“Germany Eliminates Itself”

There is a pile of Sarrazin articles in one corner of my room. Actually reading them closely is an idea that I erase quicker the hotter the debate gets.

I just come back from a trip abroad three days ago. In Romania I sometimes felt like being in a German colony: German shops here and there, Obi and Hornbach, Metro and Kaufland everywhere. Maybe I felt a bit of pride when I confirmed to Romanians, yeah this and that is German…

Then, what I read in the Financial Times Europe cover story on my way back to Germany is the opposite feeling: “Germany Eliminates Itself” (eliminates is a too strong translation, I suggest “Germany Abolishes Itself”). For a moment, the book title in the cover’ s large picture, with this awkwardly, stubbornly looking Doctor becomes representative for Germany, for all foreign businessmen and tourists accidentally seeing these news. No good news.

Sarrazin reminds me of Dr Strangelove in the Kubrick movie: Strange ideas, uncontrolled behaviour. For political correctness, I have to say that Sarrazin is no the Dr Strangelove in the regard that he plays a former Nazi, but I suggest that Sarrazin similarly has the habit of sometimes strangling himself metaphorically, because what he says is way too extremist — which will lead to the loss of him being perceived as a serious public voice: exclusion from his political party, loss of Bundesbank board post. Also: Did not Dr Strangelove had almost equally strange ideas about breeding of intelligent people?

Germany needs better and more integration. But does Sarrazin really think that with such polemic (“Jews share certain genes”, “import brides”, “hijab girls”) he could kindle a  discussion except within the circles that are as vulgraly conservative as Sarah Palin or Glenn Beck? The way Sarrazin implies that Germany is a fixed, stable entity is antiquated. Germany needs to be more open and reinvent itself. With the EU, it is on a good way. This may sound naive-liberal, laissez-faire, but the debate should not be taken over by the strong right wing alone. Nobody else, meaning the moderate and left-wing citizens, would listen anyway — as Sarrazin is already on the way to becoming a second Eva Hermann, a former newsspeaker who also stirred the debate with extremist comments (“not everything was bad [in Hitler times]!”).

The integration/immigration topic definitely deserves greater attention, but Sarrazin brings it into the self-applauding right-wing sphere, and then others — like me — don’t want to discuss anymore. Polemic is great, political incorrectness at the expense of others, underpriviliged people is fail! With Sarrazin’s way of discourse, integration eliminates itself, not Germany. There are already stories like “How people like Sarrazin make me a stronger muslim.”

Of course, Sarrazin might have passages worth discussing in his book, but what’s the point of fixing the crashed Sarrazin car when only two wheels are still OK?

“Germany Eliminates itself” (eliminates is a too strong translation, I suggest “Germany abolishes itself”). This book title, and this awkwardly, stubbornly looking Doctor becomes representative for Germany, for all businessmen and tourists accidentally seeing these news.

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