ABC News: Racist German Army Clip Targets N.Y. Blacks

[voivod]

Jackson and Sharpton are sure to board a plane to Germany...

April 15, 2007 — A televised cell phone video clip of a German army instructor ordering a solder to envision African Americans from New York's Bronx borough as he fires a machine gun and yells obscenities during a military training session is igniting outrage in Europe and America.

"You are in the Bronx," says the instructor. "Three African-Americans … are insulting your mother in the worst ways."

A laugh can be heard on the recording.

The instructor adds, "Before each shot, I want to hear a 'motherf——-.'"

As gunfire begins, a soldier is heard, in English, saying what he was told to say.

The German Defense Department issued the following statement to ABC News: "The German Army takes this incident, which has been under investigation since January 2007, as very serious, and we will take appropriate measures. We take this to be a single case and we're fully of aware of the negative implications."

The cell phone video first appeared on a German Internet site, then on German TV, and around the world. It is still running on the Internet.

A German TV reporter who covers the military told ABC News that parts of American popular culture may be largely to blame for the racist behavior of the German soldiers.

"There are quite a lot of [American] B movies or hip-hop songs where black people, Afro Americans, are portrayed as gangsters, are portrayed as criminals," said Carsten Lueb of the German NTV network. "Some people here in Germany they take it for real, not knowing that is completely wrong."

American civil rights lawyer Connie Rice told ABC News: "Nowadays, what you say gets preserved forever, and it gets played over and over and over again in the echo chamber."

That's perhaps why a video from Germany has sparked outrage in the Bronx section of New York City.

"Part of it, I think, is ignorance, maybe stupidity, lack of knowledge," said Bronx resident Keith Nantun. "That's what I believe more than anything else — because people in their right mind wouldn't normally say derogatory things."

Another Bronx resident, Bob Grant, said, with some sarcasm: "Nice to see racism is alive and well. Kind of goes back to what we dealt with Don Imus. You know, his comments were ignorant, slanderous, sexist, racist."

That, of course was a reference to the American radio talk show host recently fired for the following racial slur against the Rutgers women's basketball team after it nearly won the U.S. collegiate championship: "Those are some nappy-headed hos, I can tell you that."

As Americans debate who has the right to say what in the wake of the Imus controversy this weekend, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama criticized some Black hip-hop entertainers for "degrading their sisters" when they refer to African American women in negative terms. He spoke of a "coarsening of the culture" that helps create the environment in which Imus made his racist remark.

And now a German video has angered even more people.

"It's a shame," said Bronx resident Myra Bellamy. "We haven't moved forward. If anything we're moving backwards."

[ZeoBandit]

What the hell is wrong with the world these days?

[JasonG5150]

I see the nazi's still run that place.

[graeme]

Political correctness stops in the forces. It has to. How do you kill if you empathise with everyone?

Had they done this on the street, it would have been a different matter.

In the field? Just soldiers pumping up methinks.

[JasonG5150]

Political correctness stops in the forces. It has to. How do you kill if you empathise with everyone?

Had they done this on the street, it would have been a different matter.

In the field? Just soldiers pumping up methinks.

PC That's just plain wrong brah

[graeme]

PC That's just plain wrong brah

Maybe, but it is what it is. Should Bronx residents be offended because of this.

Damn right.

But now imagine a video of US personnel on exercise and their captain or whatever gets them going with "Imagine some French guy has just grabbed your girl's arse" or "an Arab has just tried to rape your daughter".

Would it be offensive? Yes.

But would it be as offensive to you?

That was my point.

[willy4pres]

Political correctness stops in the forces. It has to. How do you kill if you empathise with everyone?

Had they done this on the street, it would have been a different matter.

In the field? Just soldiers pumping up methinks.

I love it when people who have never served for one second in their entire lives yet think they have a fuck'n clue what it's like. Nice post.

[willy4pres]

Maybe, but it is what it is. Should Bronx residents be offended because of this.

Damn right.

But now imagine a video of US personnel on exercise and their captain or whatever gets them going with "Imagine some French guy has just grabbed your girl's arse" or "an Arab has just tried to rape your daughter".

Would it be offensive? Yes.

But would it be as offensive to you?

That was my point.

Wow, your second post is even more retarded then your first.

Why does Van Halen attract such moronic people?

[graeme]

Wow, your second post is even more retarded then your first.

Why does Van Halen attract such moronic people?

Please enlighten me.

[willy4pres]

Ummm, which part.

Well, I did 14 years in the Marine Corps. I trained under all types of scenario's and I deployed to four different hot spots during the early to mid 90's. Not once did I ever witness any of the crap your speaking of.

People like you watch a few movies and read a couple of books/stories and assume you understand what it's like to serve in the armed forces. If anything military folk are less inclined to believe in or discuss stereotypical bullshit regarding race, mostly because we ACTUALLY interact with people from other countries and cultures. Compared to the salty MOFO's that I served with when I first enlisted (1992) im a light weight. Regardless, I have seen real Africans, real Iranians, real Iraqis, real Hatians, real Italians, etc...

I don't doubt that you could find a few dumbass racist's in the military (any military) but in my experience whatever pre-conceived notions one might have had prior to enlisting are quickly done away with. Meeting people from other countries and cultures will do that.

It also helps you understand their aint no place like home.

[the_atomic_punks_rule]

Ummm, which part.

Well, I did 14 years in the Marine Corps. I trained under all types of scenario's and I deployed to four different hot spots during the early to mid 90's. Not once did I ever witness any of the crap your speaking of.

People like you watch a few movies and read a couple of books/stories and assume you understand what it's like to serve in the armed forces. If anything military folk are less inclined to believe in or discuss stereotypical bullshit regarding race, mostly because we ACTUALLY interact with people from other countries and cultures. Compared to the salty MOFO's that I served with when I first enlisted (1992) im a light weight. Regardless, I have seen real Africans, real Iranians, real Iraqis, real Hatians, real Italians, etc...

I don't doubt that you could find a few dumbass racist's in the military (any military) but in my experience whatever pre-conceived notions one might have had prior to enlisting are quickly done away with. Meeting people from other countries and cultures will do that.

It also helps you understand their aint no place like home.

well said...