All in Media

Getting the Hoff

Many of my preconceptions about Germany have been thoroughly shattered over the years, but only one truly hurt; David Hasselhoff might not be the German icon I was led to believe. Despite being told this in my first years living here, I come to wonder If my early assumption was actually correct. Is Hasselhoff a cult hero or simply a curious historical footnote?

A Trap For Fools

This week has been dominated by crude statements from CDU leader Friedrich Merz on integration and migrant communities. Why might this moment give British people a feeling of Deja Vu, and what does it have to do with former British PM David Cameron?

Getting the Hoff

Many of my preconceptions about Germany have been thoroughly shattered over the years, but only one truly hurt; David Hasselhoff might not be the German icon I was led to believe. Despite being told this in my first years living here, I come to wonder If my early assumption was actually correct. Is Hasselhoff a cult hero or simply a curious historical footnote?

Fear for the Future

Fear is the mind-killer, but it’s hard to feel anything else at the moment. As war rages , social media argues about how best to counter Putin’s aggression and a million “experts” share their opinions. Is there room for optimism or is European society too fragmented?

A Lonely Glühwein to Joshua Kimmich

According to Bavaria’s Minister President Markus Söder, we are in a pandemic “time loop”. It’s hard to tell whether we’re in 2020 or 2021 as infections and hospitalisations soar. How did we end up here, what’s that got to do with Joshua Kimmich and why might Germany be suffering under a tyranny of idiocy?

Vote Boring

The frontrunners in the German election have been described as uncharismatic by critics from inside and outside Germany. Is there a benefit to keeping politics boring or do Germans deserve some excitement before casting their vote?

It's A Funny Old Game

There’s always a feeling of inevitability about England vs Germany at a major football tournament. Fans from both sides anticipate the upcoming clash, does Germany really consider England a major football rival and why do England fans often feel the fixture is more more than just a game of football?

Vanguard of the Culture-War

Germany is no stranger to English loan words, they’re everywhere. However, the recent surge in the use of the term ‘Culture-War’ suggests that not all borrowed language is as benign as ‘Beamer’ or ‘Handy’. What has sparked the increase in use of the term and why might it be so damaging in a German election year?