Yeah the subtitles are good. The only thing I would translate different would be 2:57 "komisch" should/could be translated with strange. It's a German "playing with words" because some words can be used different...
@@robertz3597 I'd say funny is correct as he refers to humour after that. So it was meant as funny / as to laugh about. Strange (=seltsam) would've had a different meaning in this context. And I also can confirm the translation is very much on point. I just like to add that, to this day, I am really sad he quit making his shows.
@@brachlandmusic I don't know about this one. People tend to make jokes about thinks they don't understand and find strange. I would also translate it with strange, but I think funny is also viable.
@@brachlandmusic Ambiguity of words is central to comedy, and I'm sure Pispers wanted something ambiguous here. "Odd" or "weird" may be viable translations, too.
13:26 "What am I supposed to do?" Germans are confronted with the same question when dealing with their past and WW2. The answer: You don't need to feel guilty but you need to accept the responsibility to prevent this from happening again. Do whatever you can.
Yes. And one good step is to know. Don't look away. It's painful, I know. As kids we are taught our ancestors were cruel af. My great grandma lived in that time and could hardly speak about it. Her first husband died in WW2. So she was there and I talked to her. She was very good to me and I loved her. But it disturbed me to this day what happend back then. (Seeing picture, hearing stories.) Most of us Germans learn this the hard way and we are given the responsibility in the form of remembrance of the victims. It's so important, because it would be much worse if we don't.
This is NOT plain COMEDY. It's satire. This is "over-presenting facts and truth" in a very very smart way, that the grotesque truth becomes a somehow funny. Because it's hard to believe that people did not see it themselves and need to be reminded. It's more like laughing about our own stupidity. And Pispers is a MASTER on holding up a mirror for us, to laugh to our own stupid faces.
a german song by die ärzte says: "es ist nicht deine schuld, dass die welt ist, wie sie ist / es wär nur deine schuld wenn sie so bleibt" "it's not your fault, that the world is how it is / it would only be your fault, if it stays like this"
Am Deutschen Wesen soll die Welt genesen! Ist schon öfter schief gegangen. Am besten jeder kümmert sich erstmal um seinen scheiß, anstatt irgendwo auf der Welt den Leuten zu erzählen was gut und richtig ist!
I am a German, living in L.A. since 2020. I like your videos. This program from Volker is pure fire. I saw him years ago on stage. Every word he says is right.
The subtitles are actually pretty well done! There will always be something thats getting lost when translated...but this right here is really good. They did a great job by keeping the translation simple enough to get the joke and keep the pace with his talking.
Seeing young American people like you realising the truth and furthermore agreeing to it, even when it is told in a style like this, awakens hope that mankind is not yet lost! Thanks for taking the time to watch this great master mind of "German Kabarett". That's what this kind of comedy is called. I guess there is no real translation for this. The closest translation I can think of might be something like "political comedy". It's a real big pity that Volker Pispers decided to end his career a few years ago. 😢
It`s sad and funny at the same time! Volker Pispers is amazing. This stage performance is old, but still relevant. Thank you for your comment. Heartly greetings from germany! 😅😉✌
Hey bro, I'm really appreciating, that you looking this critical show and be so honest to accept the truth behind the words. You, as a critical, informed person, recovers my view on the Americans, thanks. Also we, as Germans, have get confronted with some uncomfortable truth. Regards from Germany Stephan
Dear Jps. Volker Pispers was the best ever political comedian germany had. I felt so sorry, when he retired in 2021, after pausing the 5 years before. Everything he said was so true that people, especially the intellectuals, loved to visit his stage performance. There never will be a person like him and that is really sad. Greetings from germany.
"He is on fire in this video" This was actually totally normal Pispers. He was always this good. He didn't even make a new program every year or so he just continuously updated his ongoing program and toured with this for over 20 years. In my opinion he and Georg Schramm were the best german political "Kabarett" ever had.
All informational content is translated. There is no issue there. Where the subtitles come short is in the subtext. Some of it can be picked up by the way Volker talks but it can be difficult at times when he leans to much into the dry humor. In the end the subtitles are absolutely fine. You may miss a quip or two but those are just for comedic purposes anyway as far as I can say.
This form of entertainment has a long tradition in Germany (east and west). It was well established decades before we even knew what "comedy" or "stand up comedy" was. One, two or a group of people are talking or singing about political issues. It dealt mostly with the politicians and the politics of our own country. Today there is mostly "stand up comedy" and sketch comedy about non political subjects. But there are a few "survivors".
@@loonator1995 Actually I meant him (Volker Pisper) and some other groups or individuals even though I was not sure if he is still active since the video is quite old. But in Berlin there is still the "Distel". It is a famous institution where they play political cabaret for 70 years now.
10:15 Thats a sign you are "enjoying" satire and not comedy. The initial laugh and following it, the realisation that you laughed about horrible stuff. Thats what I love about (especially german) satire. Its so dark, yet incredibly informative. There are some with even darker humour, although their programms can be way longer and revolve a lot around german stuff. Also there are no eng subbed versions of those shows yet.
Naturally some of the translations are a bit rough because some jokes simply don't translate into English. But overall they are good! He's not ripping into anyone, he's just telling how it is. We are so indoctrinated, we have completely lost view of the bigger picture. And that is nothing but sad. Still your reaction is one of the best, you don't simply laugh about the joke, you understnd the background. Thanks again!
Oh no. No one could and should ever tell you, that it is your duty to change history :) Every nation has some bad history. It would be hypocritical for them to say that. Some even learned from them. But as you've beautifully said: It is our duty to learn - and in my opinion - to take off those rose-tinted glasses, and to make every effort, that those bad things never happen again.
And no other country in the world is forced to look in the mirror, than we germans. Be lucky, that you Americans are nevertheless allowed to be proud of your country. We Germans are not allowed to do this. Not because of you or other countrys, but because of leftist etc. in our own country.
@@margretalbrecht95 Ich find Patriotismus ja albern aber wenn du ne Deutsche Flagge in deinem Schrebergarten fliegen willst hält dich doch keiner auf, wenn du bei Pegida mitrennst oder mit der AfD deinen rechten Opferkomplex auslebst sieht das halt anders aus aber auch das ist nur harter Widerspruch und keine Unterdrückung auch wenn diese Kreise das immer gerne so darstellen und taktlose Nordkorea vergleiche ziehen, keiner Unterdrückt die nur n großer Teil der Gessellschaft hat einfach keinen Bock auf diesen Menschenfeindlichen Neo liberalen Schwachsinn
What's the need to be "proud" of your country? You can like it anyway, you can enjoy living in it. But being "proud"? For stuff you didn't do and didn't control or influence? Stuff that happened decades and centuries before even your parents were born? Plus that statement isn't even true, no one is forbidding you to be proud of your country even in Germany. It's just frowned upon because it all to often is done by people who love to use their pride to deminish other people, pretend they are better than others for no other reason than the place of their birth.@@margretalbrecht95
The nice thing is that you think about your history. You ask what you can do as a single person. "Don't be part of it" when a new war will be started based on lie. Peace.
2:00 "Papa Bush" does translate to "Daddy Bush" quite literally. All in all the subtitles in this are pretty accurate, as far as I can tell. edit: 9:48 okay, nevermind :D
You don't laugh because it's funny, you laugh at the truth. And the truth is so horrible and bleak, laughter is just an outlet for the felt horror. As well as some people laugh in absolute panic
This word for this style of „humour“ is Cabaret / Kabarett and it is super common in the upper classes in Germany! Literally ever bigger city (20.000 inhabitants and more) had a cabaret theater. 😊
No.... I already wrote that here but I have to repeat myself. English "Cabaret" is not German "Kabarett" "Cabaret" in English = "A stage with girls dancing + singing while wearing a top hat + suspender belts + a feather boa"...basically a mixture of "Burlesques + Musical" Watch the movie "Moulin Rouge" = that is "Cabaret" in English and just solely that. "Kabarett" = in English "political Satire"
@@michaelgrabner8977 who said I used the English word? :O Cabaret is French, Kabarett is German - I just wanted to present both versions that are used.
@@lovelyisabelle2028 C´mon seriously? You must think I´m an idiot by now insulting my intelligence. I feel now a little tiny bit offended by your response = in German "Ich fühle mich jetzt von dir ein wenig verarscht" The French meaning of "Cabaret" is exactly the same as like as in English = describing a "Girls Sing+Dance Revue" -- both have nothing to do with the German meaning of "Kabarett" = "political satire". Sorry Dear Lovely Isabelle , but your attempt to outsmart/bluff it out now doesn´t work at all because "cabaret" if in "French" or in "English" is simply a wrong translation for "political satire" or for what Pispers is doing on stage, respectively..You actuallly just "presented" nonsense. By the way why do you think is the "Cabaret movie" titeled "Moulin Rouge" refering to the French établissement "Moulin Rouge" famous for their female topless dancers and why is the 70ties Oscar movie with Liza Minelli + Robert DeNiro titeled "Cabaret" when there is in both movies not in the slightest to find a single "political satire" scene but just "Singing and Dancing Girls in light costumes"?(both US movies so "topless girls" was no option) The last paragraph question was just rhetorical to proof a point and needs no answer.
@@noobdernoobder6707 It doesn´t matter the French meaning of "cabaret" in context to an artform is the same as like as in English anyway = "Girl´s Sing+ Dance Revue" The root meaning in French for the term "cabaret" is actually just "little stage" in a club enviroment = "Kleinkunstbühne" in contrast to a "big theatre stage" And guess what "those girl dancers" + "political satire" happens on a "little stage" in a club enviroment = "Kleinkunstbühne" and that´s why the Germans say "Kabarett" for "political satire" because it happens on the "Kleinkunstbühne" = "Kabarett" And so do the English + the French for their "dancing Girls", because those are dancing on the "Kleinkunstbühne" = "cabaret"
@@michaelgrabner8977 are you done now? Do you want me to cancel my comment all together!? I just told you that these ARE BOTH THE VERSIONS that are used in Germany - I did not say that people anywhere else in the World might have different meanings to certain words. I just said that people use both spellings when talking about Kabarett. That's all. Nothing more or less. And I am not trying to outsmart someone. But instead of really reading my comment and acknowledging the content you straightup keep on and insult me. So go on with being how you are but don''t be surprised when people get offended by your words.
The only thing you can do as an American is vote for different parties and candidates. Every 3rd party vote is worth 1000 Dem/Rep votes in pressure value.
Nah, every vote on a 3rd party candidate is wasted thanks to the stupid "the winner takes it all" principle. If Trump would split the GOP for good, that would help the DEMs, but if open minded people who would never vote for the GOP anyway vote for 3rd party candidates, it only means go vote for GOP/Trump. The German constitution dictates that every election must be universal, equal, free, direct and secret. US electrion only fulfil 2 out of these 5 principles (free and secret). The US constitution was great when it was created, but parts are quite outdated by today's standards.
The thing with all this is, it is not about america. It's about how the world works at the moment. We germans are in an other position than the americans, but the reasoning in our politics shares so many not so nice things. We are important. We need resources. Everything should work like we want it. It shows in so many things. And while Volker Pispers talks here about american politics he always mentions we do the same. Fighting for freedom, human rights and so on and when you take a closer look it's all about our interests, our greed and our apathy concerning problems that have no consequence for us.
It's called "political cabaret" in Germany; generally I guess they call it satire: bitter truths delivered in a way it makes you laugh. A great American artist that did similar work to VPs is George Carlin. Check him out!
@@Michael_from_EU_GermanyWe Germans borrowed the word 'cabaret' from the French and made it into Kabarett, which is what Volker is doing, political criticism through the lens of wit and comedy.
I like your reaction! Volker Pispers is one of our best "comedians". He was incredible funny and dark-humoured and you learn something on top. Sadly he retires a few years ago. I am very happy i got the oppotunity to see him live even once. Greetings from germany.
i am german and the translation is pretty accurate. i love the reactions of americans to volker. he´s one of the best. i like that people (not only americans) get to know that germans, who are always known for not having humor, have a lot of it. greetz and keep it up
Congratulations! Really a good choice! I'm from Germany. Hope you will have a good time here! I really like watching this video, because it is very interesting for me to see how an american reacts to this german comedian. Thank you!
Volker Pispers is a great cabaret artist in Germany who unfortunately no longer performs. Sometimes you need someone to explain the world to you and no one could do that as well as he did. Germans don't hate America, but the way America sees the world should not be the policy of Europe. Thank you for watching this.
Hi, the translation is marvelous for a german native speaker. When I have to translate the subtitle back to german it results mostly in exact the same german words Volker used. This is a very fine work, at the point and feeded with some extra information, for example "Who was Edmund Stoiber?"; "A3 = a german Autobahn" ... But sometimes it's not tranlateable cause he's creating german words including names: "gemerkelt" instead of "gemerkt". In connection this means "noticed" but there is also a part of a name included. In this case "Angela Merkel", germ. cancelor 2005-2021. So Junge, und jetzt mal wieder zurück an die Arbeit, Du hast noch drei Teile vor Dir. Dann noch den "Mittermeier" und die ganzen Folgen von "Die Anstalt"! Grüße über den Teich.
what he does is political cabaret, but you can also call it political satire - the word you were looking for is: Metaphors - drawing up parallels scenarios; such as the one with Klitschko going after a 3 year old
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany no and Yes... yes Theo use the wrong translation for Kaberett it is Not the same like Cabaret. But hat the same Source. Yes i understand what he and sou like to sad.
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany scuse me? i didn't say "cabaret" i said "political cabaret" - unless you got some weird imagination of a bunch of girls doing expressive dancing about political subjects I would gander it to be quite clear...
First of all: RESPECT to you and your open-mindness to watch this here with us "in public" together. Than secondly and I say this especially regarding to Volker's words about a "superficial anti-Americanism": we germans still see us very much on your (USA) side and do like your country or way of living BUT as you maybe know out of own privte friendship relationships: not all the things they do represents a 100% your own point of view and it's always kind of heavy/hard to criticise possible misbehaviours to a friend. ;-) last but not least: the subtitle translations are very good and transport Volker's intentions from my point of view perfectly in to the english language.
The subtitles aren't bad. Riddled with typos at times, but fairly accurate, and they even get a lot of the slang expressions and idioms surprisingly well.
The translation “Daddy Bush” is absolutely correct. Some jokes he’s telling you cannot translate. One example: the german letter “ü” is sometimes written as “ue”, especially if someone misses a german keyboard. Pispers is talking about intellectual people, in german “Intellektuelle”. It’s pronounced similar to the englisch pronunciation, but Pispers pronounces this word as if it was written with a “ü”. To pronounce ironically the word “intellectual” in a wrong way, this is somehow funny, at least in my ears. His jokes are a real firework of intelligence. Unfortunately, he is retired now. But one day I had the chance to discuss with him after a show for 15mins - it was quite interesting. Thank you for this video - to see how you understand it.
Pispers himself has commented on people comparing his stuff to comedy. Roughly translated (from memory, I'm not sure which part of his programs it's from, so it'd take me too long to search for): "I don't feel any more threatened by the comedy boom than your favourite restaurant is threatened by the sale of dog food. Don't get me wrong, there is some really good dog food! And if you like it..." 🤣
Honestly, kudos to you for letting in this perspective. None of us civilians made the decisions Volker talks about here, that much is clear. But by seeking more than the most conveniently available resources of information; by learning even uncomfortable truths, you are already doing a lot 🙌
I really love your channel. And I’d never have expected to find an American guy presenting Volker Pispers who’s not only a comedian but what german call “Kabarettist”. There are only very few people like him. He analyses politics I a way you can laugh about it but it’s also absolutely mind blowing. Thank you for this one, I wished there were more people like you.
Brother been seeing a few of your videos, think its really cool you are looking outside the box and not allowing your reality to dictate your opinions! Its not an easy thing to do! Im portuguese and grew up listening to George Carlin, changed my way of seeing life and politics. I really relate both of their work with the diference that Volker is an historian and shows it, Carlin is a poet :) Thanks for the content!! (btw about your question he says Daddy Bush because iff Bush sr in acse you didnt realise)
Im a German speaking English as well as German and rhe subtitles are really good translated. Basically word for word exactly. Way better than most professional translations in TV are done!
I remember watching and loving these videos almost 20 years ago when I was a teenager in Germany. Kinda funny to see them go viral in America now. But funny in a good way. :)
Morning Joel, I'm liking these videos a lot. His style, especially on religeon remnds me of the Irish comedian Dave Allen, I think you've reacted to some of his videos in the past. It's that quick fire style that takes an issue and turns it on it's head to show the ridiculusness of it, showing a problem through the looking glass like Alice in Wonderland. Don't let thigs get to you though, you are looking outside of what might be the US bubble so you know that things can be thought about differently and can be done differently, and to be fair to the US other places have their own little bubbles too where people trundle along and never question anything. Just keep doing what your'e doing, looking around you and taking an interest. Thanks 👍👍
Volker Pispers is to the point. I am really glad I got to see him in a show. I was an exchange student in the Chicago suburbs and remember how a teacher at school talked about Saddam Hussein like 'we're the good ones, the people in Iraq don't realize we're the good ones'... oh dear. Tho in US History they did teach about how the Native Americans were treated. Thanks for being so open-minded! I think we all need to be humble and question the way things are being presented to us.
JP cannot understand everything, for that he would have to be very familiar with politics and society in Germany. The show is also over 15 years old. I would be very surprised if someone as young as JP knew what was current world politics at the time. But JP is critical of US foreign policy assessments, and that's important. He is open and willing to listen. That's worth a lot and is a huge plus for JP. PS.: I hope that there will be a video with his little brother again.
Brilliant reaction Video! You asked what you can do: Try to get into politics and change things for the better. That's finally all that we need to do. Even more pressing, nowadays...
At least for reflecting germans it is relatively common to see, where things are going wrong and what issues need improvement - that's, what our history told us to do. But on the other hand, this degree of awareness sometimes gets haunting and tends to produce a feeling of powerlessness in the face of sheer ignorance and selfish behaviour. Currently it is the 35% voter's approval for the AfD in Saxony. No one with conscience and common sense would ever vote for those right radicals/neoliberal hardliners. Even more paradox, since a lot of their potential supportes would undisputable suffer from their economic and social policies. A madness, that is even more insane regarding the fact, that Hitler was voted in 'the office' in 1933 and did not gain power by a coup.
It is political satire, sometimes also called "political cabaret". It is more serious than other styles of comedy, since it is at its core meant to be more than just entertainment. It wants to maka a point. And it generates humor out of observing what it and pointing to the contradictions, bigotry, frustrations and absurdity that national or international politics and cultural relations bring.
He's just amazing! And you are a very reflective person! If things go on in the world like they do at the moment, it would be nice to find a place in the world where the few remaining reflective people can just get together and establish their nation .. ok, I'm dreaming and it probably wouldn't be a great idea but sometimes this kind of dream is all that keeps me from despair.
That's true, when I was in the Bundeswehr in 1983 we were told that in an emergency the Bundeswehr was only there to stop the enemy until the real soldiers came, the British and the Americans. We thought that was funny because we regularly made the Americans and Brits look stupid at exercises. German diesel submarines have regularly broken through the allegedly insurmountable rings around American aircraft carriers and sunk them! A diesel-electric submarine once surfaced alongside the aircraft carrier Enterprise.
What Pispers did was called "investigative political comedy". (By the way, the letter V is pronounced like F in German, so his first name is pronounced Folker).
Except for really special sayings or expressions the translation is REALLY GOOD and accurate! By the way, he's called "Folker", the German V is spoken like an F. =)
His type of "Stand up" is called "Polical Kabarette" ... its a special kind of comedy....you have the feeling you learn something along the line about past and present times. He is "High end lvl"
The sub-titles look very good, as far as I can tell. Some phrases are have a somewhat different connotation ("Papa Bush" - "Daddy Bush"), but nothing falsified that I've seen so far.
In Germany we distinguish between Comedy (based on jokes, meant to make you laugh, to entertain, everyday topic) and Kabarett (meant to make you think in a funny way about politics).
The translation is pretty accurate to be honest....some things may not make sense because of a local reference but other than that is a good translation
Is this fun? No Is it funny? Hell, yes. That's what makes good political cabaret. Take some pretty disastrous things, be very satirical right up to cynical about it, then somehow make people dissociate the horrible with the funny to get them to think about it. Because nobody likes to think about horrible things on their own. But when you can have a giggle or even a good laugh about something you normally would be crying about, THEN you can start to do some critical thinking. That's what Pispers excels at. Few people even come close. Others may make you laugh more, but Pispers makes you laugh AND think. That's talent for me.
Hey mate, the algorithm brought me here. Kudos to your videos and open mind towards Europe. Volker Pispers is a great guy who is roasting us Germans in the same way and yes, truth hurts. One thing to learn though: He is called "Volker", pronounce it like "Fokker" with an L, not like "woke" :D thanks and keep on going!
In Germany we call what people like Pispers do as 'Politisches Kabarett' (difficult to translate but satire with a more fact based approach could fit). I think it's a German thing and only scarcely seen in other countries. Pispers once said about the relationship between comedy and 'Kabarett' that it is like the relationship between dog food and a three star restaurant.
Because there is enough said about Pispers and Germany related stuff already, i just want you to know that you're doing great so far. Keep going and best regards from Germany.
i like that you have a healthy scepticism without disregarding it. from what i know, he does not say anything untrue - but of course, given the format, there is a lot of oversimplification going on, reality is more nuanced. what he does is outlining the events and breaking them down into simple language and thoughts, that's even a main part of the humor. and he is amazing at that. if we want an accurate debate over complicated conflicts, cabaret is not the place where to look. with this kind of speech you can ridicule everyone, luckily volker pispers' moral compass seems to be well adjusted.
Congratulation to your neutral-mindedness! Not very many US-Americans that I know would be able to react so relaxed to Volker Pispers's view on reality. He is creating his energy out of a reframing of the average mass-media-view, concentrating on expressing the contradictions that are often obviously intentionally paralysed by groups that are gaining profits by creating idiocracy. The subtitles are very accurate. It might be Volker's excessive sharpness that seem to be a bit uncommon. If you are looking for a wider spectrum of critical looks on the US-American history you should look for the rest of his old performances. Old but Gold !
The subtitles are pretty accurate. The problem is that they can't give context. Volker is linking this heavily to contemporary German domestic politics and politicians. But he is doing it on the assumption that his audience knows enough that he does not have to spell it out. Take the part about Merkel in Part 1. When he cited her saying: "Dictators only understand violence. And I would know I have lived in a dictatorship." The interesting part that every German (at least at the time) would understand is that the GDR was famously overthrown peacefully. Also many (even young Germans) will have trouble to understand that Merkel was just leader of the oposition at this point in time. And of a opposition party that went to their leadership personell at a fast pace at the time (they all plotted against each other). Point in case even though Merkel was the party leader she was not the lead candidate for chancellor in the election just before Volker did this program (something he is referring to when he mentioned Edmund Stoiber). So the subtitles are accurate but only in a litteral sense. For the in between stuff you would have to research Germany in the early 2000s or get the perspective of someone who was around and interested enough in politics to remember.
4:30 you were asking 'what' this is. In Germany we have the word "politisches Kabarett". It's a special sort of comedy about politics. And Volker Pispers is one of the best! (Or better say: Was - he's not on tour anymore).
As a German I pay you the greatest respect for messing with our End-Boss Volker Pispers. Sadly he's no longer performing and yet the world needs Pispers like never before. And yes it's POLITICAL SATIRE not comedy. Hard and bitter but so so true.
What he does is in fact not actually comedy but satire. It focuses on criticising social and political issues but does it in a comedic way. It originated in france and became quite popular in Europe
It is called politic satire in German, politische Satire. It is funny and Volker is the best. Absolute well informed and ice cold accurate cutting into the ugly truth of all the criminals out there and same time headlighting the hipocrysi of the mankind.
4:34 In Germany we differ between Comedy and Kabarett (mostly political satire). Comedy is mostly just entertainment, whereas Kabarett carries a political message and parodies and/or criticises current events. He's a political satirist. Or as Johann König once put it: "The comedian does it only for the money. The Kabarettist does it for monetary benefits." (It's very losely translated from 'Der Komödiant macht es nur fürs Geld. Der Kabarettist tut es des Geldes wegen.' The original doesn't translate well into English because it's a grammar joke.)
Not all subtitling is good. At 7:45 "Volk ohne Lebensraum" (people without space to live in) is referring to Nazi Germany. This is a reason why they did attack the Soviet Union in World War II. They were looking for living space in the East. And this is actually looking for resources being land to cultivate (well, they also were looking for oil and other treasures there). Basically, it means that history somewhat repeats itself, as the NATO justifies some of their out-of-border activities by protecting resources of other people to capitalise on them themselves.
Man, your doing the best you can! And I have great respect for you ! Great work, thank you 🙏🏽 Greetings from Germany, we are all on the same boat. (wich is starting to look more and more like the freaking Titanic!)
You can't do much to change history. You can just prevent it from repeating itself. What you can do, is learn as much as you can, then go engage with others, show them what happened, and engage politically. I don't want to say prefere one party over another, but look carefully at each candidate, hear what they say, listen to it. All of it. Research their history and voting history. Ask them uncomfortable questions and listen to their answers. And then vote accordingly. And remember, you don't look for someone to marry, you are forging a political alliance. That is what we all can do in a democracy. It is in my opinion our right and our obligation. And not only in our respective federal elections, but in all of our elections, down to mayors, county boards, school boards (if you have them) and so on. That is how you change history. Be political and control the politicians. Or others will do it for you.
As a German I can say: The subtitles of these five Pisper videos are very accurate.
Yeah the subtitles are good.
The only thing I would translate different would be
2:57 "komisch" should/could be translated with strange.
It's a German "playing with words" because some words can be used different...
@@robertz3597 I'd say funny is correct as he refers to humour after that. So it was meant as funny / as to laugh about. Strange (=seltsam) would've had a different meaning in this context.
And I also can confirm the translation is very much on point.
I just like to add that, to this day, I am really sad he quit making his shows.
@@brachlandmusic I don't know about this one. People tend to make jokes about thinks they don't understand and find strange.
I would also translate it with strange, but I think funny is also viable.
Exactly
@@brachlandmusic Ambiguity of words is central to comedy, and I'm sure Pispers wanted something ambiguous here. "Odd" or "weird" may be viable translations, too.
13:26 "What am I supposed to do?" Germans are confronted with the same question when dealing with their past and WW2. The answer: You don't need to feel guilty but you need to accept the responsibility to prevent this from happening again. Do whatever you can.
Yes. And one good step is to know. Don't look away. It's painful, I know.
As kids we are taught our ancestors were cruel af. My great grandma lived in that time and could hardly speak about it. Her first husband died in WW2. So she was there and I talked to her. She was very good to me and I loved her. But it disturbed me to this day what happend back then. (Seeing picture, hearing stories.)
Most of us Germans learn this the hard way and we are given the responsibility in the form of remembrance of the victims. It's so important, because it would be much worse if we don't.
You are doing it again lol
Weird comparison. Germany completely changed after WWII. The US never changed anything, they keep going like this.
@@u.p.1038 Sadly that makes sense though. Winners rarely need to self reflect, they won after all. Why change? We won right?
Humans gonna human...
@@maximotion2316 doing what again?
This is NOT plain COMEDY. It's satire. This is "over-presenting facts and truth" in a very very smart way, that the grotesque truth becomes a somehow funny. Because it's hard to believe that people did not see it themselves and need to be reminded. It's more like laughing about our own stupidity. And Pispers is a MASTER on holding up a mirror for us, to laugh to our own stupid faces.
he is, he is.
and its VERY sarcastic
thats why leaders want to avoid comedy, satire and theatre
sehr gut ausgedrückt, schade das er aufgehört hat, würde ihn heute gern zur lage hören :D
@@Ich8in ohja
I never get tired of Americans discovering Volker Pispers.
And I like that no one ever knows how to pronounce his name. That the V in Volker is pronounced like an F. 😅
a german song by die ärzte says:
"es ist nicht deine schuld, dass die welt ist, wie sie ist /
es wär nur deine schuld wenn sie so bleibt"
"it's not your fault, that the world is how it is /
it would only be your fault, if it stays like this"
Am Deutschen Wesen soll die Welt genesen!
Ist schon öfter schief gegangen. Am besten jeder kümmert sich erstmal um seinen scheiß, anstatt irgendwo auf der Welt den Leuten zu erzählen was gut und richtig ist!
I am a German, living in L.A. since 2020. I like your videos. This program from Volker is pure fire. I saw him years ago on stage. Every word he says is right.
When the news fails, it falls upon the comedians to hold politicians to account. The legendary Jon Stewart used to do the same in the US.
Absolute right
But a lot he does not say is right as well, though not on his agenda.
The subtitles are actually pretty well done! There will always be something thats getting lost when translated...but this right here is really good. They did a great job by keeping the translation simple enough to get the joke and keep the pace with his talking.
Seeing young American people like you realising the truth and furthermore agreeing to it, even when it is told in a style like this, awakens hope that mankind is not yet lost! Thanks for taking the time to watch this great master mind of "German Kabarett". That's what this kind of comedy is called. I guess there is no real translation for this. The closest translation I can think of might be something like "political comedy". It's a real big pity that Volker Pispers decided to end his career a few years ago. 😢
todays public would call him right wing and thats the real shame
Man for a young American (JP) your maturity and understanding of the real world is just so inspiring. Thank you from an old jaded Aussie dude.
It`s sad and funny at the same time! Volker Pispers is amazing. This stage performance is old, but still relevant. Thank you for your comment. Heartly greetings from germany! 😅😉✌
Hey bro, I'm really appreciating, that you looking this critical show and be so honest to accept the truth behind the words. You, as a critical, informed person, recovers my view on the Americans, thanks.
Also we, as Germans, have get confronted with some uncomfortable truth.
Regards from Germany
Stephan
Dear Jps. Volker Pispers was the best ever political comedian germany had. I felt so sorry, when he retired in 2021, after pausing the 5 years before. Everything he said was so true that people, especially the intellectuals, loved to visit his stage performance. There never will be a person like him and that is really sad. Greetings from germany.
"He is on fire in this video"
This was actually totally normal Pispers. He was always this good.
He didn't even make a new program every year or so he just continuously updated his ongoing program and toured with this for over 20 years.
In my opinion he and Georg Schramm were the best german political "Kabarett" ever had.
There is a reason for Volker calling President Bush "Daddy" - he is taking about the father of George W. Bush who was president during that time.
Sure 😅 but J.W. Bush Senior is the normal way to Adress that
@@geheimeWeltregierung Of course but that's way less funny :D
The translations are very well done. Right on spot. 100% accurate.
All informational content is translated. There is no issue there. Where the subtitles come short is in the subtext. Some of it can be picked up by the way Volker talks but it can be difficult at times when he leans to much into the dry humor. In the end the subtitles are absolutely fine. You may miss a quip or two but those are just for comedic purposes anyway as far as I can say.
No it's not, the translation is very good but not 100% accurate.
This form of entertainment has a long tradition in Germany (east and west). It was well established decades before we even knew what "comedy" or "stand up comedy" was. One, two or a group of people are talking or singing about political issues. It dealt mostly with the politicians and the politics of our own country. Today there is mostly "stand up comedy" and sketch comedy about non political subjects. But there are a few "survivors".
Would love to hear the survivors that you have in mind.
@@loonator1995Urban Priol is another one who is still active
@@loonator1995 Actually I meant him (Volker Pisper) and some other groups or individuals even though I was not sure if he is still active since the video is quite old. But in Berlin there is still the "Distel". It is a famous institution where they play political cabaret for 70 years now.
10:15 Thats a sign you are "enjoying" satire and not comedy. The initial laugh and following it, the realisation that you laughed about horrible stuff.
Thats what I love about (especially german) satire. Its so dark, yet incredibly informative. There are some with even darker humour, although their programms can be way longer and revolve a lot around german stuff. Also there are no eng subbed versions of those shows yet.
Naturally some of the translations are a bit rough because some jokes simply don't translate into English. But overall they are good!
He's not ripping into anyone, he's just telling how it is. We are so indoctrinated, we have completely lost view of the bigger picture.
And that is nothing but sad.
Still your reaction is one of the best, you don't simply laugh about the joke, you understnd the background. Thanks again!
Oh no. No one could and should ever tell you, that it is your duty to change history :) Every nation has some bad history. It would be hypocritical for them to say that. Some even learned from them. But as you've beautifully said: It is our duty to learn - and in my opinion - to take off those rose-tinted glasses, and to make every effort, that those bad things never happen again.
And no other country in the world is forced to look in the mirror, than we germans. Be lucky, that you Americans are nevertheless allowed to be proud of your country. We Germans are not allowed to do this. Not because of you or other countrys, but because of leftist etc. in our own country.
@@margretalbrecht95 Ich find Patriotismus ja albern aber wenn du ne Deutsche Flagge in deinem Schrebergarten fliegen willst hält dich doch keiner auf, wenn du bei Pegida mitrennst oder mit der AfD deinen rechten Opferkomplex auslebst sieht das halt anders aus aber auch das ist nur harter Widerspruch und keine Unterdrückung auch wenn diese Kreise das immer gerne so darstellen und taktlose Nordkorea vergleiche ziehen, keiner Unterdrückt die nur n großer Teil der Gessellschaft hat einfach keinen Bock auf diesen Menschenfeindlichen Neo liberalen Schwachsinn
@@margretalbrecht95We just give the leftist in our country the middle finger
What's the need to be "proud" of your country? You can like it anyway, you can enjoy living in it.
But being "proud"? For stuff you didn't do and didn't control or influence? Stuff that happened decades and centuries before even your parents were born?
Plus that statement isn't even true, no one is forbidding you to be proud of your country even in Germany. It's just frowned upon because it all to often is done by people who love to use their pride to deminish other people, pretend they are better than others for no other reason than the place of their birth.@@margretalbrecht95
@@margretalbrecht95 You are allowed to be proud of germany, we bad leftis just think its stupid to be.
You as an American can only be open and aware of other perspectives - That is already so much!
The nice thing is that you think about your history. You ask what you can do as a single person. "Don't be part of it" when a new war will be started based on lie. Peace.
2:00 "Papa Bush" does translate to "Daddy Bush" quite literally. All in all the subtitles in this are pretty accurate, as far as I can tell.
edit: 9:48 okay, nevermind :D
You don't laugh because it's funny, you laugh at the truth. And the truth is so horrible and bleak, laughter is just an outlet for the felt horror. As well as some people laugh in absolute panic
This word for this style of „humour“ is Cabaret / Kabarett and it is super common in the upper classes in Germany! Literally ever bigger city (20.000 inhabitants and more) had a cabaret theater. 😊
No....
I already wrote that here but I have to repeat myself.
English "Cabaret" is not German "Kabarett"
"Cabaret" in English = "A stage with girls dancing + singing while wearing a top hat + suspender belts + a feather boa"...basically a mixture of "Burlesques + Musical"
Watch the movie "Moulin Rouge" = that is "Cabaret" in English and just solely that.
"Kabarett" = in English "political Satire"
@@michaelgrabner8977 who said I used the English word? :O Cabaret is French, Kabarett is German - I just wanted to present both versions that are used.
@@lovelyisabelle2028 C´mon seriously? You must think I´m an idiot by now insulting my intelligence. I feel now a little tiny bit offended by your response = in German "Ich fühle mich jetzt von dir ein wenig verarscht"
The French meaning of "Cabaret" is exactly the same as like as in English = describing a "Girls Sing+Dance Revue" -- both have nothing to do with the German meaning of "Kabarett" = "political satire".
Sorry Dear Lovely Isabelle , but your attempt to outsmart/bluff it out now doesn´t work at all because "cabaret" if in "French" or in "English" is simply a wrong translation for "political satire" or for what Pispers is doing on stage, respectively..You actuallly just "presented" nonsense.
By the way why do you think is the "Cabaret movie" titeled "Moulin Rouge" refering to the French établissement "Moulin Rouge" famous for their female topless dancers and why is the 70ties Oscar movie with Liza Minelli + Robert DeNiro titeled "Cabaret" when there is in both movies not in the slightest to find a single "political satire" scene but just "Singing and Dancing Girls in light costumes"?(both US movies so "topless girls" was no option)
The last paragraph question was just rhetorical to proof a point and needs no answer.
@@noobdernoobder6707 It doesn´t matter the French meaning of "cabaret" in context to an artform is the same as like as in English anyway = "Girl´s Sing+ Dance Revue"
The root meaning in French for the term "cabaret" is actually just "little stage" in a club enviroment = "Kleinkunstbühne" in contrast to a "big theatre stage"
And guess what "those girl dancers" + "political satire" happens on a "little stage" in a club enviroment = "Kleinkunstbühne" and that´s why the Germans say "Kabarett" for "political satire" because it happens on the "Kleinkunstbühne" = "Kabarett"
And so do the English + the French for their "dancing Girls", because those are dancing on the "Kleinkunstbühne" = "cabaret"
@@michaelgrabner8977 are you done now? Do you want me to cancel my comment all together!? I just told you that these ARE BOTH THE VERSIONS that are used in Germany - I did not say that people anywhere else in the World might have different meanings to certain words. I just said that people use both spellings when talking about Kabarett. That's all. Nothing more or less. And I am not trying to outsmart someone. But instead of really reading my comment and acknowledging the content you straightup keep on and insult me. So go on with being how you are but don''t be surprised when people get offended by your words.
Exactly thats what u can do,being open minded, try to tell it to your family,friends and you children.
The only thing you can do as an American is vote for different parties and candidates. Every 3rd party vote is worth 1000 Dem/Rep votes in pressure value.
Not when they cheat
Or leave the country and move somewhere more peaceful.
Nah, every vote on a 3rd party candidate is wasted thanks to the stupid "the winner takes it all" principle. If Trump would split the GOP for good, that would help the DEMs, but if open minded people who would never vote for the GOP anyway vote for 3rd party candidates, it only means go vote for GOP/Trump.
The German constitution dictates that every election must be universal, equal, free, direct and secret. US electrion only fulfil 2 out of these 5 principles (free and secret). The US constitution was great when it was created, but parts are quite outdated by today's standards.
The thing with all this is, it is not about america. It's about how the world works at the moment. We germans are in an other position than the americans, but the reasoning in our politics shares so many not so nice things. We are important. We need resources. Everything should work like we want it. It shows in so many things. And while Volker Pispers talks here about american politics he always mentions we do the same. Fighting for freedom, human rights and so on and when you take a closer look it's all about our interests, our greed and our apathy concerning problems that have no consequence for us.
Volker Pispers does 'political cabaret', it's hard, satire punchlines. And in some cases connected to a message.
It's called "political cabaret" in Germany; generally I guess they call it satire: bitter truths delivered in a way it makes you laugh. A great American artist that did similar work to VPs is George Carlin. Check him out!
@@Michael_from_EU_GermanyWe Germans borrowed the word 'cabaret' from the French and made it into Kabarett, which is what Volker is doing, political criticism through the lens of wit and comedy.
@@broetchenahoi6524
I like your reaction! Volker Pispers is one of our best "comedians". He was incredible funny and dark-humoured and you learn something on top. Sadly he retires a few years ago. I am very happy i got the oppotunity to see him live even once. Greetings from germany.
i am german and the translation is pretty accurate. i love the reactions of americans to volker. he´s one of the best. i like that people (not only americans) get to know that germans, who are always known for not having humor, have a lot of it. greetz and keep it up
Congratulations! Really a good choice! I'm from Germany. Hope you will have a good time here! I really like watching this video, because it is very interesting for me to see how an american reacts to this german comedian. Thank you!
Volker Pispers is a great cabaret artist in Germany who unfortunately no longer performs. Sometimes you need someone to explain the world to you and no one could do that as well as he did. Germans don't hate America, but the way America sees the world should not be the policy of Europe.
Thank you for watching this.
It is called "political satire" - it shows you how obscure politics is.
Hi,
the translation is marvelous for a german native speaker.
When I have to translate the subtitle back to german it results mostly in exact the same german words Volker used.
This is a very fine work,
at the point and feeded with some extra information, for example "Who was Edmund Stoiber?"; "A3 = a german Autobahn" ...
But sometimes it's not tranlateable cause he's creating german words including names: "gemerkelt" instead of "gemerkt".
In connection this means "noticed" but there is also a part of a name included. In this case "Angela Merkel", germ. cancelor 2005-2021.
So Junge, und jetzt mal wieder zurück an die Arbeit, Du hast noch drei Teile vor Dir.
Dann noch den "Mittermeier" und die ganzen Folgen von "Die Anstalt"!
Grüße über den Teich.
I like your reactions! Cheers from Germany.
what he does is political cabaret, but you can also call it political satire - the word you were looking for is: Metaphors - drawing up parallels scenarios; such as the one with Klitschko going after a 3 year old
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany no and Yes... yes Theo use the wrong translation for Kaberett it is Not the same like Cabaret. But hat the same Source. Yes i understand what he and sou like to sad.
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany scuse me? i didn't say "cabaret" i said "political cabaret" - unless you got some weird imagination of a bunch of girls doing expressive dancing about political subjects I would gander it to be quite clear...
First of all: RESPECT to you and your open-mindness to watch this here with us "in public" together. Than secondly and I say this especially regarding to Volker's words about a "superficial anti-Americanism": we germans still see us very much on your (USA) side and do like your country or way of living BUT as you maybe know out of own privte friendship relationships: not all the things they do represents a 100% your own point of view and it's always kind of heavy/hard to criticise possible misbehaviours to a friend. ;-) last but not least: the subtitle translations are very good and transport Volker's intentions from my point of view perfectly in to the english language.
The subtitles aren't bad. Riddled with typos at times, but fairly accurate, and they even get a lot of the slang expressions and idioms surprisingly well.
Agreed. I spotted a few word-for-word translations, but overall it's pretty accurate.
Is the world I live in. Greetings from Tyrol/Austria
im becoming a big fan of this channel and i love volker pispers for a long time!
lovely greets to you all and best wishes to this channel!
The translation “Daddy Bush” is absolutely correct. Some jokes he’s telling you cannot translate.
One example: the german letter “ü” is sometimes written as “ue”, especially if someone misses a german keyboard.
Pispers is talking about intellectual people, in german “Intellektuelle”. It’s pronounced similar to the englisch pronunciation, but Pispers pronounces this word as if it was written with a “ü”. To pronounce ironically the word “intellectual” in a wrong way, this is somehow funny, at least in my ears. His jokes are a real firework of intelligence. Unfortunately, he is retired now. But one day I had the chance to discuss with him after a show for 15mins - it was quite interesting.
Thank you for this video - to see how you understand it.
love your content. been w8ing for an american to check out volker pispers forever.
Pispers himself has commented on people comparing his stuff to comedy. Roughly translated (from memory, I'm not sure which part of his programs it's from, so it'd take me too long to search for):
"I don't feel any more threatened by the comedy boom than your favourite restaurant is threatened by the sale of dog food. Don't get me wrong, there is some really good dog food! And if you like it..." 🤣
unfortunately he hasn't performed since 2014. He was one of our best political cabaret artists.
Honestly, kudos to you for letting in this perspective. None of us civilians made the decisions Volker talks about here, that much is clear. But by seeking more than the most conveniently available resources of information; by learning even uncomfortable truths, you are already doing a lot 🙌
I really love your channel. And I’d never have expected to find an American guy presenting Volker Pispers who’s not only a comedian but what german call “Kabarettist”. There are only very few people like him. He analyses politics I a way you can laugh about it but it’s also absolutely mind blowing.
Thank you for this one, I wished there were more people like you.
Brother been seeing a few of your videos, think its really cool you are looking outside the box and not allowing your reality to dictate your opinions! Its not an easy thing to do!
Im portuguese and grew up listening to George Carlin, changed my way of seeing life and politics. I really relate both of their work with the diference that Volker is an historian and shows it, Carlin is a poet :) Thanks for the content!!
(btw about your question he says Daddy Bush because iff Bush sr in acse you didnt realise)
Im a German speaking English as well as German and rhe subtitles are really good translated.
Basically word for word exactly.
Way better than most professional translations in TV are done!
I remember watching and loving these videos almost 20 years ago when I was a teenager in Germany. Kinda funny to see them go viral in America now. But funny in a good way. :)
Morning Joel, I'm liking these videos a lot. His style, especially on religeon remnds me of the Irish comedian Dave Allen, I think you've reacted to some of his videos in the past. It's that quick fire style that takes an issue and turns it on it's head to show the ridiculusness of it, showing a problem through the looking glass like Alice in Wonderland.
Don't let thigs get to you though, you are looking outside of what might be the US bubble so you know that things can be thought about differently and can be done differently, and to be fair to the US other places have their own little bubbles too where people trundle along and never question anything. Just keep doing what your'e doing, looking around you and taking an interest.
Thanks
👍👍
Nice to see you following up.
Volker Pispers is to the point. I am really glad I got to see him in a show.
I was an exchange student in the Chicago suburbs and remember how a teacher at school talked about Saddam Hussein like 'we're the good ones, the people in Iraq don't realize we're the good ones'... oh dear. Tho in US History they did teach about how the Native Americans were treated.
Thanks for being so open-minded! I think we all need to be humble and question the way things are being presented to us.
JP cannot understand everything, for that he would have to be very familiar with politics and society in Germany. The show is also over 15 years old. I would be very surprised if someone as young as JP knew what was current world politics at the time. But JP is critical of US foreign policy assessments, and that's important. He is open and willing to listen. That's worth a lot and is a huge plus for JP.
PS.: I hope that there will be a video with his little brother again.
Most Germans wouldn't understand all of the contemporary remarks either.
Brilliant reaction Video!
You asked what you can do: Try to get into politics and change things for the better.
That's finally all that we need to do.
Even more pressing, nowadays...
At least for reflecting germans it is relatively common to see, where things are going wrong and what issues need improvement - that's, what our history told us to do. But on the other hand, this degree of awareness sometimes gets haunting and tends to produce a feeling of powerlessness in the face of sheer ignorance and selfish behaviour. Currently it is the 35% voter's approval for the AfD in Saxony. No one with conscience and common sense would ever vote for those right radicals/neoliberal hardliners. Even more paradox, since a lot of their potential supportes would undisputable suffer from their economic and social policies. A madness, that is even more insane regarding the fact, that Hitler was voted in 'the office' in 1933 and did not gain power by a coup.
German here, i can confirm that the subtitles are on point! Good to see american reacts with an open mind
It is political satire, sometimes also called "political cabaret".
It is more serious than other styles of comedy, since it is at its core meant to be more than just entertainment. It wants to maka a point. And it generates humor out of observing what it and pointing to the contradictions, bigotry, frustrations and absurdity that national or international politics and cultural relations bring.
This guy really reminds me of George Carlin, the way he wraps serious topics into funny metaphors
What can you do?
Vote! And vote sensibly!
Cheers from Switzerland
He's just amazing!
And you are a very reflective person! If things go on in the world like they do at the moment, it would be nice to find a place in the world where the few remaining reflective people can just get together and establish their nation .. ok, I'm dreaming and it probably wouldn't be a great idea but sometimes this kind of dream is all that keeps me from despair.
his humor style is called "irony of life" .... we all laugh at things that we do every day .... and also think it's normal
Hey Bro!
U totally dig it!
Love from Nürnberg
That's true, when I was in the Bundeswehr in 1983 we were told that in an emergency the Bundeswehr was only there to stop the enemy until the real soldiers came, the British and the Americans. We thought that was funny because we regularly made the Americans and Brits look stupid at exercises. German diesel submarines have regularly broken through the allegedly insurmountable rings around American aircraft carriers and sunk them! A diesel-electric submarine once surfaced alongside the aircraft carrier Enterprise.
What Pispers did was called "investigative political comedy". (By the way, the letter V is pronounced like F in German, so his first name is pronounced Folker).
Except for really special sayings or expressions the translation is REALLY GOOD and accurate! By the way, he's called "Folker", the German V is spoken like an F. =)
Nice react vid again! Thanks man!
His type of "Stand up" is called "Polical Kabarette" ... its a special kind of comedy....you have the feeling you learn something along the line about past and present times. He is "High end lvl"
You cant trust Google translate i guess... Kabarett = "Cabaret" ?@@Michael_from_EU_Germany
The sub-titles look very good, as far as I can tell. Some phrases are have a somewhat different connotation ("Papa Bush" - "Daddy Bush"), but nothing falsified that I've seen so far.
The subtitles are so accurate even in miles. And yeah he did say daddy bush
In Germany we distinguish between Comedy (based on jokes, meant to make you laugh, to entertain, everyday topic) and Kabarett (meant to make you think in a funny way about politics).
The translation is pretty accurate to be honest....some things may not make sense because of a local reference but other than that is a good translation
Is this fun? No
Is it funny? Hell, yes.
That's what makes good political cabaret. Take some pretty disastrous things, be very satirical right up to cynical about it, then somehow make people dissociate the horrible with the funny to get them to think about it. Because nobody likes to think about horrible things on their own. But when you can have a giggle or even a good laugh about something you normally would be crying about, THEN you can start to do some critical thinking.
That's what Pispers excels at. Few people even come close. Others may make you laugh more, but Pispers makes you laugh AND think. That's talent for me.
You sum it up in a great way. What can one as a single person do? Kern and tell. Spread knowledge. Spreads change.
Hey mate, the algorithm brought me here. Kudos to your videos and open mind towards Europe. Volker Pispers is a great guy who is roasting us Germans in the same way and yes, truth hurts. One thing to learn though: He is called "Volker", pronounce it like "Fokker" with an L, not like "woke" :D thanks and keep on going!
In Germany we call what people like Pispers do as 'Politisches Kabarett' (difficult to translate but satire with a more fact based approach could fit). I think it's a German thing and only scarcely seen in other countries. Pispers once said about the relationship between comedy and 'Kabarett' that it is like the relationship between dog food and a three star restaurant.
i`m from Germany and I like it to see an American, who can laugh about his own country (Government). Verry smart host aswell.
His style is Political Cabaret, an "underground" form of comedy but more political and fact based, seasoned with dark humour
His style is sarcastic. Love it.
Pispers is THE BADASS. He's truly a legend over here in germany. Politicians literally fear his appearances.
Because there is enough said about Pispers and Germany related stuff already, i just want you to know that you're doing great so far. Keep going and best regards from Germany.
The translation is pretty accurate. It's satire. Every single word is important and meant exactly that way!
i like that you have a healthy scepticism without disregarding it. from what i know, he does not say anything untrue - but of course, given the format, there is a lot of oversimplification going on, reality is more nuanced. what he does is outlining the events and breaking them down into simple language and thoughts, that's even a main part of the humor. and he is amazing at that. if we want an accurate debate over complicated conflicts, cabaret is not the place where to look. with this kind of speech you can ridicule everyone, luckily volker pispers' moral compass seems to be well adjusted.
The word u are looking for at minute 4:45 is 'Kabaret'. Its a form of comedy in German speaking countries.
In Austria this style is even harsher.
His kind of humour reminds me of two of your own comedians, George Carlin and Bill Hicks.
Congratulation to your neutral-mindedness! Not very many US-Americans that I know would be able to react so relaxed to Volker Pispers's view on reality.
He is creating his energy out of a reframing of the average mass-media-view, concentrating on expressing the contradictions that are often obviously intentionally paralysed by groups that are gaining profits by creating idiocracy.
The subtitles are very accurate. It might be Volker's excessive sharpness that seem to be a bit uncommon.
If you are looking for a wider spectrum of critical looks on the US-American history you should look for the rest of his old performances. Old but Gold !
love your reaction at 13:01 🤣
can't wait to watch your reaction to part 3-5 🤓
The subtitles are pretty accurate. The problem is that they can't give context. Volker is linking this heavily to contemporary German domestic politics and politicians.
But he is doing it on the assumption that his audience knows enough that he does not have to spell it out.
Take the part about Merkel in Part 1. When he cited her saying: "Dictators only understand violence. And I would know I have lived in a dictatorship." The interesting part that every German (at least at the time) would understand is that the GDR was famously overthrown peacefully.
Also many (even young Germans) will have trouble to understand that Merkel was just leader of the oposition at this point in time. And of a opposition party that went to their leadership personell at a fast pace at the time (they all plotted against each other). Point in case even though Merkel was the party leader she was not the lead candidate for chancellor in the election just before Volker did this program (something he is referring to when he mentioned Edmund Stoiber).
So the subtitles are accurate but only in a litteral sense. For the in between stuff you would have to research Germany in the early 2000s or get the perspective of someone who was around and interested enough in politics to remember.
4:30 you were asking 'what' this is. In Germany we have the word "politisches Kabarett". It's a special sort of comedy about politics. And Volker Pispers is one of the best! (Or better say: Was - he's not on tour anymore).
As a German I pay you the greatest respect for messing with our End-Boss Volker Pispers. Sadly he's no longer performing and yet the world needs Pispers like never before. And yes it's POLITICAL SATIRE not comedy. Hard and bitter but so so true.
Volker Pispers is the Best, i miss him on Stage!
What he does is in fact not actually comedy but satire. It focuses on criticising social and political issues but does it in a comedic way. It originated in france and became quite popular in Europe
It is called politic satire in German, politische Satire. It is funny and Volker is the best. Absolute well informed and ice cold accurate cutting into the ugly truth of all the criminals out there and same time headlighting the hipocrysi of the mankind.
The translations are spot on.
Wow, you have my respect for commenting so objectively on German satire against the USA.
4:34 In Germany we differ between Comedy and Kabarett (mostly political satire). Comedy is mostly just entertainment, whereas Kabarett carries a political message and parodies and/or criticises current events.
He's a political satirist.
Or as Johann König once put it: "The comedian does it only for the money. The Kabarettist does it for monetary benefits."
(It's very losely translated from 'Der Komödiant macht es nur fürs Geld. Der Kabarettist tut es des Geldes wegen.' The original doesn't translate well into English because it's a grammar joke.)
Great reactions
Not all subtitling is good. At 7:45 "Volk ohne Lebensraum" (people without space to live in) is referring to Nazi Germany. This is a reason why they did attack the Soviet Union in World War II. They were looking for living space in the East. And this is actually looking for resources being land to cultivate (well, they also were looking for oil and other treasures there). Basically, it means that history somewhat repeats itself, as the NATO justifies some of their out-of-border activities by protecting resources of other people to capitalise on them themselves.
Man, your doing the best you can! And I have great respect for you !
Great work, thank you 🙏🏽
Greetings from Germany, we are all on the same boat.
(wich is starting to look more and more like the freaking Titanic!)
Subtitles are pretty accurate. They do miss some of the particular German choice of words obviously.
You can't do much to change history. You can just prevent it from repeating itself. What you can do, is learn as much as you can, then go engage with others, show them what happened, and engage politically. I don't want to say prefere one party over another, but look carefully at each candidate, hear what they say, listen to it. All of it. Research their history and voting history. Ask them uncomfortable questions and listen to their answers. And then vote accordingly. And remember, you don't look for someone to marry, you are forging a political alliance. That is what we all can do in a democracy. It is in my opinion our right and our obligation. And not only in our respective federal elections, but in all of our elections, down to mayors, county boards, school boards (if you have them) and so on.
That is how you change history. Be political and control the politicians. Or others will do it for you.