Comments on: German Frat Sexes Up the Nursery

By: horst

horst — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:30:55 +0000

Well I actually know these guys, it is not a “Burschenschaft”, but a “Corps”. There is a big difference, as every member of a Corps is encouraged to have his own political opinion unlike in the Burschenschaft where the whole fraternity is more right-wing orientated. So a little more research would have been nice before bashing on them…

By: technicolorsheep

technicolorsheep — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:42:52 +0000

Judging on my (on account of being female-bodied somewhat limited) experiences with German Burschenschaften, this is definitely not among the worst you should come to expect.
Indeed, for the standards I’ve been presented when attending to one of their regularly-held ‘discussion panels’ on European history (i.e. revisionism), this is exceedingly well-designed and comparatively harmless.

It’s really worth meeting these guys in person – especially when considering that they will become part of the old-boys-network sometime in the future. Ah, don’t we all love such quaint and innocent traditions?

By: kantorka

kantorka — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:23:48 +0000

Well, it’s an American chain, and the advertising agency that made it is “Crispin, Porter & Bokusky” from Miami. I am sure some German executive must have been thrilled – but I seriously don’t know in how far it could be used as representative for the German culture in the context of the original post.

By: tamar

tamar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:39:43 +0000

And a little more from German culture. Burger King adresses mostly teenagers, and this is what they teach them about masculinity and how to regain it
http://www.horizont.net/kreation/tv/pages/protected/show.php?id=1359

The “sissy” (effeminated) man is
- a salad eater (Real Men grill)
- extremely White and pale (and in contrast, for that race angle, the trainer in the course teaching to be a Real Man, obviously a Real Man himself, is Black)
- weak
- (not a hetero bra opener, thus probably gay)

In the meanwhile, I have noticed the comments on the video site I have linked to – they claim the concept is stolen from a US beer advert (which again teaches older teenagers to be “Real Men”). Well, allet wat jutes ist, kommt von den Amis.

By: Tamar

Tamar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:12:06 +0000

And another vote for “What Chris/Kantorka said”. Burschenschaften cannot be “translated” into fraternities. Many of these are affiliated with extreme “old” Conservative-nationalism, as well as with New Right movements.

By: bitterlibrarian

bitterlibrarian — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:39:09 +0000

Another thing is the way that the Teddy Bear is FACING…as though it and the girl are having sex…meh.

By: Matt K

Matt K — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:44:06 +0000

Tim,

Not sure what your angle is here. Are you suggesting that an interpretation which stresses an idealization of the purity of childhood is more plausible than one in which the image is infantilizing women?

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:54:38 +0000

> When you open the invitation you see a woman,

> The invitation could be seen as an example of the infantilization of women and/or idealization of/affinity for reminders of childhood.

FTFY

By: Kantorka

Kantorka — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:39:50 +0000

What Chris said. They often make half hearted attempts of their stereotypical images of being -in tendency- nationalist, chauvinist -even those few for women- and attracting students from upperclass families not having much brainpower. Stereotypical, as said, but all too often not entirely unfounded, one could think when looking at things like these.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:29:55 +0000

Another proof that Burschenschaften can be even worse than US frats. Though even for Burschenschaften this is pretty bad.

By: Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist !

Deaf Indian Muslim Anarchist ! — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:39:37 +0000

I just threw up in my mouth. WTF is this?!