Schnitzel Republic: Handshake Diplomacy

Saturday, December 11, 2021

Handshake Diplomacy

I sat last night and watched ARD (Channel One, public TV) news.

One of the top pieces of news was the new German Foreign Minister.....Baerbeck, visiting her Polish counterpart (Zbigniew Rau).

For a true description...Rau is a pretty tall and muscular guy. Baerbeck is fairly lean (maybe a hundred pounds at best) and probably around 5'6" in height.

So upon meeting....Rau extends his hand (not the traditional elbow thing that German politicians do....to avoid getting Covid). Then he gives her a good 8-second heavy-duty handshake....literally lifting her off the ground.

I almost felt sorry for her.

A demonstration of something, or just the normal typical Pole handshake (hearty and impassioned)? Hard to say. Wouldn't shock me if she was visiting the doctor today and a bit sore.

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About the Collection of Essays

First, note that this is NOT a blog....it's a collection of essays similar in nature to what the Greek Plutarch attempted to write.

Second: NO, there will be no Facebook connection to the essay collection. Besides the negativity with FB, there is just too much potential in the future for censorship with FB.

Third, this log of essays is written by an American (not a German). If you are a German seeking commentary written by a German, on Germans....look elsewhere.

Fourth, I will offer wit and sarcasm on Germany, Germans, Germanology, German political figures, German TV, German beer, German food, German humor (or lack of), German habits, German weirdness, German news, German autos, German brilliance, German stupidity, German customs, German Nazis, German history, and German stubbornness.

Fifth (new), the essays are not about ethnic pathways to your grandfather or great-grandmother who was German. It relates present day Germans. If you are trying to get some understanding to your ancestor who packed up and left sixty years ago from the old 'homeland', then this blog is probably not for you.

I was one of those Americans who did over twenty years of military time....married a German....and eventually returned as a retiree.

I'm one of the few who stood under the German umbrella.....paid German taxes for some years.....German social security.....and felt the various pains like Germans.

So, this is my all-purpose commentary essay, designed for non-Germans mostly (and those Germans who accidentally discover it). I tend to put German culture into the spotlight of sarcasm, wit and humor. I'm simply pointing out the richness and craziness of life in Germany, which even some Germans can't understand.

The amusing thing is that I'm merely repeating the exercise that Mark Twain performed in 1880, when he published "A Tramp Abroad". Various comments were dished out on the Germans....which apparently did not trigger any wars, chaos, climate change, or ill feelings.

Final note: I generally only delete comments that are spam-related, or hype over pure Nationalist Socialist agendas. I generally won't support one-sided arguments/agendas. I also don't think accusations of racism or nationalism are generally proven, and can reflect poorly upon the person making the accusations.