Test - world soccer championships in Germany 2006

[Robert Vermaat]

[Jeroen Pelgrom]

Ah,

that thing. The newspapers were full of it. A lot of angry reactions also...

[Robert Vermaat]

Actually, it's a test. My co-workers had a certain opinion about it (which I can't devulge yet because it would ruin the test results ) and I disagreed...

[FAVENTIANVS]

What the hell is that?! hock:

[Robert Vermaat]

Well, vote!

[Jona Lendering]

Oh dear, I hate this thing because it spoils my own plans.

I had scheduled to become rich this summer by composing a Dutch soccer song called the "Wacht bij Lobith" (tune: Die Wacht am Rhein; [url:j6lyuuxc]http://eri.ca/refer/esbraust.MP3[/url]), in which I would use all clichés that the Dutch have about the Germans. I would dress like Überstar Heino ([url:j6lyuuxc]http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,485394,00.jpg[/url]) and would visit all camping sites -where my lack of musical talent would remain unnoticed- and would make piles of money by exploiting the inability of the Dutch to resist feeble jokes about the Germans.

Unfortunately, someone else has the same idea. I hate him. Becoming rich is not difficult, but it is so dull, and a brief career as a singer/songwriter seemed nice. :wink:

Talking about the Dutch and the Germans, does anyone know why the Germans offered asylum to Rudi Carell? Being Dutch, I am of course still very grateful for so much generosity, but personally, I would have given it a second thought.

[Carlton Bach]

Talking about the Dutch and the Germans, does anyone know why the Germans offered asylum to Rudi Carell? Being Dutch, I am of course still very grateful for so much generosity, but personally, I would have given it a second thought.

IN German, a Dutch accent is a great way of helping the lamer jokes still be funny, so he had an unfair advantage there. Also, he wasn't always all that bad. Just much of the time. I liked his 'Khomeini Superstar' segment, for example.

[Marcus F.]

"geht's" :?

The Dutch team surely has a good chance to win the cup, since they had their best times (WC '74 and EC '88 ) in Germany (better them than England, I'd say :wink: )

[Uwe Bahr]

Avete omnes,

I really like this type of helmet. For me the old "Wehrmacht Stahlhelm" is one of the best designed and most beautiful helmets of military history at all, beside the Roman Imperial Gallic, of course. So for me it was no wonder, that the US Army with the Kevlar helmet introduced a similar helmet in the last decades of last century.

About the color and the purpose of the "Helmpje" - why not, football is only just a game ... and I think wearing this helmet is some kind of fun for the fans in order to annoy their greater neighbours a little bit :wink:

At least, the sellers will make a big profit, remember - it's carnival soon. :lol:

Jeroem quoted

The newspapers were full of it. A lot of angry reactions also...

BTW, only out of curiousity, what was the reason of the anger in Your newspapers - was it just the taste or was it because the Dutch football fans would wear this - may-be in Dutch eyes - "Nazi" symbol?

Greets - Uwe

[Goffredo]

I agree with Uwe Bahr!
Ciao

[Uwe Bahr]

Thank You, Goffredo !! [size=75:247mc3m3](that makes Your karma rise :wink: )[/size]

Greets - Uwe

[Jona Lendering]

what was the reason of the anger in Your newspapers - was it just the taste or was it because the Dutch football fans would wear this - may-be in Dutch eyes - "Nazi" symbol?

Yes, many Dutch people will associate this helmet with Nazi's. I think that the makers of this helmet are rather insensitive to the feelings of elder people, whose anger is comparable to that of the British when one of the sons of prince Charles was seen in a Wehrmacht uniform.

As far as I am concerned, I wish that the Dutch would finally stop associating Germany with WW2. Every time when there's a soccer match between a Dutch and a German team, all those WW2 things are repeated ad nauseam. A joke is a joke is a joke, but I'm bored with all those WW2-associations. Like this helmet.

[Tarbicus]

whose anger is comparable to that of the British when one of the sons of prince Charles was seen in a Wehrmacht uniform.

Worse, it was an SS uniform, swastika armband et al. Not a great thing for a potential heir to the throne to wear :roll: Especially as the monarchy are originally German :wink:

I do hope it's an England v Germany final though :twisted: Or Argentina ...

[Jona Lendering]

I do hope it's an England v Germany final though

If Holland meets Iran (not necessarily in the final), I will be happy, because it means that Iranian friends will come to Europe. Iran will be playing in Frankfurt, I have promised to show them the Saalburg ([url:1juh1zkg]http://www.saalburgmuseum.de/home.htm[/url]).

[Robert Vermaat]

Come on guys - vote!!!!

Yes, this was a bit of a test. Most of my co-workers said this helmet would anger the Germans because it refers to WW2.
My point was that symbols like these are much more a problem with the Dutch and far, far less with any German audience, who I thought would not be bothered by it at all. Most Dutch see this helmet and go 'SS'!!!, while Germans see it probably only as a Wehrmacht Stahlhelm. The shape has returned through the US army with many modern armies..

We Dutch are fairly oversensitive when it comes to such symbols.
I heard a story regarding this 'problem'dating back to the 1980s which illustrates it nicely.
The Dutch army, wearing green uniforms by that time, was developing a new camuflage uniform. A Dutch institute (TNO) researched the best pattern and reported back to the Ministry of Defence. But to their dismay, the MoD rejected it - it looked too much like the SS uniforms, which they were sure would upset too many Dutch people!
So, another pattern was chosen, and a unit began testing it, together with a new type of helmet which (you gessed it) also had a shape a bit similar to the old Stahlhelm. Well, one synny day a major walks into a supermarket to buy a sixpack - he's on manouvres and it's hot.
Guess what? The store owner called the police and asked if they would come over and arrest this 'Neo-Nazi carrying dangerous weapons' present in his store!