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October 31, 2005
Ich bin Deustche nicht, but this ad campaign makes me wish otherwise
Since I'm studying German this semester, my ears perked when I heard this NPR story on a new ad campaign to lift Germany's national morale. The ads depict famous actors, athletes, and other German notables, along with the uplifting slogan: "Du bist ____" ("You are __insert famous person's name__").
Digression: I chuckled at the NPR reporter's use of the word "glum." People should use it more often.
The ad copy itself is an exquisite use of rhetorical hyperbole. My German is still too limited to fairly assess the tone, but Google translator and I came up with this:
Resistance and chances are nearly always equal in the balance of life. But you can decide which side wins. Passion weighs more than resistance, and dreams are heavier than stupid prejudices. If you throw everything into the scale, then nobody can stop you.You are Germany.
Even beyond the literary aesthetics of the ads, I'm strangely fascinated. Regardless of whether or not the campaign has any effect, it takes a certain kind of national history and consciousness to even attempt to motivate an entire nation solely on the virtue of their communal heritage. I have a hard time imagining a "You are George Washington" campaign ever getting funded in the United States. Perhaps it's because, as a nation, we are perpetually the younger sibling, wishing that mom and dad wouldn't remind us that our big sister France has contributed far more to the intellectual canon of western society. An individualistic mindset is hardly receptive to the idea that one should perk up simply because of shared ancestry with Albrecht Durer.
But, hey. Deutschland, viel Glueck!
Culture, Yo , Woeful Tales of Cultural Integration , Writing | By elissa | 05:20 PM
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