Comments on: German protectionism against Nokia http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2008/02/03/german-protectionism-against-nokia/ A fresh look at the thorns between the USA and the EU Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:59:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: TMLutas http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2008/02/03/german-protectionism-against-nokia/#comment-194 TMLutas Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:17:19 +0000 http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2008/02/03/german-protectionism-against-nokia/#comment-194 There is also more than a whiff of racism going on of the intra-european variety. Speculating about how Romanian workers might not be as "reliable or punctual" as the Germans is not some random quote but rather is an appeal to european bigotry, code talk that most people in the US probably gloss over because we don't generally tell that sort of joke. There aren't enough romanians around the US for those sorts of jokes to spread. The really funny part is that that area, Transylvania, is considered a somewhat dull, nose-to-the-grindstone place by other regions in Romania. You see, several hundred years ago, some german royalty decided to put down colonies over there in a bid for demographic empire. The german cultural influence remains to this day though most of the germans went to germany (FRG) during the communist years. Full disclosure: my father's side of the family is Transylvanian and I was born in the Banat, just south of Transylvania. There is also more than a whiff of racism going on of the intra-european variety. Speculating about how Romanian workers might not be as “reliable or punctual” as the Germans is not some random quote but rather is an appeal to european bigotry, code talk that most people in the US probably gloss over because we don’t generally tell that sort of joke. There aren’t enough romanians around the US for those sorts of jokes to spread.

The really funny part is that that area, Transylvania, is considered a somewhat dull, nose-to-the-grindstone place by other regions in Romania. You see, several hundred years ago, some german royalty decided to put down colonies over there in a bid for demographic empire. The german cultural influence remains to this day though most of the germans went to germany (FRG) during the communist years.

Full disclosure: my father’s side of the family is Transylvanian and I was born in the Banat, just south of Transylvania.

]]> By: Ed Driscoll.com http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2008/02/03/german-protectionism-against-nokia/#comment-193 Ed Driscoll.com Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:22:19 +0000 http://www.transatlanticpolitics.com/2008/02/03/german-protectionism-against-nokia/#comment-193 <strong>Life In The Big Blue State...</strong> Transatlantic Politics looks at "German protectionism against Nokia":German protectionism at its best: Nokia is a "subsidy locust" and promotes "caravan capitalism" for having decided to move its 2,300 emplyees-factory from the Germany to Romania... Life In The Big Blue State…

Transatlantic Politics looks at “German protectionism against Nokia”:German protectionism at its best: Nokia is a “subsidy locust” and promotes “caravan capitalism” for having decided to move its 2,300 emplyees-factory from the Germany to Romania…

]]>