Der Spiegel article about Germany's crush on Obama,

[marmar]

German schadenfreude knows no bounds, particularly when it comes to the United States. The country loves to feel superior to a superpower like America. Yet Germany also harbors a childish infatuation with Obama -- one which has little political grounding. The reasons are psychological.

It's too bad that Mitt Romney didn't win. If the Republicans had won, we could finally have known for sure that our suspicion of America's imminent demise is correct. "Four more years," translated into the German viewpoint means little more than a "four-year reprieve."

For the über-watchful among us, the signs of the downfall are obvious. One must only take a look at the condition of the streets (every fourth bridge is crumbling!), or the entirely outdated power grid, to come to the conclusion that this country has its future behind it. A nation that has its utility lines hanging from poles in the street, instead of burying them in an orderly fashion underground, cannot really be taken seriously.

......(snip)......

There is hardly an issue about which Germans as so united as they are by their desire to see America on its knees. It unites both the left and the right. Wherever they look, they see decay, a lack of culture and ignorance. "A perverse mixture of irresponsibility, greed, and religious zealotry," as my adversary, columnist Jakob Augstein, furiously argued on Monday.

A Blessing to Live in Germany

What a blessing it is, one must conclude, to live in Germany, a country where the highways are regularly repaired and the washing machines use so little water that one could water the entire Sahara with what is left over. In which citizens' initiatives are formed against McDonald's, and two-bit crime dramas are considered the pinnacle of TV entertainment. If the utility poles here were to snap like toothpicks, then it would be the fault of some natural catastrophe, the likes of which would make a hurricane seem like a gentle breeze. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/commentary-on-why-germans-want-america-s-downfall-a-866153.html

[seabeyond]

1. fuck them. nt

[southernyankeebelle]

2. Having lived in Germany back in the 50s after the war and the deep admiration for

america from the German people and moving foward to now I can understand why they feel that way. I remember when my uncle who was from Italy tell my father one time years and years ago saying you know europeans love america but you get to a point saying thank you for all you have done for us gets old. He felt America does good but had this habit of telling us the good they did for them. Dad reminded him well America did help them when they needed us. But he also acknowledge if he had been in their shoes he guessed he would have felt the same.

[xchrom]

3. du rec. nt