Pro-Köln, German Nationalism, and America-Hatred

In the comments to Friday’s post about Pro-Köln, the Editrix offered some constructive criticism. The issues she raised are worth tackling in their own post.

The relevant sections of her comment are in italicized blocks, and my responses are inserted below them:

You are not privy to all the private correspondence that passes back and forth between German Islam critics. My advice to you is not to jump to conclusions regarding an unanimous stance of those behind “Politically Incorrect”, or indeed, all German “anti-Jihadists” in the matter of Pro-Köln..

Your point is well taken.

Unfortunately, I think you are the one jumping to conclusions. When did I assert that they took a “unanimous stance”? If I ever said such a thing, I must have had one beer too many.

If you actually read my posts about Pro-Köln, rather than just reacting, you’ll notice that I assert only a handful of things:

• That Pro-Köln opposes Islamization and supports traditional German values and culture,
  
• that they are horribly suppressed, demonized, and politically sandbagged by the German government and the media, and
  
• that claims about their “neo-Nazi” tendencies, when closely examined, turn out to have little or no basis in reliable facts.

That’s it. You won’t find me giving much more of an opinion about PK than that, because that’s all I know. I’m not German, and, although I correspond with a number of Germans, I don’t claim any expertise on German political affairs.

The Germans I do talk to have a range of opinions about the Pro-movement. Some are supportive, and some dislike the Pro-people because they tend to be old-fashioned German nationalists.

But I don’t object to German nationalism. In fact, I think nationalism is a positive thing. As long as it is embedded in a form of representative government, and does not attempt aggression beyond its borders, I see nationalism as a force for good. It is virtually our only hope of rolling back the multicultural surrender to Islamization.

When will you (plural) finally understand that there ARE NO “conservative” parties in Germany? If you still want to go to bed with them, that’s fine, but you ought at least to know what you may catch and for heaven’s sake stop selling those guys as what they clearly aren’t to unsuspecting Americans.

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Besides what I said above, what am I “selling these guys as”? And which part of what I said was in error?

You are playing, like the proverbial ape with the razor, with OUR, the Germans’ future.

That’s ridiculous. This is a small American blog, and it has absolutely no effect on the future of Germany. Your future is entirely in the hands of the German people — and of the puppets of the French who run the EU.

That said, when will you (plural) learn that anything (but ANYthing!) with “Pro” followed by something German is per definitionem bound to belong to the vilest America-hating faction? 

Why should I care whether they hate Americans?

Americans are used to being hated. Hatred of America seems to be the principle hobby of non-American intellectuals.

I’m used to it. I lived in Europe for years, and was the object of Yank-hatred the whole time I was there.

Europeans frequently come over here to visit and revile us.

When I go to Europe nowadays, I sometimes get lectured and held in contempt, in my status as a representative of America and everything that’s wrong with it.

’Twas ever thus.

Being hated is just part of the world’s background noise for Americans. We get used to it.

However, it doesn’t make them any less miscast as saviours of our Western culture.

Once again, when did I ever say such things? You are putting words into my mouth.

The Israel-banners at “Pro” rallies are largely due to Stefan Herre, the founder of Politically Incorrect, who is as nice as a guy can be, but who doggedly refuses to see the “Pros” as what they are. Maybe that is some more information to which you are not privy. Well, now you are.

Maybe Stefan sees them correctly, and you are in error. You are both Germans. How do I know which of you is right?

Is your point that there is anti-Semitism among them? If so, perhaps there is; I don’t know.

But anti-Semitism is widespread in Europe and elsewhere, and the vast bulk of it is on the Left.

The amount of anti-Semitism on the Right pales by comparison. The “Nazi”-spotters would do well to extract the beam from their own eye before pursuing with such zeal the bits of sawdust in the eye of the Right.

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In general, what’s happening here is something that seems to occur often: the projection of opinions, attitudes, and assertions upon me that I do not hold or make.

I write carefully, with the hope of not being misunderstood. Unfortunately, people have a tendency to read me less than closely, and thus assume I believe things that I do not.

Read what I’ve said before, and then answer the questions I asked you above. If you can find counterexamples to my points, I will readily concede.