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[mainiac]

The primary cause? In what universe?

In the universe where simple Keynesian identities are obeyed.

There was a need for Europe to make an adjustment.  That process finished about 12 months ago.  Europe right now is not in a recovery or anywhere near it.  Europe is way behind the US or Japan.

The other countries were perfectly free to follow another course - without German money, of course. Why do you think did they choose this path instead of another?

Because the would have meant a financial collapse through leaving the Euro, which would have been bad for everyone.  Germany is basically blackmailing the rest of Europe saying that if they don't bend over and take it Germany will take it's ball and go home.  It's an immensely destructive way because screwing over your partners is not a viable long term strategy.

It's a good strategy if you have a leader without an agenda who doesn't care about the long term.  If you are someone who got into politics to make things better it's a horrible, horrible thing.

[Antsan]

I don't think it was forbidden, but a few journalists tried to get it banned because it was, quite frankly, slanderous.

Die Anstalt is low-quality satire anyway. Like Volker Pispers, but with less direct propaganda for Die Linke.

I am at a complete loss as to why you can be calling those "low quality" while calling "Die Bild" a "pillar of democracy".
I mean, calling "Die Anstalt" and Volker Pispers out for how blatantly obvious they make their political preferences are is one thing. It's different from "low quality" and in comparison to "Die Bild"... I don't even know how to begin there. Maybe with how they don't destroy lives for money? How they actually do research before talking about something?

[Dutchling]

Die Bild is <anything good*>?

What.

*other than breasts.

[Antsan]

I'm not sure whether you misunderstood me or just now noticed what Helgoland said a few pages back, so I want to make this entirely clear:
When I said "they" here

Maybe with how they don't destroy lives for money? How they actually do research before talking about something?

I did not mean "Bild".
So, yes, I agree with you. It just doesn't make any sense at all.

[Sheb]

Oh, me and Helgo just talked about this in private (I expressed similar disbelief), and Helgoland's argument was that, exactly like a gut bacteria that spends his time wallow in shit doing nothing good but at least occupy the ecological niche so you don't get diarrhea, the Bild, while certainly a sensationalist rag barely worth using as toilet paper, is the least bad thing that could occupy the tabloid niche and prevent something darker taking its place.

[Helgoland]

To be fair, the analogy was Sheb's idea - it illustrates the idea quite nicely.

I mean, calling "Die Anstalt" and Volker Pispers out for how blatantly obvious they make their political preferences are is one thing. It's different from "low quality"

In the case of satire, it usually isn't. Die Anstalt and Volker Pispers make low-quality cabaret because they do not even try to be witty, or funny, or to make original observations. Both only wallow in being against 'the mainstream'. They do not present new ideas, and they do not dissect the topic at hand - their mode of operation is throwing shit and seeing what sticks. Look at the Die Anstalt episode in question: They go from 'Journalists are active in certain organizations' to 'They're all evil for doing that'. Never even once is the question asked whether the trans-atlantic organizations do good or harm - it's just assumed that they're EVUL. Journalists talking with politicians? EVUL. Etc etc. The episode on Ukraine was even worse.
I'd like to give a counterexample, showing what intelligent satire looks like: But sadly, cabaret in Germany is mostly dead.

And where did you get the idea that newspapers and cabaret artists are comparable? (Or that pillars need to have high quality to hold?)

[mainiac]

Oh, me and Helgo just talked about this in private (I expressed similar disbelief), and Helgoland's argument was that, exactly like a gut bacteria that spends his time wallow in shit doing nothing good but at least occupy the ecological niche so you don't get diarrhea, the Bild, while certainly a sensationalist rag barely worth using as toilet paper, is the least bad thing that could occupy the tabloid niche and prevent something darker taking its place.

And interesting idea but it's certainly true that some form is always present.  There is something to be said for avoiding the rise of the next Hitler Rupert Murdoch.

[Helgoland]

That's the point: Our Ruport Murdoch (the Springer Verlag) is right-wing too, as is inavoidable for tabloids, but its aims are rather sane, so I'd rather have them than any realistic replacement.

[Dutchling]

Ah, so it's better than anything worse than it.

I guess I can get behind that.

Still worse than De Telegraaf though, and I pity you guys for that.

[Helgoland]

Looking at the website, it does indeed look not-terrible... Does it even have breasts? If it doesn't, it doesn't count

[scriver]

But that's demanding that Germany should pay without receiving control in return, and Merkel would've been tarred and feathered - rightly so! - for that.

If this line of thought were the followed anywhere else then Sweden would control the EU.

Or at least back some 5-10 years ago. I admit my knowledge of how much is given and gotten in return is fairly outdated by now and might have changed.

[Guardian G.I.]

I'm glad to see that the new Ukrainian Parliament keeps the old traditions no matter what.

Slightly related video раз
Slightly related video два

[martinuzz]

Ah, so it's better than anything worse than it.

I guess I can get behind that.

Still worse than De Telegraaf though, and I pity you guys for that.

Sorry guys, untranslatable dutch joke.
"De Telegraaf. De krant die zó gekleurd is, dat hij er zwart-wit van wordt"

[olemars]

I'm glad to see that the new Ukrainian Parliament keeps the old traditions no matter what.

Not a single chair thrown. Have they nailed them to the floor?

[smjjames]

I'm glad to see that the new Ukrainian Parliament keeps the old traditions no matter what.

Not a single chair thrown. Have they nailed them to the floor?

Doesn't look like they went for the chairs. In fact, it looks like only two people got into fisticuffs, then everybody was trying to separate them, and then the instigator (I think) got led out.