Summer No-Go Zones

Recently, as my husband and I made a list of potential vacation destinations for this summer, we noticed another list forming: no-go zones. At least three locations were crossed off our list because we were worried that we could have problems with right-wing extremists.

My first reaction is often "Who is going to bother us?" A naive part of me really believes that skinheads wouldn't target a family with small kids; not to mention that I hate the idea of certain parts of Germany being off limits to us because we're an interracial family.

But then I remembered when Germany hosted the World Cup in 2006. There was an official buzz about "no go zones" in some eastern parts of the country that were considered dangerous for tourists of color.

I understood why the warnings were issued, as violence toward people of color in right-wing extremist strongholds (most of which are in the east) is a reality. In fact, my first trip to a beautiful town outside of Jena was tainted by a well-attended Neo-nazi rally. My eldest son was a baby at the time and slept peacefully in his stroller, despite all the shouting.

I would hate to encounter ugliness like that today with my children in their why stage. Why do they hate us? Why should we go away when we were born here? I'm not sure how I'd answer that. So, for now, I avoid some quaint beach towns along the Baltic Sea or farms in Brandenburg where right extremist violence has been widely reported.

A part of me thinks we're letting the bad guys win by hiding from them and by missing out on areas full of natural beauty and history. But some risks don't seem worth taking.

At least not yet.


Photo: flickr

Rest in Peace

This clip is how I like to remember Michael Jackson: before all the scary plastic surgery that made him look so freakish, sad and white; before the allegations of inappropriate relations with children, again and again; before the fame and pressure of show business robbed him of his own childhood and his mental health.

Looking at these old clips, I'm still amazed by the choreography, the singing, and the stage presence of Michael and his siblings. But it's also a little sobering to now understand the high cost of all that perfection at a young age.

Nevertheless, for people like me, who grew up with Michael Jackson, our lives have been forever changed and enriched by this gifted person. Undoubtedly a legend.

Burqas at H&M?

I have to admit that when I see a woman standing on a Berlin street corner in a burqa, I have to fight the urge to stare. It is still a startling image in a modern, urban society that is relatively tolerant of many religious and cultural traditions except, er, burqas(and even head scarves).

The first thing that runs through my mind when I see a burqa-clad frau is the Taliban and its horrific treatment of women when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan. I confess that I assume the woman is being oppressed and not protected, as burqa supporters insist.

Nicholas Sarkozy recently put my thoughts into words and came out with it: Burqas make women "prisoners behind a screen." He went so far to say on Monday that burqas are not a sign of religion but subservience. Yes, he went there.

There was a time in Germany when the Muslim headscarf, worn by mostly Turkish Muslim women, was a source of controversy. Should teachers be allowed to teach with headscarves? Should girls be allowed to wear them to school? How far should religious freedom be tolerated in a secular society? These were the questions that came up and are still discussed here.

Initially, I thought there was a clear violation of religious freedom to deny Muslim women the right to wear headscarves. After all, no one was telling German nuns in Bavaria to take off their habits. And no one here would dare tell a Jewish person he's not allowed to wear a yarmulke.

But it eventually became clear to me that the debate went far beneath the headscarf. There were other issues like forced marriages, oppression of girls, even sibling honor killings (one a few blocks from my house), all in the name of religion. Not every Muslim girl who wears a headscarf is subjected to these practices but it does raise the legitimate question of when a secular government is allowed to step into matters of religion; which, should techincally be protected in any democracy.

Thank goodness I'm not a lawmaker, because I'd be stumped on this one. As a woman, I really get a chill when I see a burqa, admittedly because I am viewing it with a western, Christian-ish, liberal viewpoint. I also have very little information about the burqa apart from creepy Taliban news clips and the heartbreaking novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. BUT if a woman is really choosing to wear a burqa, then it can't be constitutional to forbid her to wear one, can it?

Photo: flickr

Shake, Rattle and Roll

He is most definitely Berlin's best import, by way of England, and he always leaves me feeling about as pumped up as the Rocky theme song. Sir Simon Rattle has been rocking Berlin's Philharmonic since 2002 and he is known for his passion, charm and fantastic grey halo of hair that fits perfectly to his dynamic conducting and his self-description "I was always a strange bird."

Another reason why I love him is for his participation in Rhythm is It, which is a must-see for any lover of music and dance and anyone who loved the movie Fame.

Sir Rattle and Roystom Maldoom, the choreographer, change the lives of 250 children and teens from some of Berlin's rougher neighborhoods (plenty of smoking, bad mouthed trouble makers in the bunch) as they prepare a dance performance set to Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, which I heard last night at a concert performed in the middle of the woods of Berlin.

Despite the rain that eventually came pouring down on our heads, I remembered the truth in Rattle's words:

"This is not a luxury. This is a necessity like the air and water that we drink."





Photo: flickr

The Censorship Trade Off

Censorship
Originally uploaded by Abbey Wuthrich

Seeing J.D. Salinger in the news recently (he's trying to keep copyright of his main character from Catcher in the Rye), I was reminded of how conservatives in America tried to have that booked banned from public schools. . .

Then, inadvertently hearing about Bill O'Reilly, an annoying, archaic, ultra conservative Fox newscaster who can't stop whining about how You Tube might corrupt youth who go on the site and can see "pornography" (mind you there is no nudity on You Tube). . .I have had censorship on the mind.

Like every freedom, there are trade offs, but if America looked anything like what O'Reilly and Sarah Palin envision (remember her trying to ban a children's book from an Alaskan school library?) then we would have media restrictions similar to China's (of course, O'Reilly and others of his ilk would be the first to criticize the lack of freedom in China).

Mr. O'Reilly, do you suggest that You Tube be dismantled altogether? Tell that to an Iranian who has the guts to film and upload the protests and violence in Tehran that Iranian and foreign journalists can't.

Is disclosing real injustice worth protecting the same outlet that might "corrupt" children with images of, gasp, sexual acts? I say yes.

Would banning You Tube prevent kids/teens from watching porn anyway? Didn't kids sneak nudy magazines from their uncles' closets before there was even Internet? Didn't boys and girls, er, exercise their hands since the beginning of time?

It just seems like it would be a lot easier (and realistic) if parents tried to openly put some responsible knowledge into their kids' brains. How about teaching some reality to the fantasy world of porn and glamorous sex (STDs, teen pregnancy--you listening Sarah Palin?) Censoring protects no one, silence breeds more ignorance and censoring only leads to more censoring until there is nothing at all left to see.

Hey, O'Reilly and co., could you just maybe censor your pie holes, please?

Is This Still America?

Recently I was talking to an excited German teenager getting ready to spend a year in the United States and when she told me what the exchange program put on her do/don't behavior list for her time in America, I was intrigued and confused:

--Don't ever, ever discuss politics or wear clothing with political messages (ie Yes We Did)

--Never wear short skirts above the knee or low cut shirts

--Piercings aren't tolerated and if you have one, take it out before you go (tats should be covered)

--You have to go to church every Sunday

--Be prepared to gain about five kilos in the first few months, as American food will make you fat

--You are being sent to small towns, as people in the city are workaholics and generally don't have children. The city is also dangerous.

Ok, I know I didn't grow up in Wisconsin, but really? There are no kids in Kansas getting piercings and tats, listening to Tegan and Sara and speaking their mind? Even if it's just to provoke their parents? Aren't there freaks, Goths, stoners, etc (don't know the current terminology) in every school?

Germans always say, "But you're from New York and that is not really a part of America!" New York is different, no doubt. But I spent a good deal of my childhood in Maryland, which ain't exactly Amsterdam, and there were plenty of kids who did their own thing, stuck out, rebelled. . .

I've been in Europe for a while now, so maybe I'm out of the loop. But I'm still trying to wrap my mind around an Iowa that legalized gay marriage, or the Virginia that voted for Obama, and the conservative picture that this list is painting.


Photo: jough

Sentiment of the Week

Free Speech for All (8370)
Originally uploaded by echoey13

". . .there was a time when . . .the First Amendment was not used as toilet paper to wipe up the excremental verbal degradation of vulnerable segments of the American population. A time when it was expected that citizens would understand the difference between free speech and irresponsible speech."

This is from Michael Rowe's stunning essay in The Huffington Post, about the danger of the American Right's rhetoric in relation to the violence by right extremist zealots in the past few weeks: James von Brunn killed a security guard at the Holocaust Museum in Washington and Scott Roeder walked into Dr. George Tiller's church and shot Tiller because he performed late term abortions.

I also wrote an essayduring the presidential elections for The Root about the danger of irresponsible speech in politics and media. German history provides a perfect example of how words, recited regularly enough and combined with fear, can be as scary as a loaded gun.


Photo: Free Speech for All (8370)

Moving Right, Rechtsruck, Changement Vers la Droite

Europeans, at least the measly 43% of them who turned up, voted for Right and Far Right parties yesterday during the European Parliament Elections. Who/what is the Right and what does it mean for European legislation?

Let me make it clear that the Right that was voted from Germany was not far right skin heads but something along the lines of America's conservative Democrats. Nevertheless, the scary right still has representation* within Germany as well as in Austria, Denmark, Italy and in eastern Europe.

While I assumed economy would dominate the voting trends, I was struck by these comments in a poll conducted by CNN regarding the gains in the Right:

"Somebody’s got to stand up for traditional European values, culture and religion because everyone else politically is giving away the farm. It amazes me that Europeans fought 2 wars to ensure freedom and the preservation of their way of life only to let it fall to “conquest through immigration”."

Or

"I fear the legions of immigrants who come to my country to suck the welfare, burn the cars, loot the stores, rape the women, and murder the critics way way more. Sorry but we in Europe pay more attention to reality than rhetoric."

These comments shock but also intrigue me, as the Internet gives people who are speaking "anonymously" a lot more courage to truly speak their mind. I'd like to open up the discussion in other European languages and ask European Currents readers: DID IMMIGRATION PLAY A ROLE IN THE ELECTION YESTERDAY? WAS DENKST DU, SPIELTE IMMIGRATION EINE ROLLE BEI DER WAHL GESTERN? L'IMMIGRATION A-T-ELLE JOUÉ UN RÔLE DANS l'ELCTIONS HIER ? (Sorry, my written French sucks).

Do immigrants represent a threat to the European culture and its traditions? Stellen Einwanderer eine Bedrohung für die europäische Kultur und ihre Traditionen? Représentent les immigrants une menace à la culture européenne et à ses traditions ?




Photo: European Parliament

*changed on 6/26 (thanks Gustav)

Facebook's "Ethnicity" Quiz... really?

Question: Is Facebook's "What ethnicity are you?" quiz a joke? Seriously, someone enlighten me because I wasn't sure if it was meant in jest and maybe I just didn't get it.

Here are some sample questions and answers:

Which of the following foods do you like most?

Kun Pao Chicken
BBQ Chicken Wings
Tandoori Chicken
Chicken Paella
Deep Fried Chicken


What ethnicity of the opposite sex do you find most attractive?
White
Latino
Black
Indian
Asian


And this is my favorite question: What's your favorite instrument?

Flute
Piano
Drum
Sitar
Saxophone

Someone please tell me this is a joke. So, let me guess, the little ethnicity wizard determines that if you like blacks, fried chicken and a saxophone then you're hmm. . . .

It's a joke, right? If it's not, stereotype much?


Photo: level1kobold

Remembering "The Tank Man"

I literally had to fight back the tears of anxiety as I re-watched the clip of the unidentified man who faced off with Chinese military tanks, AFTER hundreds of Chinese students and other protesters were shot and killed in Tiananmen Square.

Listening and watching various news clips that touch upon tragic details of the massacre twenty years ago, (like the fact that Chinese riot police shot people not just in the square but also in alleys leading away from it--in other words hunted people down), I tried to remember where I was back then? . . .

I was about to begin my freshman year in college, full of ideologies and fiery convictions. I thought being a student was about protesting and having a loud mouth and fighting the good fight. Watching Chinese students being shot at, on the daily news, definitely dampened my spirit and frightened me, as I realized how little I knew about the world.

What I remember particularly well is the footage of that lone man, with bags in his hands, defiantly climbing onto a tank. I was terrified for him, my heart stopped. I wanted him to go away, to be the coward that most of us are! And then, as I'm yelling at the screen, another man comes into view and pulls the man away from the tank.

I will never stop marveling at that display of fearless resistance. That clip changed my life and still gives me goose bumps.

My Kids As The MultiCulti Poster Children

This past weekend, Berlin celebrated the Carnival of Cultures, an annual multiculti parade and festival that takes place in Berlin's most culturally diverse district. Almost every country has a float, costumes, some members of their culture (but more often Germans dressed in traditional Senegalese dress, for example) and plenty of good integrated fun.

It's sort of Germany's way to celebrate the multitude of cultures that exist here and people from different cultures to represent.

Yesterday, we took our kids to the carnival and I dressed them in typical Haitian/Cuban style linen shirts. Of course, they looked adorable but even as their mother, I was shocked by just how much attention they received.

Everyone just melted when they saw my sons together and some people started pulling out their cameras and shot pictures of my kids! At first I thought they were going to ask me for my email address to mail them to me, but they were just taking the pics for themselves? WTF? One was obviously a professional photographer but there was a couple with a plain old digital camera who just kept saying, "Ohhh they are sooo cute."

Is it me or is that weird? OK, my kids are cute, but why would someone want pictures of my kids for his personal collection? It felt very much like my kids were being exoticized,like people were getting caught up in the whole multiculti euphoria.

I wonder what white Germans would say if I started taking pictures of their cute kids?