US fails the German anthem at tennis fed cup

[Mayhem]

Fun fact, the current EU anthem, Ode to Joy, was actually considered as a replacement for the anthem after WW2. We decided against it, because the anthem we use today is far, far older than the nazi regime. The text is from the poet von Fallersleben in the 19th century and the music was composed by Haydn in the 18th century for the Austrian-German emperor at that time. So yeah, the anthem is almost as old as the US. :P

Thieves!!! THIEVES!!!!!

[Vargulf the Happy Husky]

germany's anthem is probably only like 70 years old.

so fuckin sorry germany, hey sing the first verse of the star spangled banner...

[oxymoronic]

"Confuse"? Did someone just hand him a sheet 2 minutes before the event and told him to "just go with it"? :P

I cannot see how else you can "confuse" the nazi stanza with the actual, official stanza of the current nation of Germany. I wonder, would the Americans mind if we flagged the confederate flag next time you're here?

nobody would care except for a few crazy leftists

so yeah pretty much the same

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germany's anthem is probably only like 70 years old.

so fuckin sorry germany, hey sing the first verse of the star spangled banner...

they should sing it all

all of it is GREAT

[Slant]

Thieves!!! THIEVES!!!!!

Yes, well. We stole Mozart, too. Deal with it. :P

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germany's anthem is probably only like 70 years old.

so fuckin sorry germany, hey sing the first verse of the star spangled banner...

I literally just posted where the anthem is from four posts above yours. Would you like to edit your stuff?

And I could easily look up the text of the star spangled banner within a minute and sing it to you. :P

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

I mean if china played american badass instead of the anthem youd never hear the end of it.

That'd be hilarious.

[Leadsop]

1 - let's not get overly confused here - Uber Alles is taken from something F.J. Haydn (classical music composer) wrote in the mid-1700s (I THINK... didn't look it up to check my Music History accuracy, sorry)... not something that was written FOR or DURING the Nazi reign in Germany.

**end music-guy rant**

2 - it's Maui. What do you expect? Stop equating it to Trump like it happened in the White House and Trump personally hired the musicians.

[bladeXcrasher]

Playing national anthems at sporting events is rediculous anyway.

[Mayhem]

germany's anthem is probably only like 70 years old.

so fuckin sorry germany, hey sing the first verse of the star spangled banner...

How exactly is the age related?

[Akylios]

They mean it to say "Germany above everyone else in the world", while the original purpose of the poet was to express the contemporary feeling of wanting Germany united instead of the fragmented mess the Holy Roman Empire was. So "Germany above all" literally meant "unite and focus on Germany rather than every tiny state being an independant fuck making this nation a clusterfuck of opinions".

I actually thought this was common knowledge? Which is why I never understood why the anthem was changed in the first place.

But then again I don't even understand how some countries equate every swastika out there to the Nazi swastika. The Nazi swastika is a sign of pure evil, while most other swastikas are the exact opposite. Boggles the mind how a person in this day and age can't tell the difference.

[Uselessrouge]

i am german , and i say so what?

he just dint know not to sing those3 lines i see no probleme here... god who cares its nothing bad

[Slant]

I actually thought this was common knowledge? Which is why I never understood why the anthem was changed in the first place.

But then again I don't even understand how some countries equate every swastika out there to the Nazi swastika. The Nazi swastika is a sign of pure evil, while most other swastikas are the exact opposite. Boggles the mind how a person in this day and age can't tell the difference.

Well, it was changed to avoid ambiguity, primarily. But to be honest, the first stanza is simply outdated. German has long ago stopped being fragmented, so there is no need to implore people to unite anymore. Bismarck has successfully forged a nation out of this, sacrificing Austria in the process. So, right now, the third stanza probably represents what we're about and what we're promoting better than the first stanza.

[Escariot]

kill all liberals

guy sang it great

infracted - trolling

[Deleted]

I am still face palming at this shit. My country has become such a joke it's demoralizing.

Don't worry.

Its just politicians that are joke. We all know that people are actually good... except for politicians and most journalists and most activists of any kind. Same as in pretty much every other country. The difference is your country is bigger, so your morons are louder.

[Self Inflicted Wounds]

I kinda wish they would play American Badass at sporting events now.

[Puri]

The cringe is strong with this one.
It's no Nazi song, and it's not forbidden, but it is totally outdated. "Von der Maas bis an die Memel, von der Etsch bis an den Belt", that's the geographic border definition of the German Reich before 1840.

[Akylios]

Well, it was changed to avoid ambiguity, primarily. But to be honest, the first stanza is simply outdated. German has long ago stopped being fragmented, so there is no need to implore people to unite anymore. Bismarck has successfully forged a nation out of this, sacrificing Austria in the process. So, right now, the third stanza probably represents what we're about and what we're promoting better than the first stanza.

Well, that actually is a quite understandable perspective.

[stabetha]

This is Trump's Earth now!

It's your fault for changing your anthem. Prepare to go to war.

Thanks O̶b̶a̶m̶a̶ Trump

[Deleted]

Geez. You could just laugh it off. Yes, it's outdated and not accurate but so what? The world still rotates as usual.

Nobody planned this as something mean spirited. The reaction of the german athletes is far worse. They act like they got publically humiliated. Nothing of this sort happened. I doubt someone else at this event even noticed.

One of them said "It's the worst that ever happened to me in my life" - roughly translated. Like, man. Way to overreact.

[Noradin]

I read a report about this in Der Spiegel. Apparently some German athletes actually started crying and wanted to leave... isn't that reaction a little bit over the top though?

Also, the USTA already apologized.

It is a pretty horrible and insidious insult.
The worst part is how the clueless applaud benevolently afterwards.

And I find it very unlikely to have been unintentional.
You do not get to train singing this as intelligible without coming across anotations about its meaning and use.
I#m not saying the singer himself planned this, but someone probably did.

[Nadiru]

I don't know, I can see it be pretty damn humiliating.

Nazi culture is probably the most detested icon of evil in modern day Germany.

Then participating in a championship and them being introduced and represented with that image... they must've felt naked while standing there in front of everyone.

On the other hand, how many people there who weren't tennis players actually know enough German culture to distinguish between the national anthem and a version of the Nazi anthem played almost five generations ago?