The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany | 265 comments (265 topical, editorial, 2 hidden)

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 1)

Even completely normal people -- not just those often referred to as "do-gooders"

What!?

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 08:36:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 1)

In the German original:

Flüchtlinge: Die zwei Realitäten Europas | ZEIT ONLINE

Auch ganz normale Menschen - nicht nur die, die man gemeinhin "Gutmenschen" nennt -, sind jetzt plötzlich stolz darauf, dass sich ihre Gesellschaft von seiner besten Seite zeigt.

,,Gutmensch" is a term right wingers use in order to ridicule humanitarian efforts as naive and short-sighted.
Gutmensch - Wikipedia

Im Januar 2012 erhielt das Wort bei der Wahl zum Unwort des Jahres 2011 in Deutschland den zweiten Platz. Die Jury kritisierte die aus ihrer Sicht 2011 einflussreich gewordene Funktion des Wortes als ,,Kampfbegriff gegen Andersdenkende".^[2] Mit dem Wort werde ,,insbesondere in Internet-Foren das ethische Ideal des ,guten Menschen` in hämischer Weise aufgegriffen, um Andersdenkende pauschal und ohne Ansehung ihrer Argumente zu diffamieren und als naiv abzuqualifizieren".

Kampfbegriff is the next expression that I have some difficulty in translating, though.

by Katrin on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 08:54:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (4.00 / 2)

Why don't we start calling anyone who says "Gutmensch" a "Schlechtmensch" or a "Bösemensch"?

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 09:09:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 0)

Good idea. I usually say "Demagoge", but probably the target audience doesn't understand that.

by Katrin on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 09:22:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 1)

In English we can do a one-up on Bush the Lesser's "evildoers" and call them "do-evilers" or "do-no-gooders".

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 09:31:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (4.00 / 2)

Migeru:

Why don't we start calling anyone who says "Gutmensch" a "Schlechtmensch" or a "Bösemensch"?

They would play the victimisation card that they're used to playing.

"Of course I'm bad, according to the tenets of the dominant world view that rejects me as heterodox, and considers the orthodox as good."

In France, nasty right-wingers call Gutmenschen "les bien-pensants".

I used to be afew. I'm still not many.

by john_evans (john(dot)evans(dot)et(at)gmail(dot)com) on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 11:00:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 1)

In Italy they're called 'buonisti', do-gooders.

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 09:15:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 0)

droit-de-l'hommistes (copyright Sarkozy?)

by Xavier in Paris on Thu Sep 10th, 2015 at 09:04:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 1)

I always say Schlechtroboter. Better a gutmemsch then a bad robot.

by IM on Tue Sep 8th, 2015 at 06:22:33 AM EST
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Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 1)

Kampfbegriff, a battle cry? reminds me that the word "slogan" came into English from Scots Gaelic, where it originally meant... "battle cry".

I used to be afew. I'm still not many.

by john_evans (john(dot)evans(dot)et(at)gmail(dot)com) on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 10:43:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (4.00 / 2)

But in German, the connotation is that you also fight the attacked by re-defining him with the word.

(Another example, from Hungarian: Jobbik speaks of "intruders" instead of illegal immigrants or refugees.)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 10:58:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 1)

Exactly, the word is a weapon in the battle, not only a battle cry.

by Katrin on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 01:50:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 0)

What can I say? "Gutmensch" has actually been used as a term of disparagement in Austria, mostly by the right wing. Doesn't make much sense in English.

by generic on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 08:54:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 0)

I was mostly reacting to the "even normal people" bit...

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 10:47:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany (none / 0)

"Gutmensch" in German has a similar connotation as "activist" in English.

by generic on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 at 01:50:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The 2nd Migrant Wave to Germany | 265 comments (265 topical, 0 editorial, 2 hidden)

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