical about Ypsilanti were no longer so sceptical."
Here's more on Hessia & domestic reactions.
I also bought a bottle of Primitivo, 2005 vintage. To the non-oenophiles, Primitivo is the original Zinfandel vine, grown in the Southern regions of Italy, especially Puglia; mine's from Salento, and if you don't want to click-n-read: That's the province making up the "heel" of the "boot" of Italy.
Most of the wine from this region is popular but sold as inexpensive table wine, but there are famous DOCs, and some of the IGT wines are a steal. Or so I'm told! When I told the clerk at the store that as a fancier of Zin who can't really find lots of that in this country, I'd wish to try Primitivo, he perked up immediately, bouncing into the Italy section of the store and telling me that he "could drink Primitivo every day!" Heh.
This one is just a tad too sweet for me, though.
darcydodo, I'm pretty sure you'd like it--expressive and very fruity, a veritable burst of straw- and other berries, pleasant spices, and a high alcohol content. (Oops.)In conclusion, a good Monday.
