M. Beisenherz: Sorry, I’m here privately
Overeating on symbolism – mendacious play of colors
Micky Beisenherz criticizes the mendacity of German declarations of solidarity with Ukraine.
© picture alliance/dpa | Paul Zinken
Perhaps the pictures of “peace-celebrating” Cologne jerks on Thursday were the most honest message Germany had ever sent out into the world. “Yes, sure, war, but that’s why changing your habits now, that doesn’t help anyone either”, is this opinion Mickey Beisenherz in question.
A few hours later, television viewers saw a tired, yes, helpless Robert Habeck, just about held together by his three-parter, who made it surprisingly clear that the federal government can hardly do more than what “sanctions are on the table ” lies.
A good performance because: Sincere. And that’s why it’s also more touching than Olaf Scholz’s hollow pep talk, who let everyone know in a television speech: “Putin won’t win.” He probably sees it differently.
When this same Robert Habeck could be admired on Instagram at the same time, turning his back on the community, looking worriedly at the blue and yellow illuminated Brandenburg Gate, he was again the horse cuddler Outdoorshaver Habeck, and I had: Enough.
Not that I wouldn’t relieve the Economics Minister’s concern. It’s just this horrible urge to iconize every feeling, every condition. This temptation to display genuine dismay in an Instagrammable way, only to, and that’s the worst part, let nothing follow. We are insanely talented at sending out powerful symbols while fearing the consequences like Putin fears democracy. Putin’s pay pal Manuela Schwesig had finally climbed Mount Everest of embarrassment, and she proudly tweeted pictures of the blue and yellow illuminated state parliament. As if not everyone knew that until just now she was about to personally chain herself to the pipeline to save her prestige object.
Only Kujau has recently handled colors more dishonestly
And if we illuminate the next-to-the-last station in Gütersloh in blue and yellow: as long as there are no serious efforts to enforce drastic measures against the liberated tsar, German or European declarations of solidarity are at best horrifyingly embarrassing. The fact that we dip our profile pictures in the colors of Ukraine and solemnly heave Sting’s “Russians” into the Instastory while secretly hoping that the sanctions will not have too severe an impact at the gas pump or in the Deka depot is a petty-bourgeois dilemma. An all too human one.
A federal government that assures the Ukrainians of full solidarity, while within the EU, for example, the exclusion from SWIFT is blocked (which would really hurt as a means), makes such a moral rebellion an empty pod on a large scale. It’s not even a question of whether the SWIFT ban would prove to be a tried and tested method – proof that Italy would prefer to continue selling Gucci loafers to oligarchs given the first opportunity for courage, or that Germany is afraid of exporting its Mercedes fleets makes our heroic attitude look so silly it cracks.
To justify this by saying that the Russian grandmother would no longer be able to transfer money to her granddaughter in London is probably a perfidious part of the scare campaign. At least it worked for me. The Russian grandma has at least one granddaughter.
Meanwhile, against the urgent advice of all advisers in Kiev, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains with his people and bravely defends himself. Citizens of Russia take to the streets to demonstrate against these war crimes. They all risk their lives for their beliefs. That’s so impressively brave that it should make us feel a little more pathetic. It’s perfectly clear that we seek all means of distraction, needing support in the cyclone of images, producing memes and edifying tweets. That’s right.
It’s the digital equivalent of whistling in the woods
Those who only acknowledge Ukraine often enough with hashtags are more likely to believe that they have done everything possible. This is not to deny that many of us are serious about our helpless sympathy.
But this empty roar of solidarity, these eternal declarations of affinity without any consequences, this blue and yellow overcoating of unpleasant truths is just pathetic. Not to mention food companies or furniture stores, who find it convenient to randomly share the colors with the invaded country in order to quickly pick up a few moral points with pseudo dismay. Always the greatest possible pose with the least possible effort, it really sucks. Let them shine a light on that shitty pipeline.
And how are the local forces doing in Afghanistan? You almost want to admire the people at the Cologne carnival for their sincerity, swaying against the madness: “It’s all bad, but we haven’t had a nice few weeks lately. Can’t do anything. Alaaf.”
It is enough.