The beginning of the end of free speech

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by Skybird

For reference, I do not base of the opera by Wagner. I can'T stand Wagner'S operas, they are too long, although I know some pieces of music from them that are of the most beautful music I know of. I base on literature source exclusively.

I'm sorry, but I can't let this slide. Of all the possible critiques of Wagner's work Skybird's biggest complaint is that his works are too lengthy? :p

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

I'm sorry, but I can't let this slide. Of all the possible critiques of Wagner's work Skybird's biggest complaint is that his works are too lengthy? :p

Well, telling you from first source even the musicians complain that they are too lengthy! And they have something to do all the time - while the audience can only sit still!

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by AntEater

Lol, the Nibelungenlied and Aryan Propaganda...
Well, then King Arthur is Empire Propaganda?

Suppose we Germans are simply one of the few nations/cultures in the world you are allowed to hate.
I mean you cannot say anything against muslims, despite the occasional suicide bomber and the fact that parts of the Quran can be "misinterpreted" as a manual to kill pretty much everybody who is not a muslim.
You cannot say anything against blacks (not even call them like that!) because then they will stop gang warfare and accuse you of racism.

Of course you absolutely can't say anything bad about Jews.

Even the Japanese managed to slip under the veil of Xenophobia, despite Nanjing and human experiments and all. Ok, japanese stuff is also quite hip.

So when all is said and done, as an anglo-american there are very few people you can really vent your spleen on and the best of those are the germans.
I mean, the only other really hatable nations are the Chinese and the Russians.
The Chinese simply don't care what you think of them as long as you buy their stuff while the russians are second only to the americans in jingoism and collective chest-beating.
Insult them too much and you find yourself in the center of a hostile corporate takeover, a KGB style assasination plot or simply you have to pay twice as much for your gas.
So that leaves Germany as the most insultable nation on the planet.
We don't mind, really.
And movie villains are mostly cooler than good guys anyway.
:rotfl:

I don't have much say about this in the world at large, but bashing Germans here is verboten.

Anyway, don't get too wrapped up in it, I think the world bashes the US more than Germany these days.

[AntEater]

I was writing about the options for british or americans.
Of course self-bashing is always an option. Germans perfected it, even though russian bashing is now a close run second.
Regarding the ROTW (TM), of course the US is the prime target of spleen venting.

[Skybird]

After the cold war, the era of MAB began: mutual assured bashing. Shopping malls perfected it with slogans like "two bashings for the price of one, and one roll over for free if you bash them before tuesday next week". A new caste of warriors emerged as well, the socalled Bashistas, fearful wordslingers who gather in huge parliamentary buildings, typically sitting or standing in round or half-round formations, and try to raise female bashers's attention by ripplefiring words of bashing at the competitors. We have bash-food, typically prepared in microwave ovens, often you feel incredibly bashed after having one of these. People get payed a regular income for signing a contract that allows master-bashers to bash them every day from 08 to 17 hours, and if you haven't gotten enough bashing from either your boss or your babe, you are free to join a hockey club were then you will be smashed, which adds a whole new quality to bashing, and optionally you can also vote for the floor being mopped up with you.

[Chock]

Well, despite being a Brit, I've never been taken in by the simplistic musings that we were 'the good guys' and the 'Germans were all bad'. I mean, how could you really hate a country that had its uniforms made by Hugo Boss? :rotfl:

If you're going to go to war, you might as well do it in style.

Chock

[Onkel Neal]

Originally Posted by Skybird

After the cold war, the era of MAB began: mutual assured bashing. Shopping malls perfected it with slogans like "two bashings for the price of one, and one roll over for free if you bash them before tuesday next week". A new caste of warriors emerged as well, the socalled Bashistas, fearful wordslingers who gather in huge parliamentary buildings, typically sitting or standing in round or half-round formations, and try to raise female bashers's attention by ripplefiring words of bashing at the competitors. We have bash-food, typically prepared in microwave ovens, often you feel incredibly bashed after having one of these. People get payed a regular income for signing a contract that allows master-bashers to bash them every day from 08 to 17 hours, and if you haven't gotten enough bashing from either your boss or your babe, you are free to join a hockey club were then you will be smashed, which adds a whole new quality to bashing, and optionally you can also vote for the floor being mopped up with you.

Great comeback, made me smile

[P_Funk]

Originally Posted by Takeda Shingen

Wagner and Hitler, had they actually met, would not have gotten along very well, but I digress.

They say the same thing about Marx and Lenin, or at least something similar. But that is a different conversation.