exactly, "wenn dir das Lachen im Halse stecken bleibt". And this happens mostly the moment we realize that the joke is on us. Why? Because most of us go with the propaganda 99% of the time, until somebody like Volker challenges our critical thinking.
Kissinger's quote can be found online: "Oil is much too important a commodity to be left in the hands of the Arabs." Pispers is quite good in teaching history lessons, damn it.
History ... you mean this old stuff ....... all gone and dusted ... so many pople aren't really interested in history as they live like kids ... today ! and only today ..
@@bh5037 "Youth no longer pays attention to age, deliberately shows a neglected appearance, senses to overthrow, shows no willingness to learn and is negative against values taken over" found written on a Sumerer clay table, 5000 years old.
Pispers said himself once that he wrote one program and only did minor adaptions to it during 20 years of performing it. I guess he could have done another 20 easily 😂
You don't have to apologize for mispronunciations. I am happy to see Pispers' brilliant show getting attention. You said the right words: He does not make cheap jokes. Let's hope that more artists like him get onto stage!
The only person I can think of, that is remotely similar to Pispers was Stand-Up Comedian, George Carlin, although George Carlin didn't speak as formally as Pispers did on the subject of US Foreign Policy or anything else. And to some extent Patrice O'Neal as well. It's just a shame that a lot of these political commentators in their own right, are either dead, non-American, or being constantly defamed by those in power. That is the sad reality.
It's a very weak Scottish accent. When I lived in England, my electricity contract was with Scottish Power, and when I phoned them to cancel the contract before leaving the country, I nearly failed because I could barely understand a word of what the Scottish lady at the other end was saying.
@@johaquila I can imagine , its maybe like when a prussian talks to an bavarian. I think if it would be a stronger scottish accent, I would not understand a word :)
9:42 "Germany is being defended at the Hindu Kush!" This was said as justification for why the german defense army (by constitution) "Bundeswehr" was deployed into a foreign country which we were not at war. So basically the answer to "Why is our DEFENSE army invading an other country?".
@@darkredanarcho4873nope, you don't. He is absolutely right. Now you might not find it an appropriate reaction to 9/11, but it was. Just can't deny that. As Pispers said: "I hope you can distinguish between an explanation and a justification."
I absolutely adore this man. I saw him live on stage three times. His live performances are even better. The day he retired was a very sad day for me ...and for German satire.
last time seeing him with familywas on our flight together from DUS to Jerez/Spain in May. I would have liked to tell him to please continue. But I can also understand him. You don't have to push everything to the limit. Although there would actually be food ready for him right now.
@queenkong8786 Yes, a sad day for German political cabaret when he retired. I wonder, though, why he has kept quiet during Corona and now during the Ucraine war - in spite of his retirement. Maybe he just wants to enjoy his retirement.
@@Steeler-wg5zo Just a few days ago I wrote him an e-mail. I kow he will read it, and I am qute sure he will not answer it. As he says on his site. I would be happy with faceless podcasts or even a blog (comments switch off). Well, may he live long and prosper :)
Famous German satirical commedian Werner Finck (1902-1978) once performed during the Third Reich in Berlin. His theatre, "Katakomben", was regularly visited by Nazi police, (rightfully) suspecting him of making fun about Hitler and his regime. Finck usually avoided the raised right hand, the "Hitler salute", but one evening he came ozt on stage, doing just that. All the Nazis in the audience got up, saluting too. When all their arms were raised, Finck lowered his arm, saying, "That's how high the flood got last night!" Embarrassing to the Nazis, entertaining to the audience.
Yes and to avoid the Eastern Front, he went deliberately to a Radio Command Group! When he came there the Commander said : Ah you are the star from the UFA, right? Finck answered : I am not a star, I am the ! Fink . A wordplay because Star and fink are two sorts of birds..
Hagen Rether is another great German cabaret artist in my opinion. Also the German show "Die Anstalt" made by Max Uthoff and Klaus von Wagner is great cabaret. They are both amazing artists.
Hi there, Mert. Just discovered your channel. Really appreciate your way of immersing yourself into new (German) things. You don't fake interest, nor do you exaggerate your reactions as we often see in reaction videos. You come across as genuine, open-minded and unprejudiced. Such a treat to see (and listen to) you!
I came here to say exactly the same. it is a pleasure to watch and listen to Mert, especially since he choose more complex videos for his reactions. and thankfully he seems to have a good general and political knowledge to appreciate Pispers program.
It is absolutely brillant that these videos have been added with english subtitles, the range they gathered over the last years is astonishing. Sadly, Volker Pispers has retired for several years and I can't blame him...
he was frustrated that all mistakes were made again and again and again to gain some advantage .... and no ethics anywhere ... and no politican was taken to account for any of these willingly made ' mistakes' ..
He will also not start doing it again, especially in the current political climate... Lots of his quotes were missused by the right which he distanced himself from. That i believe was one of his last public statements. That he doesnt want anything to do with those people. It was written on his website.
I don't know what I enjoy more: hearing Pispers again, or you as a non-German react to it. Whatever it may be, I am very much lookinh forward to part 3. Greetings fron Munich/Germany. 🎉
I've been following the cabaret scene in Germany for 50 years. Volker Pispers and Georg Schramm are the two grand artists of german political cabaret. Hagen Rether is a worthy successor, but meanwhile he only performs live and bans recordings. Christoph Sieber is also recommended. Most of the rest is comedy.
You forgot Dieter Hildebrandt, pretty much _the_ original political cabaretist in German TV ("Scheibenwischer"). He wasn't as direct as the ones you listed, but if you think about what he was actually saying between the lines, he was about as 'harsh' as the rest.
@@Wolf-ln1ml I remember watching "scheibenwischer" often with my dad as a kid in the 80s. He loved that show on ARD but i was to young to really understand what it was about
@@Wolf-ln1ml Of course, Hildebrandt, Bruno Jonas and the venerable Hanns Dieter Hüsch are among the great cabaret artists. I have not enumerated them because their period of activity and their themes are long past.
One point you need to keep in mind: This program as it is, is already 20 years old. Struck was German minister of defence from 2002-2005 and it was at this time that first discussions came up to involve German troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in humanitarian missions.
They sold it as humanitarian to get the people on board like they always do. They pretend it's for the greater good when in reality it's the exact opposite.
This performance is 20 years old but still nothing changed. It reminds me of a man i've met in Germany. He fled from Syria and said: "the IS is terrible. Ofc we're all afraid of them. But when the war moved forward most of us (Syrians) learned to fear the american soldiers more than the IS." That gave me goosebumps...
Ding ding ding, you got German cabaret at 11:15. 👍 That's the skill of a good satirical cabaretist. Stating facts in such an absurd manner that you simply can't help but think about the topic discussed in a critical way. Pispers was top notch at this. Brutally honest and direct without ever dropping into crude slapstick or valueless demagogery. He never tells you exactly what you SHOULD think; he always leads you juuuust one step short of the solution and allows you to connect the last two dots yourself. That paints a much more succinct picture than by slapping you around the head with what HE believes YOU SHOULD do. Coming to a conclusion yourself is much more powerful than having it shoved forcefully down your throat.
Your Question on 9:54: Peter Struck was the former Minister of defence and he means, that the new german "border", the line of defence is the Hindukush.
Not only did he a great job about history but also the absurdity of the financial world etc. Unfortunately there hasn't been anyone like him to this day
Volker Pispers is an absolut goat ! He s so good, that he retired and stopped doing it out of frustration, that his art didn‘t have a real impact. You won‘t see him on stages or on TV trying to cash in on his name. What a legend
He has a TV Show, Volker Pispers and Friends, on German State Television WDR. He does short bits there, but mostly acts as a host for other artists. But that's it.
My favorite Kabarett artists (also from Germany) are probably Max Uthoff and Claus von Wagner who together have a show called "Die Anstalt" wich probably translates best as "the Asylum". Also their soo programms are REALLY great in calling out problems with our society and the finance system. Also the common ground of well made Kabarret is "never punch down" against the weaker and the minorities. Beating those allready on the ground is nothing to be any proud of. So beat up against those with power. Actually there is a german term wich is "Narrenfreiheit" (fools freedom i think it is in english) wich originates back to medieval times, where jesters where allowed to even make jokes about, and critizize the social relations and conditions in the state and the government.
Volker Pispers is a national treasure, he is really one of a kind. Its sad that he is no longer performing, but I will remember him as one of the best.
I‘m delighted that you are going through Pispers‘ programme - it‘s such a long time that I have last watched any of his stuff. What is so great about him is that he is masterful at similes and comparisons to explain facts. Also, he brings home his points about foreign policy by comparing it to domestic policy (which his German audience is much more familiar with). Looking forward to your next reaction vid.
Struck uttered his sentence about "defending Germany at the Hindu Kush" when the parliament discussed whether Germany should take an active part in the war in Afghanistan. The constitution of Germany only allows the German army to fight in defence of the FRG therefore non-conservatives were against sending our soldiers to take part. With this sentence Struck tried to reinterpret the constitution by allegorizing the Taliban activities in Afghanistan as an imminent threat to the German democracy and with that legitimating a participation of the German army as "defence of our democracy".
I don't think I know your name > or is it Mert > ius > en >len > who knows. Wanted to express great praise for the first 2 videos by Volker. This man is awesome. Personally, I was lucky enough to see him live several times. Really one of the few RUclipsrs who has the know-how to understand his topics. Looking forward to the next 3 and don't make the time span too long. I've been waiting every day for you to release part 2.
Thanks, that you make these videos. I am from Germany and in my opinion Volker Pispers is the greatest cabaret artist we ever had. Unfortunately he finished his work in 2021. Consistently he showed us the grievances in our western world. Sadly nothing changes :-( Putin attacked the Ukraine, but I am firmly convinced that the western countries could have prevented it.
Love your interest and reception of German culture. I’m probably not the only viewer who is actively interested in Scottish culture and language, and youtube just decided to switch the plates 😅
I hope you do all 5 parts of this. I like you comments to this. I look this series like once a year just to refresh my mind of the history lesson he gives.
This guy is the very best from Germany, I saw him two times live (also this episode). Also his other stuff is very very good when he talk about "german stuff". For foreigners not very intersting when you don`t know the names of the politicans etc.. I wait for part 3, keep on going.
9:45 The Bundeswehr had a tiny military contingent in Afghanistan (~10.000 troops IIRC) and they had two "notable" "incidents": 1. there was a wedding which they observed and some americans bombed it [because it wasnt clearly recognised as a wedding] 2. some soldiers used a human skull they found to "reenact a scene from Hamlet" [IIRC Volker Pispers mentions this bit]
Sadly is that Volker Pispers was taking a break since 2016. And in 2021 he announced that will not coming back. So he is retired. He is badly missed in germany.
I agree with that! For me (from Germany) knowing he retired and won‘t do any cabaret further on gave me a similar feel of loss after I discovered George Carlin (and that he‘s long gone) as a Person who, through their profession, contributed a big chunk of honesty, directness, truth and information about topics which it is/was just to convenient to ignore and not cope with. I really appreciate that @WhoIsMert? discovered him, and I‘m glad that content like Volker Pispers‘ is still shared and distributed and did not succumb to irrelevance, yet. Keep that going!
....thank you for reuploading the VP shows,...been whatching VP since ages ,but this is a very special way to repeat and see your reaction and ,of course,to hear your wonderfull accent.
The quote: "Germany is being defended at the Hindu Kush" was quite a game changer in German defense / military politics. The reason is that German military is only supposed to be there for defensive reasons. This basic rule would make it impossible for German soldiers to go to Afghanistan and fight --> Not much defending 8000 km aways, right? Struck basically argued that modern wars (especially against the terror) are global conflicts and you cannot defend yourself like it used to be e.g. in the WW2. Instead you have to bring the fight to the origin of those attacking you in order to win.
Hey there! First of all: I like your channel and your kind of reaction very much. Thanks a lot for that. For me, Volker Pispers, is one of the best we have in Germany. You go for comedy, but you leave with thinking of history! I love that a lot. Years ago, there was a great show with that kind of political comedy. It was called "Scheibenwischer" and the best there was a comedian called "Hildebrand". It is old but great. Have a look for that, you will enjoy, I promise! Once again, thanks a lot.
Bro I don't think you have to apologize for mispronouncing a name in a language you don't speak. :) Also the distinction between a "Kabarettist" and a "Comedian" is a very german thing as far as I know, so no worries there as well. I really enjoy hearing an "outsiders" perspective to Volker Pispers. He was very important in forming my political Identity as a Teenager and I am very grateful to have seen him live before he retired. He is truly unrivaled in german Karbarett.
Great reaction 👍 I love the pictures he is painting with words. Political Satire that comes along without cheap jokes and in addition to being entertained you can learn about facts and relations between things that happened. For me it's the real champions league of comedy.
I really enjoy your reactions to Volker Pispers. The man is a german cabaret legend but sadly retired. When I saw this for the first time I couldn‘t believe it but it‘s all true. What a fucked up world we live in… looking forward to the missing parts of this show!
Also this sums it up I think: "Unlike comedians who make fun of all kind of things, Kabarett artists (German: Kabarettisten) pride themselves as dedicated almost completely to political and social topics of more serious nature which they criticize using techniques like cynicism, sarcasm and irony."
No need to apologise, mate. Your video was very well-made, you showed some genuine, interest and you made interesting and valuable comments. So many reactions videos are cheap cash grasps, just adding some “ahhs” and “oh, I didn't know” here and there. I like your content, keep it up! Greets from a German in Austria!
I havent watched any of your videos for a long time and just found back to the channel. Still seeing you actively upload brought a smile to my face. Very enjoyable reactions!
Can't wait to watch you watch part 3! ;-) And please, absolutely no reason to apologize for the mispronunciation - the "Volker" thing happens to the best! No one would take offense for you (or anyone else) mispronouncing the name, but as I saw your so interested and invested, I sort of felt compelled to drop a hint... ;-) I work in a socially challenged part of a large city, and there's not one day without me meeting a name I've never seen before and having little or no idea how to get it right... and if I were to read out the names of some Scottish places... ;-) As for the recommendations on German political Cabaret I read here, I very much second "Die Anstalt", and many sets from the crew of "Mitternachtsspitzen" (especially Christoph Sieber, Philip Simon, Jürgen Becker and Wilfried Schmickler). When I was younger, Dieter Hildebrandt's TV-Show "Scheibenwischer" was a must-see.
09:50 In 2002 german Minister of Defence Peter Struck in deed said: "Germanys security is also being defended at the Hindu Kush." It was a quote summing up a change in the use of the german military. After 2002 the germany army was also used to protect germanys interests in world wide trade as an export nation.
No need to apologize. It is nice to see that the great people of german cabaret get some more recognition =) Favourite cabaret artist: Georg Schramm That man was not always very funny, but he was even more on point than Pispers and very detailed. Also playing different characters in his videos, which was very impressive on its own. On 2:40 yes. yes they did have this as a headline. 3:50 “Oil is much too important a commodity to be left in the hands of the Arabs.” - Kissinger. yep. checks out. 9:50 Peter Struck said this phrase as one of the first things as secretary of defense, pretty directly saying how he saw the new role of the german army. Not as a purely defensive force, but also as support for other armies in wars somewhere else. It was hotly discussed, as the left parties in germany opposed this harshly. Also do not feel bad for agreeing or something. You are really reacting and bringing in your own stuff. Looking forward to the next one =)
You picked the most brilliant shows of him for that video series. Go on, I love to see that show again and, surprised commentary by someone seing the first time is also great! ;) And relax about the "comedy" or "cabaret" thing. That distinction is only used by those who make or fancy "cabaret", because they don't want to be connected with the mundane "comedy".
Please keep reacting to Volkers full show. Reactors seem to love "Die Anstalt", they did a great break down of the middle eastern conflict and involvement of the US there, too. But there are many many good stand up comedians in political cabaret. Even newer guys are great in their stand ups... The issue is most of them only perform in German, and I don't know how good auto-translation is. The second is that most cabaret shows are produced by our state broadcasting agencies and therefor heavily guarded with copyright claims. In general every German region has their comedians making fun of their surroundings, culture, politics, history or Zeitgeist trends etc.
Pispers' shows have their relevance till this day... He himself summed it up as the end of his career: "I made cabaret for 32 years now, and nothing has changed. Not even topics, just the people's names to mock about".
Thanks for sharing your understanding. It refreshes and deepens my own. I followed Volker Pispers as long as he went on tour or moderated tv shows. There's no comparable character on stage in our country at the moment, I find. Hopefully soon there'll be one!
Thank you for spreading this old gem internationally. Unfortunately we (in germany) don't have any similar biting and cutting analysts on stage anymore (maybe away from Hagen Rether). His content is as relevant today, as it was then. (The only difference, he could not have knowledge about then, is the russian aggression against neighbors).
Hi mert. I am a German on vacation in Scotland and got recommendation to your videos from yt algorithm and like it very much. Another cabaretist in the league of pispers is Georg Schramm.
If you like Volker Pispers, i would like to recommend to you "Die Anstalt" (The Asylum.) They also do cabaret, and uploaded some very good videos regarding the USA, a few years ago. For example: • Außenpolitik der USA im Nahen Osten (US foreign policy in the Middle East) • Was Blutspritzer und das US-Wahlsystem verbindet (What connects blood spatter and the US electoral system) They also uploaded videos regarding german politics, the war in ukraine, etc. I'm excited for your next videos!
One of the greatest German political satirists ("Kabarettist", as we call them), is Georg Schramm. He portrayed a lot of different characters on stage. I think he retired from the stage a while ago, but he is absolutely brilliant, so if you can find some of his material with English subtitles, I'd highly recommend him.
Can´t wait to see youe reaction to part 3. btw, it was quite funny to see you struggling as you didn´t want to call Volker a comedian, but couldn´t find another word right away 😉
no need to apologize, german comedy is not really known in the world, therefore it is very enlightening to see someone that watches it :D i posted on the mittermeier video Serdar Somuncu, which i can recommend
Oh, I've just found my twin brother! I do love and adore both the Heute Show and Volker Pispers even though I was born and raised in Tokyo. Love your comments! ❤
I am a german teacher, teaching maths, poltics, geographie and history. I think i once used it (not the whole video) to discuss the interventions in the middle east. Especially the problem, that measures in the past can backfire, because the foreign policy only helps in short terms not in the long run, especially if you arm one radical nation, leader, group,... to get rid of another. Props you have the spirits?/ greatness to admit the mistakes of american politics on foreign affairs. I think his words may sound harsh.... but it´s mostly directed to the government.... surely there are a lot of intelligent, well educated americans....
Volker Pispers was a great cabaret artist in germany until he retired some years ago, because he didn't believe any longer, that his words could have any consequences on the systems, he constantly was incriminating. I miss his keen analysis very much!
Georg Schramm is yet another level. But he is always playing a role and this added layer can be overwhelming for non-native speakers that don't know the culture. Especially his most famous character is also using very sophisticated language.
13:07 A moment where his intelligence could be seen when I once saw him live. The number of highway was always taken from the area he just was in. Here in Munich he said A9 which is the highway coming to Munich.
Dear Mert, surprises me living in Malaysia looking this satiric Comedy with its precise sarcasm. Really high sophistic for an person with a different Language. I take my hat off. You've askimg question during your Videos, all easy to answer but sorry not in a sentence. Take the opportunity to visit the country make your own Pictures. And if you visiting Hamburg let me know.
I love Volker Pispers, and I'm very much enjoying you finding out about him! As for comedian, well, idk if the distinction needs to be so clear, yes he's a 'politischer Kabarettist' but that's just a very German tradition of comedy that's a specific subgenre of the entertaining arts more than something completely removed? Anyway, you mentioned loving his delivery and his precise obersevational comedic timing... I think in the American comedy tradition, George Carlin is a really similar brand. I love his dry, sarcastic sometimes cynical delivery of observational (more social than political in most instances I think) comedy. You should check him out too!
I used to love "Scheibenwischer" mostly run by Dieter Hildebrand, but has also brought out many other famous political cabarettists like Bruno Jonas, Matias Richling. And then of course there's Gerhard Polt, who even made a few movies.
I watched also Georgs last show ever. He fired Silvesterkracher and we get fire alarm. At this day he was as good as Pispers, presenting the whole picture
i am happy this goes slowly viral. other streamer from the us also react to those. maybe it educates some people way more than (or then?) the school system in the us
09:55 there was a huge debate back then about sending troops to Afghanistan within the coalition and especially keeping them stationed there, this was one of the quotes I believe that really confused people, since a lot of people, even back then, weren't totally on board with the "war on terror" especially with some of the patriot act shenanigans the US pulled. The quote in German also sounds a bit like those old quotes from imperialistic people like the call for Germany's "Platz an der Sonne" (~ "Germany's place at the sun"), when they were very keen on expanding their influence way above their borders.
Great reaction, maybe the first time i saw somebody react to who had at least a good knowledge about all the things that were goin on there, since all other reactions were from americans, who of course didn't had any clue about that all. The funny thing was at the beginning, since i mostly view reactions from americans about germany, that i for a while was really confused about your knowledge, until my brain clicked and realized you are from Britain and not the US.
I can also recommend a musician called Bodo Wartke. likes his wordplays and at least one song is completely translated and performed by him in english: Yes dear
9:40 Its related to the sentence before. Germanys Bundeswehr is only sopposed to DEFEND Germany. So if you join an Alli in an act of Agression, its very sarcastic to say you "Defend" your own Land.
German soldiers actually were in Afghanistan fighting and defending the Western Allies. Many people in Germany were critical towards that, because in our constitution, the army is just a means of defense in case someone is attacking us. Some other political people in high positions that that Germany, or German freedoms, were defended in Afghanistan. That is what Volker Pispers is referring to.
Political cabaret has a long tradition in Germany. If the laughter gets stuck in your throat, it's good.🤔
exactly, "wenn dir das Lachen im Halse stecken bleibt". And this happens mostly the moment we realize that the joke is on us. Why? Because most of us go with the propaganda 99% of the time, until somebody like Volker challenges our critical thinking.
most of em are shit though i couldn't name a single good one except pispers
@@SplaToooGaming "Scheibenwischer" mit Max Uthoff schonmal gesehen?
Grüß dich 😎
Yeah, it's basically dead since 2015, definitely since 2020.
Kissinger's quote can be found online:
"Oil is much too important a commodity to be left in the hands of the Arabs."
Pispers is quite good in teaching history lessons, damn it.
"Oil is far too important to be left to the Arabs alone." -Kissinger-
I changed it to “the public opinion is too important to geopolitics to be left to the public” 😉
History ... you mean this old stuff ....... all gone and dusted ... so many pople aren't really interested in history as they live like kids ... today ! and only today ..
History - the thing in the back of the drawer from which you can't learn anything *cough* ^^°
@@bh5037 "Youth no longer pays attention to age, deliberately shows a neglected appearance, senses to overthrow, shows no willingness to learn and is negative against values taken over" found written on a Sumerer clay table, 5000 years old.
Its SCARY that this is 20 years old and STILL so up to date :D
Pispers said himself once that he wrote one program and only did minor adaptions to it during 20 years of performing it. I guess he could have done another 20 easily 😂
It’s also one of the reasons why he decided to retire
@@spittylama Arguably, he said everything that needed to be said, at least relating to these kinds of issues.
generational aspect and all, give it more 50 years to either better or ruin it all
You don't have to apologize for mispronunciations. I am happy to see Pispers' brilliant show getting attention. You said the right words: He does not make cheap jokes. Let's hope that more artists like him get onto stage!
The only person I can think of, that is remotely similar to Pispers was Stand-Up Comedian, George Carlin, although George Carlin didn't speak as formally as Pispers did on the subject of US Foreign Policy or anything else.
And to some extent Patrice O'Neal as well.
It's just a shame that a lot of these political commentators in their own right, are either dead, non-American, or being constantly defamed by those in power.
That is the sad reality.
Seriously: please dont mind all those petty know-it-all-bullies out there! I love your videos!
You know is always a sign of good manners not to butcher the names of others ... it is called respect.
exactly!!!
Sadly, he chose to stop doing his brilliant work a few years ago. You can read his statement on this in his homepage.
It's so nice to see a reaction to Pispers from someone who is actually educated and knows what he is talking about.
so true !
Yes, that’s exactly how I feel!
As a german I like the scottish accent. It is good understandable to me and the way you scottish use the "r" sounds really charming.
It's a very weak Scottish accent. When I lived in England, my electricity contract was with Scottish Power, and when I phoned them to cancel the contract before leaving the country, I nearly failed because I could barely understand a word of what the Scottish lady at the other end was saying.
@@johaquila I can imagine , its maybe like when a prussian talks to an bavarian. I think if it would be a stronger scottish accent, I would not understand a word :)
sounds like a drunk austrian tryin to speak english
@@NWGJulian 😁😁😁
It's a dialect, not an accent. :D
9:42 "Germany is being defended at the Hindu Kush!"
This was said as justification for why the german defense army (by constitution) "Bundeswehr" was deployed into a foreign country which we were not at war.
So basically the answer to "Why is our DEFENSE army invading an other country?".
No, Einstein. There was an attack carried out against one of our allies.
Taliban protected the terrorists.
Intervention was justified.
@@thomasbaader6629 Nope. You dont understand it.
@@darkredanarcho4873 I feel I do understand it and you're just playing the ugly German who always knows better.
@@darkredanarcho4873nope, you don't. He is absolutely right. Now you might not find it an appropriate reaction to 9/11, but it was. Just can't deny that.
As Pispers said: "I hope you can distinguish between an explanation and a justification."
"Von deutschem Boden darf nie wieder Krieg ausgehen"
I absolutely adore this man. I saw him live on stage three times. His live performances are even better. The day he retired was a very sad day for me ...and for German satire.
i hope you kept the entrance tickets as proof you were part of the resistance 😉
last time seeing him with familywas on our flight together from DUS to Jerez/Spain in May. I would have liked to tell him to please continue. But I can also understand him. You don't have to push everything to the limit. Although there would actually be food ready for him right now.
@queenkong8786 Yes, a sad day for German political cabaret when he retired.
I wonder, though, why he has kept quiet during Corona and now during the Ucraine war - in spite of his retirement.
Maybe he just wants to enjoy his retirement.
@@andreaerling7614 ich gönn's ihm...
@@Steeler-wg5zo Just a few days ago I wrote him an e-mail. I kow he will read it, and I am qute sure he will not answer it. As he says on his site. I would be happy with faceless podcasts or even a blog (comments switch off). Well, may he live long and prosper :)
Famous German satirical commedian Werner Finck (1902-1978) once performed during the Third Reich in Berlin. His theatre, "Katakomben", was regularly visited by Nazi police, (rightfully) suspecting him of making fun about Hitler and his regime. Finck usually avoided the raised right hand, the "Hitler salute", but one evening he came ozt on stage, doing just that. All the Nazis in the audience got up, saluting too. When all their arms were raised, Finck lowered his arm, saying, "That's how high the flood got last night!" Embarrassing to the Nazis, entertaining to the audience.
Lol 😂 vllt mal über deutsche Geschichte lernen der Korridor zu Königsberg!!!
Yes and to avoid the Eastern Front, he went deliberately to a Radio Command Group! When he came there the Commander said : Ah you are the star from the UFA, right? Finck answered : I am not a star, I am the ! Fink .
A wordplay because Star and fink are two sorts of birds..
Hagen Rether is another great German cabaret artist in my opinion.
Also the German show "Die Anstalt" made by Max Uthoff and Klaus von Wagner is great cabaret. They are both amazing artists.
Hi there, Mert. Just discovered your channel. Really appreciate your way of immersing yourself into new (German) things. You don't fake interest, nor do you exaggerate your reactions as we often see in reaction videos. You come across as genuine, open-minded and unprejudiced. Such a treat to see (and listen to) you!
I came here to say exactly the same. it is a pleasure to watch and listen to Mert, especially since he choose more complex videos for his reactions. and thankfully he seems to have a good general and political knowledge to appreciate Pispers program.
It is absolutely brillant that these videos have been added with english subtitles, the range they gathered over the last years is astonishing.
Sadly, Volker Pispers has retired for several years and I can't blame him...
he once kinda said: i can retire, because i do cabaret for more than 20 years and nothing i speak about is changing :)
@@technocoh I know, I talked to him for a bit at his last appearance in my town at the end of 2015.
Man i wish who would make a comeback we need guys like him in these times more than ever
pispers is a genius. its so sad he stopped doing standup
it is not standup, every line is planed
he was frustrated that all mistakes were made again and again and again to gain some advantage .... and no ethics anywhere ... and no politican was taken to account for any of these willingly made ' mistakes' ..
true, but you wanna go in time, so people are sad your gone.
He will also not start doing it again, especially in the current political climate... Lots of his quotes were missused by the right which he distanced himself from. That i believe was one of his last public statements. That he doesnt want anything to do with those people. It was written on his website.
Reality has gotten so absurd that his specific type of cabaret would seem like stating facts, not overemphasizing and taking it to the absurd.
I don't know what I enjoy more: hearing Pispers again, or you as a non-German react to it. Whatever it may be, I am very much lookinh forward to part 3. Greetings fron Munich/Germany. 🎉
Agree 100%!
Greetings from Frankfurt.
@@harrydehnhardt5092greetings from Friedberg 😊
Grüße aus Osnabrück 😊
Moin, Grüße aus dem Norden:)
Dto… from Rheinland-Pfalz
I've been following the cabaret scene in Germany for 50 years.
Volker Pispers and Georg Schramm are the two grand artists of german political cabaret.
Hagen Rether is a worthy successor, but meanwhile he only performs live and bans recordings.
Christoph Sieber is also recommended.
Most of the rest is comedy.
hagen rether ehrenmann
You forgot Dieter Hildebrandt, pretty much _the_ original political cabaretist in German TV ("Scheibenwischer"). He wasn't as direct as the ones you listed, but if you think about what he was actually saying between the lines, he was about as 'harsh' as the rest.
@@Wolf-ln1ml I remember watching "scheibenwischer" often with my dad as a kid in the 80s. He loved that show on ARD but i was to young to really understand what it was about
@@Wolf-ln1ml Of course, Hildebrandt, Bruno Jonas and the venerable Hanns Dieter Hüsch are among the great cabaret artists. I have not enumerated them because their period of activity and their themes are long past.
Loriot : Am I a Joke to you?
One point you need to keep in mind: This program as it is, is already 20 years old. Struck was German minister of defence from 2002-2005 and it was at this time that first discussions came up to involve German troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in humanitarian missions.
They sold it as humanitarian to get the people on board like they always do. They pretend it's for the greater good when in reality it's the exact opposite.
This performance is 20 years old but still nothing changed. It reminds me of a man i've met in Germany. He fled from Syria and said: "the IS is terrible. Ofc we're all afraid of them. But when the war moved forward most of us (Syrians) learned to fear the american soldiers more than the IS." That gave me goosebumps...
Ding ding ding, you got German cabaret at 11:15. 👍
That's the skill of a good satirical cabaretist. Stating facts in such an absurd manner that you simply can't help but think about the topic discussed in a critical way. Pispers was top notch at this. Brutally honest and direct without ever dropping into crude slapstick or valueless demagogery. He never tells you exactly what you SHOULD think; he always leads you juuuust one step short of the solution and allows you to connect the last two dots yourself. That paints a much more succinct picture than by slapping you around the head with what HE believes YOU SHOULD do. Coming to a conclusion yourself is much more powerful than having it shoved forcefully down your throat.
You don´t need to apologise if you get things wrong, it is natural, and your Reaction to this Stuff is really great
Your Question on 9:54: Peter Struck was the former Minister of defence and he means, that the new german "border", the line of defence is the Hindukush.
I think that Kissinger quote was made some time in the 70s during the oil crisis. Pisper usually knows what he's talking about ;-)
Not only did he a great job about history but also the absurdity of the financial world etc. Unfortunately there hasn't been anyone like him to this day
Urban Priol has some similarities.
Volker Pispers is an absolut goat !
He s so good, that he retired and stopped doing it out of frustration, that his art didn‘t have a real impact. You won‘t see him on stages or on TV trying to cash in on his name.
What a legend
He has a TV Show, Volker Pispers and Friends, on German State Television WDR. He does short bits there, but mostly acts as a host for other artists. But that's it.
My favorite Kabarett artists (also from Germany) are probably Max Uthoff and Claus von Wagner who together have a show called "Die Anstalt" wich probably translates best as "the Asylum". Also their soo programms are REALLY great in calling out problems with our society and the finance system.
Also the common ground of well made Kabarret is "never punch down" against the weaker and the minorities. Beating those allready on the ground is nothing to be any proud of. So beat up against those with power.
Actually there is a german term wich is "Narrenfreiheit" (fools freedom i think it is in english) wich originates back to medieval times, where jesters where allowed to even make jokes about, and critizize the social relations and conditions in the state and the government.
Georg Schramm would be my favorite.
Urban Priol
Würde mir einfallen
Great reaction! Can't wait for the next part!
Thank you!💚🌞
Volker Pispers is a national treasure, he is really one of a kind. Its sad that he is no longer performing, but I will remember him as one of the best.
It's nice to see someone react to this who has some knowledge about these events.
Subbed.
Greetings from Germany
I‘m delighted that you are going through Pispers‘ programme - it‘s such a long time that I have last watched any of his stuff. What is so great about him is that he is masterful at similes and comparisons to explain facts. Also, he brings home his points about foreign policy by comparing it to domestic policy (which his German audience is much more familiar with). Looking forward to your next reaction vid.
Struck uttered his sentence about "defending Germany at the Hindu Kush" when the parliament discussed whether Germany should take an active part in the war in Afghanistan. The constitution of Germany only allows the German army to fight in defence of the FRG therefore non-conservatives were against sending our soldiers to take part.
With this sentence Struck tried to reinterpret the constitution by allegorizing the Taliban activities in Afghanistan as an imminent threat to the German democracy and with that legitimating a participation of the German army as "defence of our democracy".
I don't think I know your name > or is it Mert > ius > en >len > who knows. Wanted to express great praise for the first 2 videos by Volker. This man is awesome. Personally, I was lucky enough to see him live several times. Really one of the few RUclipsrs who has the know-how to understand his topics. Looking forward to the next 3 and don't make the time span too long. I've been waiting every day for you to release part 2.
Thanks, that you make these videos. I am from Germany and in my opinion Volker Pispers is the greatest cabaret artist we ever had. Unfortunately he finished his work in 2021. Consistently he showed us the grievances in our western world. Sadly nothing changes :-( Putin attacked the Ukraine, but I am firmly convinced that the western countries could have prevented it.
Love your interest and reception of German culture. I’m probably not the only viewer who is actively interested in Scottish culture and language, and youtube just decided to switch the plates 😅
I hope you do all 5 parts of this. I like you comments to this. I look this series like once a year just to refresh my mind of the history lesson he gives.
This guy is the very best from Germany, I saw him two times live (also this episode). Also his other stuff is very very good when he talk about "german stuff". For foreigners not very intersting when you don`t know the names of the politicans etc..
I wait for part 3, keep on going.
9:45 The Bundeswehr had a tiny military contingent in Afghanistan (~10.000 troops IIRC) and they had two "notable" "incidents":
1. there was a wedding which they observed and some americans bombed it [because it wasnt clearly recognised as a wedding]
2. some soldiers used a human skull they found to "reenact a scene from Hamlet" [IIRC Volker Pispers mentions this bit]
Sadly is that Volker Pispers was taking a break since 2016. And in 2021 he announced that will not coming back. So he is retired. He is badly missed in germany.
I agree with that! For me (from Germany) knowing he retired and won‘t do any cabaret further on gave me a similar feel of loss after I discovered George Carlin (and that he‘s long gone) as a Person who, through their profession, contributed a big chunk of honesty, directness, truth and information about topics which it is/was just to convenient to ignore and not cope with.
I really appreciate that @WhoIsMert? discovered him, and I‘m glad that content like Volker Pispers‘ is still shared and distributed and did not succumb to irrelevance, yet. Keep that going!
....thank you for reuploading the VP shows,...been whatching VP since ages ,but this is a very special way to repeat and see your reaction and ,of course,to hear your wonderfull accent.
The quote: "Germany is being defended at the Hindu Kush" was quite a game changer in German defense / military politics. The reason is that German military is only supposed to be there for defensive reasons. This basic rule would make it impossible for German soldiers to go to Afghanistan and fight --> Not much defending 8000 km aways, right? Struck basically argued that modern wars (especially against the terror) are global conflicts and you cannot defend yourself like it used to be e.g. in the WW2. Instead you have to bring the fight to the origin of those attacking you in order to win.
Hey there!
First of all: I like your channel and your kind of reaction very much. Thanks a lot for that.
For me, Volker Pispers, is one of the best we have in Germany. You go for comedy, but you leave with thinking of history! I love that a lot.
Years ago, there was a great show with that kind of political comedy. It was called "Scheibenwischer" and the best there was a comedian called "Hildebrand". It is old but great. Have a look for that, you will enjoy, I promise!
Once again, thanks a lot.
Problem with Hildebrand is that he is probably barely translatable, as one of his "signature moves" was the slip of tongue / pun combination.
Bro I don't think you have to apologize for mispronouncing a name in a language you don't speak. :)
Also the distinction between a "Kabarettist" and a "Comedian" is a very german thing as far as I know, so no worries there as well.
I really enjoy hearing an "outsiders" perspective to Volker Pispers. He was very important in forming my political Identity as a Teenager and I am very grateful to have seen him live before he retired. He is truly unrivaled in german Karbarett.
That distinction is nonsense. It was created by people who like to look down on others, nothing else.
Great reaction 👍
I love the pictures he is painting with words.
Political Satire that comes along without cheap jokes and in addition to being entertained you can learn about facts and relations between things that happened.
For me it's the real champions league of comedy.
There really is no need to apologize for mispronounciations. Thanking people for correcting you is the way to go.
I really enjoy your reactions to Volker Pispers. The man is a german cabaret legend but sadly retired. When I saw this for the first time I couldn‘t believe it but it‘s all true. What a fucked up world we live in… looking forward to the missing parts of this show!
Top! Waiting for part 3!
Also this sums it up I think:
"Unlike comedians who make fun of all kind of things, Kabarett artists (German: Kabarettisten) pride themselves as dedicated almost completely to political and social topics of more serious nature which they criticize using techniques like cynicism, sarcasm and irony."
No need to apologise, mate. Your video was very well-made, you showed some genuine, interest and you made interesting and valuable comments. So many reactions videos are cheap cash grasps, just adding some “ahhs” and “oh, I didn't know” here and there. I like your content, keep it up! Greets from a German in Austria!
HE DID IT!
PART 2
i was waiting also
we miss him. it is sad that this is the only program of him with subtitels. he had so much more^^
Haha, the V is a special letter in german, sometimes spoken like a F, sometimes like a W. It has no self phoneme
I havent watched any of your videos for a long time and just found back to the channel. Still seeing you actively upload brought a smile to my face. Very enjoyable reactions!
Can't wait to watch you watch part 3! ;-)
And please, absolutely no reason to apologize for the mispronunciation - the "Volker" thing happens to the best! No one would take offense for you (or anyone else) mispronouncing the name, but as I saw your so interested and invested, I sort of felt compelled to drop a hint... ;-) I work in a socially challenged part of a large city, and there's not one day without me meeting a name I've never seen before and having little or no idea how to get it right... and if I were to read out the names of some Scottish places... ;-)
As for the recommendations on German political Cabaret I read here, I very much second "Die Anstalt", and many sets from the crew of "Mitternachtsspitzen" (especially Christoph Sieber, Philip Simon, Jürgen Becker and Wilfried Schmickler). When I was younger, Dieter Hildebrandt's TV-Show "Scheibenwischer" was a must-see.
Hi. As you asked for other cabaret artists, you should try Hagen Rether and Georg Schramm. Both are amazing.
09:50 In 2002 german Minister of Defence Peter Struck in deed said: "Germanys security is also being defended at the Hindu Kush." It was a quote summing up a change in the use of the german military. After 2002 the germany army was also used to protect germanys interests in world wide trade as an export nation.
No need to apologize. It is nice to see that the great people of german cabaret get some more recognition =)
Favourite cabaret artist: Georg Schramm
That man was not always very funny, but he was even more on point than Pispers and very detailed. Also playing different characters in his videos, which was very impressive on its own.
On 2:40 yes. yes they did have this as a headline.
3:50 “Oil is much too important a commodity to be left in the hands of the Arabs.” - Kissinger. yep. checks out.
9:50 Peter Struck said this phrase as one of the first things as secretary of defense, pretty directly saying how he saw the new role of the german army. Not as a purely defensive force, but also as support for other armies in wars somewhere else. It was hotly discussed, as the left parties in germany opposed this harshly.
Also do not feel bad for agreeing or something. You are really reacting and bringing in your own stuff. Looking forward to the next one =)
You picked the most brilliant shows of him for that video series. Go on, I love to see that show again and, surprised commentary by someone seing the first time is also great! ;)
And relax about the "comedy" or "cabaret" thing. That distinction is only used by those who make or fancy "cabaret", because they don't want to be connected with the mundane "comedy".
Volker Pispers is/was brilliant. I saw him 3 times live. Sadly he stopped his carrer 5 years ago and he announced that he will not come back.
Please keep reacting to Volkers full show.
Reactors seem to love "Die Anstalt", they did a great break down of the middle eastern conflict and involvement of the US there, too. But there are many many good stand up comedians in political cabaret. Even newer guys are great in their stand ups... The issue is most of them only perform in German, and I don't know how good auto-translation is. The second is that most cabaret shows are produced by our state broadcasting agencies and therefor heavily guarded with copyright claims. In general every German region has their comedians making fun of their surroundings, culture, politics, history or Zeitgeist trends etc.
Auto translation is not that good.
It is always so sad that so many innocent civilians always had to die in these wars of aggression.
They didn't *have* to die. They were killed by other humans.
Finally someone intelligent reacting to Volker Pispers. Really nice video, impressive that you understand that only with help of subtitles.
Pispers' shows have their relevance till this day... He himself summed it up as the end of his career: "I made cabaret for 32 years now, and nothing has changed. Not even topics, just the people's names to mock about".
master pispers actually was a teacher, before doing cabaret. and you are right, this should be shown at schools...unfortunately he retired....
Thanks for sharing your understanding. It refreshes and deepens my own. I followed Volker Pispers as long as he went on tour or moderated tv shows. There's no comparable character on stage in our country at the moment, I find. Hopefully soon there'll be one!
Thank you for spreading this old gem internationally. Unfortunately we (in germany) don't have any similar biting and cutting analysts on stage anymore (maybe away from Hagen Rether). His content is as relevant today, as it was then. (The only difference, he could not have knowledge about then, is the russian aggression against neighbors).
Hi mert. I am a German on vacation in Scotland and got recommendation to your videos from yt algorithm and like it very much.
Another cabaretist in the league of pispers is Georg Schramm.
maan your intro is so kind of u
If you like Volker Pispers, i would like to recommend to you "Die Anstalt" (The Asylum.)
They also do cabaret, and uploaded some very good videos regarding the USA, a few years ago. For example:
• Außenpolitik der USA im Nahen Osten (US foreign policy in the Middle East)
• Was Blutspritzer und das US-Wahlsystem verbindet (What connects blood spatter and the US electoral system)
They also uploaded videos regarding german politics, the war in ukraine, etc.
I'm excited for your next videos!
I am glad, I found your reaction. It is my favorite by far. Enjoy the rest of it.
You could react to Georg Schramm another great german cabaret artist.
Love it. love Volker Pispers. Looking forward to part three through five.
One of the greatest German political satirists ("Kabarettist", as we call them), is Georg Schramm. He portrayed a lot of different characters on stage. I think he retired from the stage a while ago, but he is absolutely brilliant, so if you can find some of his material with English subtitles, I'd highly recommend him.
Totally agree. He is also my favorite.
His videos are so timeless. Nothing has really changed since in regards to american politics
Can´t wait to see youe reaction to part 3.
btw, it was quite funny to see you struggling as you didn´t want to call Volker a comedian, but couldn´t find another word right away 😉
No need to apologize, you did a good comentary, thumbs up!
greetings from germany.
9:55 The Hindu Kush is a group of mountains mostly in Northern Afghanistan where the Bundeswehr had outposts for nearly 20 years.
no need to apologize, german comedy is not really known in the world, therefore it is very enlightening to see someone that watches it :D
i posted on the mittermeier video Serdar Somuncu, which i can recommend
Oh, I've just found my twin brother! I do love and adore both the Heute Show and Volker Pispers even though I was born and raised in Tokyo. Love your comments! ❤
I am a german teacher, teaching maths, poltics, geographie and history. I think i once used it (not the whole video) to discuss the interventions in the middle east. Especially the problem, that measures in the past can backfire, because the foreign policy only helps in short terms not in the long run, especially if you arm one radical nation, leader, group,... to get rid of another. Props you have the spirits?/ greatness to admit the mistakes of american politics on foreign affairs. I think his words may sound harsh.... but it´s mostly directed to the government.... surely there are a lot of intelligent, well educated americans....
The moment around 5:50,i really like, how ya recognize the wake up call!And the same still happens today.
Looking forward to the other parts. Only gets better
Volker Pispers was a great cabaret artist in germany until he retired some years ago, because he didn't believe any longer, that his words could have any consequences on the systems, he constantly was incriminating.
I miss his keen analysis very much!
He was a Russian propagandist. 95% of what he says is just semi true and follows Russian propaganda lines from the 70s and 80s
Georg Schramm is yet another level. But he is always playing a role and this added layer can be overwhelming for non-native speakers that don't know the culture. Especially his most famous character is also using very sophisticated language.
Georg Schramm! Absolute must.
...political cabaret: Dieter Hildebrandt, Georg Schramm,((Roger Willemsen;))..."Scheibenwischer" / "Neues aus der Anstalt"
13:07 A moment where his intelligence could be seen when I once saw him live.
The number of highway was always taken from the area he just was in. Here in Munich he said A9 which is the highway coming to Munich.
Dear Mert, surprises me living in Malaysia looking this satiric Comedy with its precise sarcasm. Really high sophistic for an person with a different Language. I take my hat off. You've askimg question during your Videos, all easy to answer but sorry not in a sentence. Take the opportunity to visit the country make your own Pictures. And if you visiting Hamburg let me know.
11:06
that is so true. A perfect description of Volker's genius way of cabaret
...still enjoying your reaction and your knowledge and sense of humor like in part one...☺
I love Volker Pispers, and I'm very much enjoying you finding out about him! As for comedian, well, idk if the distinction needs to be so clear, yes he's a 'politischer Kabarettist' but that's just a very German tradition of comedy that's a specific subgenre of the entertaining arts more than something completely removed? Anyway, you mentioned loving his delivery and his precise obersevational comedic timing... I think in the American comedy tradition, George Carlin is a really similar brand. I love his dry, sarcastic sometimes cynical delivery of observational (more social than political in most instances I think) comedy. You should check him out too!
I used to love "Scheibenwischer" mostly run by Dieter Hildebrand, but has also brought out many other famous political cabarettists like Bruno Jonas, Matias Richling. And then of course there's Gerhard Polt, who even made a few movies.
George Schramm. Volker Pisper and Georg Schramm are the two absolute legends of German satire and Gabaret. Voices that are sadly missing today.
I watched also Georgs last show ever. He fired Silvesterkracher and we get fire alarm. At this day he was as good as Pispers, presenting the whole picture
i am happy this goes slowly viral. other streamer from the us also react to those. maybe it educates some people way more than (or then?) the school system in the us
He is a great political Analyst and years ago I saw him live on stage in Germany. He was amazing 👍👏👏👏 Thx for your Video
Hey just I just saw your video, great reaction I subscribed so I don’t miss your next reactions 👌🏻
09:55 there was a huge debate back then about sending troops to Afghanistan within the coalition and especially keeping them stationed there, this was one of the quotes I believe that really confused people, since a lot of people, even back then, weren't totally on board with the "war on terror" especially with some of the patriot act shenanigans the US pulled. The quote in German also sounds a bit like those old quotes from imperialistic people like the call for Germany's "Platz an der Sonne" (~ "Germany's place at the sun"), when they were very keen on expanding their influence way above their borders.
Great reaction, maybe the first time i saw somebody react to who had at least a good knowledge about all the things that were goin on there, since all other reactions were from americans, who of course didn't had any clue about that all.
The funny thing was at the beginning, since i mostly view reactions from americans about germany, that i for a while was really confused about your knowledge, until my brain clicked and realized you are from Britain and not the US.
I can also recommend a musician called Bodo Wartke. likes his wordplays and at least one song is completely translated and performed by him in english: Yes dear
9:40 Its related to the sentence before. Germanys Bundeswehr is only sopposed to DEFEND Germany. So if you join an Alli in an act of Agression, its very sarcastic to say you "Defend" your own Land.
really glad someone actually gets volkers work ...
German soldiers actually were in Afghanistan fighting and defending the Western Allies. Many people in Germany were critical towards that, because in our constitution, the army is just a means of defense in case someone is attacking us. Some other political people in high positions that that Germany, or German freedoms, were defended in Afghanistan. That is what Volker Pispers is referring to.
Volker is best.