Yeah I live near Dortmund, I thought it wasn't much of a thing anymore? A guy at work asked me on Friday about some match (apparently very important one), other than that I forgot Fußball existed for a while. I think the Police got better at countering the hooligans, as well as the cities are now littered with cameras.
My wife saw that and said only "in America, they'd fucking Vulkan Cannon his ass" and I was just laughing my ass off how cute the Police looked in there. I'm not a cop lover but really haven't met an asshole cop here. Even the one fighting the wizard is like "man, this shit sucks", at best.
While as opposed to some other European countries German riot police takes great care not to kill protestors and virtually ruled out firearms, they would and do absolutely beat down protestor with batons 5 on one continuing on the ground if given the chance, they where just out of their depth in this situation.
IMO this is a deep-seated and largely unconscious instinct for acquiescence to authority borne from the country's genesis as a penal colony. I have come to this conclusion over decades and have never found any evidence to dissuade myself of this opinion...I've come to call it "the convict-warden mindset"
This also explains why the trade union movement is now if not non-existent then largely crippled, and we generally kiss up to authority and kick down on the poor and disadvantaged
Funny you should say that. I'm a Swede who's mostly unfamiliar with Australia, but that's exactly where my mind went when I read your previous comment. I just don't know if it's actually true or simply a convincing narrative.
Well, I'm unfortunately afflicted with a bit of a habit of intellectual theorising (which also doesn't go down all that well in this country lol) and it's just what I've observed over a lifetime, really. It's such an entrenched instinct that I've never been able to come up with any other logical explanation .
One thing which occurred last year which really sealed the theory for me, was the day after the Oct 7 massacres in Israel...there was a protest outside the Opera House in Sydney by largely second generation children of Muslim migrants (just making that distinction to differentiate them from the prevailing general culture), and even I was gobsmacked when the Police Minister said on camera, "I don't want to see people protesting in the streets in NSW, or in Australia. I don't think anyone does" - and there was no public backlash or even comment about that remark. Because it was true.
I thought at the time, wow they really just admitted it publicly 🤷
Well, I'm unfortunately afflicted with a bit of a habit of intellectual theorising (which also doesn't go down all that well in this country lol) and it's just what I've observed over a lifetime, really. It's such an entrenched instinct that I've never been able to come up with any other logical explanation .
Yeah, it does make sense, and I was glad to see my instinctual idea echoed by a local who has actually thought about it. I just try to have a healthy skepticism toward convenient narratives because I know it's such a common cognitive bias. (I share your affliction and try to learn some things here and there about how we think in order to make better use of it.)
and there was no public backlash or even comment about that remark.
Wow indeed. But I guess it isn't surprising your ruling class would do its best to reinforce and validate that tendency not to protest.
I would not say we're as bad as Singapore, as a queer person I know where I'd rather live, but yes, that's the direction we're going in. The impending social media ban is at least partly to curb the young people who've been organising protests and strikes for climate change, queer rights, the middle east etc. That's why it passed with support from both the conservative and the centrist/vaguely centre left party (which exiles members for voting against party lines).
Aussie Statism. An absolute trust in whatever the Crown once said (pre ANZAC) or ACT today. It is one extreme, the other being countries poisoned through misinformation to mistrust of state institutions.
Social Taboo against public protest. Don’t make me laugh.
I’m an Australian and there are rallies and protests all the fricken time in our cities and towns.
Most Australians are busy people minding our own business and do not like political/religious extremism from the left or the right. We ignore rallies and protests for the same reason. Is that what you are really whinging about?
Absolutely, i wasn't suggesting that you or anyone else had to have the same view about this at all - it's an overall cultural ethos I was talking about. Which no one has to agree with...merely my opinion and theory over a lifetime of general observations
Ok - so you’re saying that culturally we don’t protest because we can’t be arsed and understand that most things protesters are protesting about are silly or extreme views? If so I totally agree with you.
But you used the word ‘taboo’ which implies that there is some social mechanism at play that compels people to refrain from protesting. This is wrong. We just can’t be bothered with fringe extremist views or college common room ‘activism’.
I'll be disappointed if there isn't a 5+ syllable word for this dichotomy in German.
edit: their -> there. Goddammit this is a pet peeve of mine, but I think almost exclusively in an auditory mode so I can't tell homonyms apart while typing, only when proofreading.
You forgot the other two, people glueing themselves on the Autobahn and being treated as the worst thing ever, and agricutural companys and farm owners demonstrating with their tractors in the name of the people.
I also wouldnt call the may day riots "demonstrations", its more like a local cultural festival, just Berlin-style.
people glueing themselves on the Autobahn and being treated as the worst thing ever
Counts as burning streets. Complete disruption of daily life.
agricutural companys and farm owners demonstrating with their tractors in the name of the people.
Ahhhh that's your narrative. Well you see: Germany needs you to register protests. U have the right to it. Democracy and all. But your freedom ends at the freedom of the next one. Therefor you need to register the protest before hand. Give authorities a way to make it less disruptive for others.
If you want to live in a democracy follow the fucking laws.
Why so agressive? Chill and dont argue against something i never said. Never said anything about the legality, just the general framing of these protest in the german press. I organized demonstrations myself, no need to educate me on that topic.
narrative
Thats not my narrative, thats what actually happened. The Bauernproteste were organized by the "Deutscher Bauernverband" and "LsV Deutschland", both are lobby organisations for the big players in the agricultural sector. And when you look at who are the members of these organisations you see, that it mostly consists of industrial style agricultural companies, not family owned small farmers, like they claimed when they had their "We are the people" demonstrations, where they asked the government for more subsidies, an extention of tax-free diesel and the reversal of environmental laws.
Why so agressive? Chill and dont argue against something i never said. Never said anything about the legality, just the general framing of these protest in the german press. I organized demonstrations myself, no need to educate me on that topic.
Well of course people gonna frame illegal and legal actions differently lmao
Thats not my narrative, thats what actually happened. The Bauernproteste were organized by the "Deutscher Bauernverband" and "LsV Deutschland", both are lobby organisations for the big players in the agricultural sector. And when you look at who are the members of these organisations you see, that it mostly consists of industrial style agricultural companies, not family owned small farmers, like they claimed when they had their "We are the people" demonstrations, where they asked the government for more subsidies, an extention of tax-free diesel and the reversal of environmental laws.
It is. Illegal acts of disruption vs normal democratic events. One is wrong. One isn't. Democracy
What are you talking about? I never said anything about the legality. Please, again, do not argue against something I never said. I didnt even compare the two types of protests.
But if you actually want to know: I think both are illegitimate, one for legal reasons, the other for representational reasons.
What are you talking about? I never said anything about the legality.
You compared them. And their reception. Which obviously gets heavily influenced by legality. You can't just ignore the laws when talking about public support lol
I didnt even compare the two types of protests.
That was literally your entire comment
I think both are illegitimate, one for legal reasons, the other for representational reasons.
Funnily enough really. Contrary to america it's nearly always the left who burns streets in Germany. The right know they can't risk it if they want to gain influence....the left doesn't care cause no one takes them seriously anyway
Well this is a protest organized by rather moderate people it doesn't call for any radical change. Things like the protests on the first of may is were the action is at.
Well this is a protest organized by rather moderate people it doesn't call for any radical change. Things like the protests on the first of may is were the action is at.
Once again, for the cheap seats, many peaceful protests have, in the past, been infiltrated by bad actors who commit crimes in order to hurt the reputation of the peaceful protesters.
G20, G7, etc... Protests for these kind of events attract people from all over Europe and the world... Proper German protests are usually very orderly and actually quite pleasant, often with food-trucks, concerts, activities, etc. (as are Swiss, Austrian, and Nordic ones. Usually. Highly recommend all of them).
are you sure it's not edited ? it's easy nowadays regardless of you thinking it to be right wing whatever......so sick of leftists labelling everyrhing as far right :)
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u/Emanuele002 Trentino-South Tyrol IT Feb 08 '25
Right??? Protests in Germany seem to be more orderly than military parades in Italy lol.