Thoughts on 9/11 - Looking at Europe

Can it really have been almost entire year since I created a new blog entry?  Apparently so...

This entry is a duplicate of a Facebook post I made for 9/11.  I am putting it here not just to add it to my blog, but also as experiment, because the original post got a significantly lower number of views than my posts usually do (somewhere between 5% and 10% of the usual number).

It's not as though I have a lot of followers, but the difference was significant enough that it makes me wonder if the post was somehow suppressed or masked due to the content (it contained a link to a YouTube music video that FB might consider objectionable, as well as references to AfD and Antifa).    So I am posting the exact same content here, and will then post a link to it on my Facebook feed to see what happens there.  

The only differences between this and my original Facebook post are that I've included links to the Michael Smith and Clayton Wood posts that I only referenced before, and that I am including a graphic of the AfD logo so it shows as representing the post.  I have also modified two of the song descriptions based on having looked up some idioms and seen the written lyrics on YouTube (these modifications are in my comments on the Facebook post).  So I guess it's not a completely scientific, controlled experiment as I have changed some variables.  But I'm interested, so here goes:

The text is below, and the link is at the end under "music".

Original Facebook post:

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On this 25th anniversary of the attacks on 9/11, both Michael Smith and Clayton Wood have written very detailed and insightful posts about the situation in the USA, each of which is very well worth reading, and to which I have no need to add. Instead, I will look outward. I wrote yesterday that Europe seems to be waking up to the threat of Islam and the general assault on Western Civilization. I’d like to highlight some of the evidence I've seen for that awakening.

First of all, Alternative for Deutschland (AfD). I have supported AfD ever since 2016, when I attended a "meet the candidates" event at a local Gasthaus in Sindelfingen, Germany while I was stationed there in the Army. The three or four candidates and AfD representatives I met there were well-educated, well-spoken, and had well-thought-out positions on issues of serious concern to normal German citizens. The twenty or thirty people who attended (I was the only American) were polite, attentive, and asked articulate and pointed questions about the issues.

That evening, I began to notice a lot of parallels between Germany and the USA. I had no idea at the time that Trump would win the US presidential election, but in retrospect I see a lot of similarities between the rise of AfD in Germany and that of the MAGA movement here. Like any political party or movement, there are things to like and things not to like, but on balance I think that they, like the people who support the MAGA movement, see the decline of their nation and want to reverse it. Like MAGA, AfD is routinely and unfairly maligned, mischaracterized, caricatured, and smeared by the entrenched political parties, especially by the organized Left.

Personally, I see the rise of AfD as a positive thing for Germany. Either they will take power in the government and enact reforms, or else the existing parties will have to do a better job of listening to the people if they want to stay in power. The one thing that I do not like about AfD and the wider resistance movement that I see in Germany is their affinity for Russia. I think this is misguided and dangerous. It is also understandable given the ridiculous, destructive “wokeness” prevalent in other Western nations as well as Putin’s deliberate campaign to position Russia as a defender of traditional values. I don’t think it’s an accident that AfD is strongest in the former East German states, although I do find it surprising as an old Cold Warrior that the people there would have a positive view of Russia. Perhaps it’s a generational thing. But there’s a lot I don’t really understand about the various cultural currents in contemporary Germany. I would welcome any comments and insights from my German friends that might help me have a better understanding.

The other evidence that I see is a rise in German nationalism, cultural pride, and resistance to the Left, Islamization, and “woke” cultural trends. Given Germany’s past, one could find this alarming - “Deutschland Erwacht” has indelibly ominous historical implications. But again, I think it’s understandable. There are entire generations of Germans born since WWII who had nothing to do with the depredations and crimes of the Nazis. They feel that they are unfairly burdened by this history, and that pride in their nation and its strengths should not be equated with or unduly tainted by this history. They draw a sharp distinction between the crimes and ideology of the Nazis and the patriotism, military prowess, and heroism of their ancestors who fought for their Fatherland, albeit under an evil regime and for evil ends. I see some parallels to those in the USA who take pride in their ancestors who fought for the Confederacy during our own civil war.

There is an interesting strain (genre? sub-genre?) of German music that seems to represent this movement. Some artists and their works evoke Teutonic and Nordic mythology, and others are straight-out political protests against the existing political powers. The album that I have linked here is one such that I found really interesting.

Letzte Rettung (“Last Rescue”) AS has a number of albums and singles out, most of which are hard rock and many of which feature a sort of hoarse, screaming vocal style that I don’t care for. (Maybe that’s why the label is named “AS” (Atonales Stahlgewitter, or “Atonal Storm of Steel”). This album is different from some of the others in that it has reasonably musical, intelligible vocals. It also has a definite message. The Youtube link below is for the entire album. As far as I know, each of the songs is also available there individually. I think it’s really worth listening to, even if you don’t understand German. You can hear the passion and earnestness in the vocals, and I like the music in its own right, independent of the message.

The album is called “Heuchler” (Hypocrites). Here is a list of the songs, with my own very short interpretation of each:

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“Heuchler” (Hypocrites) - Addressed to the politicians and activists of the Left. “You’re all just rotten little hypocrites, without knowledge or a plan.”

“Unserdemocraten” (Our democrats) - Complains about the lack of democratic practices among those who claim to support democracy.

“Gegen den Strom” (Against the Current) - “We are the ones who swim upstream” (against prevailing cultural trends).

“Mag die Welt in Trümmer Gehen” (Even if the World Falls to Ruins) - We’ll continue to fight, we won’t let them see our fear.

“Sturm 119” (Storm 119) - I don’t understand this reference. A “Sturm” was a unit of military or paramilitary troops (as in “storm troopers”). But the only reference I can find to the significance of 119 is that is refers to a particular category of German retirees. So perhaps it implies that the older generations will save Germany (?), but that doesn’t seem to make sense. I’d love for someone to explain this one to me.

“Ratatouille” (Ratatouille) - Another puzzling one. The lyrics start out as an actual list of ingredients for Ratatouille. There is a reference in there somewhere to Antifa, so I know there is a connection - perhaps it’s a metaphor for the bizarre agglomeration of deviants, weirdos, and misfits that make up the Left. But I don’t really know. (Later edit:  just watched the YouTube version of "Ratatouille", and also looked up a term in it that I had not understood while listening to just the audio version. And - WOW. This is perhaps the most radical song on the album. The song begins with a list of ingredients, and then it says "but don't forget the secret ingredient - blue beans". I had never heard of blue beans, and had meant to look it up after hearing it in the audio version. "Blaue Bohnen" is German slang for "bullets" (!) Once I understood this, the song made much more sense, because it goes on to talk about how it is a special "Gericht" cooked up just for the Left. "Gericht' can be translated as "dish" but also as "court". The lyrics repeat "Ratatoulle" over and over, like this: "Ratatouille, Ratatouille, Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tata-touille..." I've heard it many times, but seeing it printed out on the screen brought to mind the written "rat-ta-tat-tat" sound made by machineguns in my old Sergeant Rock and GI Combat comic books. Interestingly, I had never thought of this until I understood the "blaue Bohnen" reference. "Gericht mit treffender Wirkung" could not be more explicit, once this is understood. The song ends with repetitions of this theme and reminders about the secret ingredient, as well as "Wir retten die Nation" (We're rescuing/will rescue the nation). So - this song is a very explicit warning to the Left.).

“Problemponys” (Problem Ponies) - A direct slam against the Left. “They don’t come from Iceland, or the Shetland Islands. They’re not Arabian, even though they act like it. They love to cluster around the feed trough, expecting someone else to fill it. They are problem ponies”. etc.

“Nägel mit Köpfen” (Nails with Heads) - Another reference I don’t understand. The lyrics talk about how “they” are making nails with heads, so perhaps it’s another metaphor, referring to ordinary citizens being hammered down or something. Someone please explain this to me. (Later edit: "Nägel mit Köpfen " is another one where looking up a German idiom clarified the meaning. I had this one backwards - according to Google AI: "In German culture and language, the significance of nails with heads comes from the popular idiom Nägel mit Köpfen machen, which means to take decisive action, do a thorough job, and finish what you started without shortcuts." This make sense in the context of the rest of the song, which is all about the media being unreliable, establishment authorities being full of BS, and telling them it's time to shut their mouths. It's another warning that "we" have had enough and we're about to shut you up. It brings to mind the phrase "Drain the swamp".  )

“Tutti Frutti Antifa” - Just what it sounds like - a slam against Antifa.

“Stahlbeton im Winter” (Reinforced Concrete in Winter) - This one is a sad lament, recalling the joys of the Christmas markets and how they’ve become concrete-and-steel fortresses because of the terrorists. “Where is my old Germany? I want it back now.”

“Die Liebe Meines Lebens” (The Love of My Life). This seems to be a straight-up love song. I’ve listened to it over and over, searching for some hint of a metaphorical reference to Germany as the object of that love. I have found no such explicit reference, but it could still be taken that way due to it’s context within the rest of the album.

“Neues Deutschland” (New Germany) - This one describes Germany in ruins due to the destructive policies of the Left and other politicians, and the New Germany that will arise strong and proud, if Germans will just fight for it. An optimistic conclusion to the album.

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All in all, a very moving and revealing glimpse into a deeply-felt sense of grievance against the decline of Germany, and the determination of at least some Germans to fight against it for a resurgence of German strength and pride. I am unaware of any comparable music like this in the USA. I think if it was to be found anywhere, if would be in the country and western genre, but some of this also reminds me of the protest music during the Vietnam War,

I invite my German and German-speaking friends to have a listen, tell me your thoughts, correct me where I may have gone wrong in my interpretations, and let me know your own opinions about this very interesting cultural trend.

Poland and Hungary have been right all along, Sweden is getting a clue, Germany seems to be waking up, Ireland is about to explode, and the UK is lost. I hope it’s not too late for the USA.

Mood: Curious

Music: Heuchler (Letzte Rettung AS)