Provocative Language

One of the "Democracy in America" bloggers over at the Economist is taken aback by the some strong language about President Obamain a Spiegel article. The article is the German magazine's account of the climate change summit in Copenhagen, and it accuses Obama of "stabbing the Europeans in the back" by suggesting going forward without establishing concrete targets. The blogger writes that such "hope for the future, pragmatism for now" (my wording) action is "vintage Obama," and stabbing Europeans in the back was neither the goal nor the result.

I won't comment on the politics or policy, but the blogger should understand how livid many Germans were about Copenhagen (I just tried to find an English translation of a particularly nasty commentary wondering why on earth the President would use so much political capital on healthcare when action on climate change is so urgent). For many Germans, climate change is not one of many challenges, it is the challenge. Sure, they may not understand the realities of American politics, but as someone who lived in both places, our coverage of the Europeans is not always as nuanced as it should be.

Furthermore, Der Spiegel, for it's reputation for wordy, serious documents, is not one to let the facts stand in the way of provocative language (especially if it can be used in a headline). This actually makes their interviews with politicians very entertaining, because they use the same sort of language in their questions. German politicians know what to expect and often hit back just as hard. Having lived in Germany during the Iraq war, I've seen the worst of it. Heck, they even disgracefully gave a cover story to "9/11 was an inside job" conspiracy theorists. That being said, I enjoy reading Der Spiegel, and some of their journalism is excellent. Safe to say, I've learned to take their language with a grain of salt.