NEO, the German state-run network.....isn't exactly a household name. It was a network that ZDF spun off seven years ago, and was supposed to bring the 18-to-40 year old folks back to state-run TV. At some point between 2000 and 2005....state-run TV managers came to realize that it's a declining audience in Germany. Most preferred what commercial TV offered. So, NEO was the creation to bring them back.
In recent weeks....NEO got a name for itself and has drawn some of the 18-to-40 year olds...with cynical humor from the likes of Jan Bohmermann. Jan, I would compare to Jon Stewart of the former Daily Show.
So Jan has two done remarkable things.
One, he has done a major 'dump' on Turkey's Erdogan. When the state-run TV folks suggested an apology....he did an apology that simply made you laugh more, and then did a minor slam on the state-run TV folks themselves.
Two, he created the musical video...."Be Deutsche, Be Nice". If you google it up on Youtube, you can enjoy a heavy metal theme (pretty good music I will admit) with the words changed from the music....to favor the new culture in Germany.
You see....no matter how you view it....there's a trend underway where Germans are trying hard to make the world love them for all their politically correct stances. These aren't the evil Germans from the Nazi era.....these are kissy-puffy Germans of the modern era. Everything is fine....they love everyone....they wear Birkenstocks.....they harp on the environment....they hate Bush....they eat only good vegan foods....they love multi-culture themes....and they want everyone to know that.
Jan layers his critique of these Germans in a nice pleasant way. In a way, you dislike these NICE Germans because it seems so fake. But there is no cause, no badness in the world....that they won't go up to and hug.
The state-run TV folks at ZDF have a problem now. They've created NEO and people want Jan Bohmermann's humor and brave attack on bad things in the world. Firing him for insubordination? Maybe, but wouldn't the crowds watching NEO realize the gimmick of the state-run TV empire?
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