All things must End

Ah yes, the final blog post it is indeed very welcomed. As a precursor, this has indeed been a fun and interesting class and if I were to fail (for some god-forsaken reason) I would gladly retake. Through the class we sampled many cultural slices of the German whole.

We learned the basic of the German political system and the various parties that make it up. For my purposes, I examined the Christian Democratic Union and their fearless leader Angela Merkel—who really is a person of interest. The class as well examined each of the 16 German states and delved into the unique qualities of each.  The next, and I feel a very significant portion of this class, was the book All Quiet on the Western Front. This essentially was a war book; however, it was not focused on the war itself. This book instead examined very human properties of war and looked into the lives of the so called “lost generation”. In the literary work we saw how trench warfare affected the lives of those involved and what would, more often than not, become of them. It was at this turning point in the class with which we began to focus on the ‘work’ related aspects of Germany’s history. We looked at slices of the past centuries and examined things such as business, industry, and the sciences. He we got a glimpse of how Germany has really contributed very much to the modern world and continues to be at the forefront of its cutting edge developments. We saw that Germany was an industrial force in the late 1800s to pre WWII and that they had actually been the world’s 2^nd largest exporter of steel (which, I didn’t know). Furthermore, many useful inventions came from Germany that are still at large in the modern world today such as tooth paste.

Moving forward, we saw that throughout Germany there have been tons of artistic leaders born from the German soils. For example, the well-known Bach wrote his greatest works in Leipzig and Goethe wrote many literary masterpieces befitting to a new age of writing. All in all, we see that Germany has prominence in both the sciences and the arts. We then moved to look at movies that Germany had to offer. Admittedly, I though all the movies we watched were good, but I really enjoyed the Baader-Meinhoff Komplex. This movie looked at the rebel force (RAF) that developed and thrived in Germany. It evolved from a protest and college aged kids who wanted to keep Germany from being reborn into the Nazi regime. We saw how the group changed and essentially, became a terrorist organization bent on causing chaos. I thought the movie was very well made with a lot of interesting highs and lows and great acting. Very recommended to see. Throughout watching these German movies I noticed that there are some subtle yet defined differences between German and American movies. It seems that German movies take on more analytical prospects vs. the American crash and bang type movies. From what I saw, German movies tend to have a very real aspect and are much less production focused than their American counterparts. Lastly, we closed up the cultural ride with a bit on German foods and drinks that you can’t buy at the State Fair. Many of the foods looked good, however, I would have to ultimately pass on anything with blood sausage (yikes).

So to tie it off. Great class. Enjoyed the presentation aspect of it and first-hand accounts of a German professor. It will be interesting to see what happens with Germany in the modern world and what else they will contribute to it. But before I digress, good class that gave a general overview of the German world. The only way I could truly continue my understanding of the German people would be to travel there myself. Maybe someday (when I have more money).

END

Buchteln

Buchteln are sweet desert rolls made with yeast dough and filled with various things such as jams, poppy seed, curd, or a traditional plum powidl jam. They are typically topped with a vanilla sauce or powdered sugar and are eaten warm. For all you baker types, these are supposedly easy to make.

On a very brief historical note they originated in the region of Bohemia and spread throughout central Europe. Due to my Polish nature, I’ve had them before and they’re pretty good (not my favorite though).

Baking Instructions:

 http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Buchteln

                    

                    

 Resources:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofjEwH5_gQu9SRD-PHKXSqwJa7iWYc_hEp6pzF7wJMFClmrGmwYk2MMHAFUUspqaPLXeLvCHXfP0Xcj2qskLsFZCtVus1LtT7vrwrANxUDBB3QI8Yflm9TQQMkMKCee1crGayKGwxFLI/s1600/buchteln2.jpg

http://www.steiermark.com/website/var/tmp/thumb_15974__contentGalleryBig.jpeg

http://www.wien.info/media/images/buchteln-mit-vanillesosse.jpg/image_Startbild

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Powidl1.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchteln

Baader-Meinhof Questions

The opposition to the German authorities, as developed and implemented by the first generation of Baader-Meinhof group members needs to be defined.

How did they organize their protest? What actions did they execute?

 

The initial Baader-Meinhof group was far more loosely organized in membership and crime execution. The crimes were far less violent than the more recent derivation and pertained to more political viewpoints in their reasoning.

 

2. In what ways did your level of identification with the group change from the beginning of the movie to the end?

 

Initially, I didn’t mind the group as much ( still I think they’re a bunch of idiots), but as time progressed I found that I dislike the group even more. This is because their attacks became much  more terroristic in all avenues and far more deadly.

3. Did the determination and rudeness displayed by Andreas Baader have a key role in the group dynamics, and in what ways?

 

Yes, I feel his rudeness set the tempo for the younger and upcoming members of the group. His rudeness impacted the methods of the latter generations by imposing a do anything you please mentality, however, the newer generations took it one step further than he intended.

Der Baader-Meinhof Komplex

               Personally, I thought this was a great movie with lots of interesting aspects to see evolve and experience. It contained what I thought to be good acting with a very human portrayal of each character. The movie focused on the lives and works on those involved in the Baader-Meinhof group (later to become the RAF). Through the film we get to see how the group so rapidly and aggressively formed with the main characters meeting through far left political ideologies. They essentially form a coalition of youth seeking a cultural revolution in defense from a fascist state. The group seeks to attract attention to their cause through violent means, i.e. bombings robberies, and later killings. I found it strange how the group was so opposed to structure and concerned for the welfare of the people, yet at the same time they would perform egregious acts that harmed either directly or indirectly the lives of many. To them they wanted to combat the rise of a nazi-like government or some extreme fascism .However, from my perspective it seemed like they wanted to complain and continue to make demands on the society just because they were hell-raisers. The movie portrayed them as complete rebels who did whatever they wanted, which I can’t say for sure if it’s accurate or not, nonetheless, according to this view of their character (especially that of Andreas Baader) I would say that they were just disgruntled assholes that were power-hungry. After the formation of the group we see its evolution into different phases of violence and terrorism. This happens as the old leaders are arrested giving rise to a more aggressive and spurious faction. For movie purposes, it was a great movie. Not too sure on the character representations, but I’ll take their representation as the most accurate that I know of.

Rote Army Fraktion

                This group is the child of the Baader-Meinhof group post WWII. The original cause of the group stems from student protests in West Germany associated with the youth of the postwar baby boom. The group was also somewhat of a reaction to post Nazi rule and on suspicion of authoritarian type governments who sought to command power. These radicals felt that lawmakers were continuing authoritarian policies on grounds of prior indoctrination of the Nazi regime. Influences for the group of the ‘New Left’ were influenced by various other counter-cultural movements such as the Chinese writings of Mao Zedong.

                The RAF was divided into three generations based on the scope of leadership and events that occurred. The first generation consisted of Anreas, Ensslin, and Ulrike. This was the ‘original’ group that was less terroristic and more goal oriented in their activities. The second generation stepped in while the original leadership was imprisoned and received loose instruction from inmates through lawyers etc. Here we see the group start to take on more radical and aggressive attacks against the people. Moving into the 1980s is when the third generation of leaders had taken place. At this time the original leadership was dead. One source describes the 3^rd generation as bourgeois Germans who turned to terrorism for kicks versus having any actual goals.

                The RAF after mid 1980 saw decline in activity and even more so post reunification. The last action of the RAF took place 1993 as a bombing on a prison. The RAF came to a subtle and official end in 1998 via a letter to Reuters declaring the dissolution of the group.

                This group is somewhat comparable with modern terrorism because today both served a purpose. For the RAF it was against a fascist state whereas today is more focused upon religion; nonetheless, comparable with having motivation for attacking vs. random attacks for no apparent reason.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army_Faction

http://www.baader-meinhof.com/second-generation-of-the-red-army-faction/

Berlin Calling

Berlin Calling Questions

What do drugs mean to Ickarus?

                Drugs allow him to enjoy the nightlife scene and become more in-tune with his music. They are a way to see the world in a different way which I guess can be a boon to his artistic development. I would also argue that he’s addicted to the high life and uses it as a means to couple with real situations.

Why, when, and how are his fans taking drugs, and which drugs do they take?

                His friends are taking drugs at the parties and at times during the day, so essentially, a lot of the time. The drugs they take are things such as MDMA, PMA, cocaine, and I think at one point meth was mentioned. So pretty much they are taking the party or feel good/stimulant drugs versus downers and hallucinogens.

While we can see that his drug habits gets him ill and into a psychosis, and while we witness his relapse and inability to work successfully, why does the subculture Ickarus is in focus on drugs?

                The subculture focuses on drugs because it allows them to experience life in a different way & to act as an aid to enjoying the nightlife to a whole new extent.

Compare the standards you know from your home society with the people you see depicted in this movie. Which are the stark differences and contrasts?

                Well, some significant differences are that most people I know don’t take drugs daily or at wild night parties, although most people use drinking as a similar medium to achieve an altered state. So really it’s a difference in choice of drug.  As well, most people I know don’t have ‘open’ sexual relations.

Germany is considered a strong industrial nation the world over. Do you think that the youth culture as depicted here could change that? How about work ethics of Ickarus and of Alice, the label director who fires and then re-signs him?

                No, I don’t think a half blitzed youth could ever have a chance of changing any national type events. Reason being I don’t think they care too much about any political schemes and are too focused on the party life.

                The work ethic of both Ickarus and Alice are fairly good I would say. It may sound odd, but for the work they do they seemed to be pretty determined. For example, Ickarus was heavily concerned with his music to the point of obsession and Alice appeared apt to developing a strong and successful music label.

Which similar "cult movies" of US origin have you seen, if any?

                I can’t really think of many American focused drug movies. I guess a couple that is based on drugs could be Scarface, Half-Baked, and Momma’s Boy. Scarface is focused on the drug selling empire and, of course, the organized crime world. Whereas Half-Baked and Momma’s Boy are just about stoners who encounter some random events and deal with them in a comedic manner.

General Reactions

                I thought the movie was very interesting. I actually can’t recall seeing another movie so focused on these harder drugs, but then again I really don’t watch many movies unless they’re a comedy. Certain things caught my eye such as the nudity. Really, not too many American production films see much nudity as I think our perspective might be more maligned with such a showing (unless its porno I guess). Also, just the plot of the movie itself is not something that I would expect to see in America. A movie focused on drugs, music and parties I feel is not a theme highly coveted or cared about by most Americans, as we typically like to see action with good vs. evil explicitly highlighted, instead of a more analytical view on a certain facet of culture (i.e. the German nightlife). A final aspect that I feel is not typically seen in American movies is that with homosexual relationships as seen between Mathilde and her girlfriend. All in all, these typically unseen things made the film feel real and more visceral instead of tailored to meet moralistic standards.

Nonetheless, I thought the film was really good. It was a neat perspective in to the drug induced madness that is the nightlife and the things that come along with that life style. It was interesting to see the decline of someone who takes hard drugs into a pit of chaos as well as the problems that are associated with the drug habits. I like how the film was less produced and more real in the sense that fewer things were deleted in terms of appropriateness (the sex, drugs, language, etc.). It allowed the audience to get an authentic view into the nightlife and see what it was about. The film I felt contained less context as it was harder to predict how certain events would turn out between relationships and human reactions. As a final word, good film I would recommend checking it out. 

Sturm und Drang

                Sturm und Drang was a movement in German literature and music in the late 1760s-1780s. It was focused on the individual by means of perspective, belief, and desire. Emotional extremes meditating on human desire were mainly examined during this through terms of free expression. This served as a reaction to the prior imposed rationalism imposed by the Enlightment with more pragmatic and moralistic agenda.

                A typical Sturm und Drang work is often powerful and builds into violent action by means of human motive (versus the idealistic moral).  Also associated with this time were works focused on anti-aristocratic perceptions and all real and painful subjects that earlier were less touched in the artistic fields. This stemmed from a rise in the 18^th century middle class and an increase in the power garnered to the aristocracy. This tension became a fuel for most of literacy and other artistic mediums and essentially the proved to be a catalyst to the movement.  In turn with this violence and dissent, music in this time was darker than previous. Most songs were written in a minor key with difficult or depressing themes of melody and dynamics. Some prominent musicians during this time were Haydn, Mozart, and Bach with their music focused on the professed darker themes.

                It was also during this time that theater became a significant place of artistic representation. Here we see opera really take on a new light with focus on increasing emotional expression. A notable ballet (that some might recognize) is that of Christoph Gluck’s Don Juan. The stage essentially became a place for writers to critique societal issues and take shots on current and unfair situations through colorful representation of emotion and the human condition. Popular writers of this time were Johann Anton Leisewitz, Heinrich Leopold Wagner, Goethe, Fredrich Schiller, Jakob Lenz, and Frierich Klinger. For all those who want to get a glimpse into specific works look into Prometheus or Die Leiden des jungen Werthers  both written by Goethe and which deal with dramatic themes of God and deadly love (ending in suicide). 

                                                                  References:
                                             ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturm_und_Drang

19^th Century Medical Advances Expansion:

Original Presenters: John De-Souza, Matt Kinzer, Patrick Biernat

     I chose this presentation on a couple grounds. First, it was presented very well and organized in a way that was easy to follow. The speakers did a good job of finding information that was interesting and covered it more deeply than the other groups. As well, the group was well prepared and did not sit and stare at the screen or drone on about matters that are ultimately boring and useless for our purposes (i.e. dates, minor details, etc.). Secondly, I picked this because it seemed like an interesting topic with many directions for research, there were many interesting people and devices invented. All in all, it appears that many significant and pertinent advances were made by the German people…

Thus, my expansion on the topic of 19^th century medical advances:

·         Gottlieb Burckhardt

o   A Swiss born psychiatrist whose is regarded as performing the first modern psychosurgical operation. Most of his studies/research were conducted in Germany.

o   Conducted his studies at the Universities of Basel, Gottingen and Berlin.

§  Doctorate was conferred at Basel

o   Continued studies at Basel and was granted position of Privatdozent (lecturer)

§  Lectured on nervous and mental disease

§  Studies revolved around the nervous system and treatment with electrotherapies.

o   Proposed many articles on the anatomy and functionality of the brain.

o   He became appointed the title of Medical Director in 1882

§  Performed various surgical procedures on psychiatric patients and published findings.

·         One of the first into the field of psychosurgery with an cortical operation on 6 patients.

o   He felt that disorders stemmed from ‘disordered brains’ thus he sought surgery to correct this.

o   All but 2 of the patients suffered adverse consequences but were notably more ‘quiet’

o   This stemmed from his view that it is better to do something than nothing. Essentially, he denounced ‘bad’ procedures.

·         This was a primitive precursor to lobotomy procedures and was Gottlieb’s last bit of research before his death.

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottlieb_Burckhardt