There is a joke about Claudia Roth that tells a lot about how certain female politicians are treated, how their competence is generally attacked, and how offensive condescension sets the tone: The last film she saw, Claudia Roth mentions it from time to time, was Battleship Potemkin. Here’s how the joke goes. Claudia Roth has been the Minister of Culture for two years. She saw Potemkin at the premiere. Here’s the punchline.
First of all: One does not have to overly like Claudia Roth, not her fluttering, loud style that often talks too much, not the displayed emphasis. One can criticize her for being very hesitant to intervene at last year’s documenta. As if she was surprised that anti-Semitic stereotypes are not just a German privilege, but also widespread in the Global South. Her convoluted way of pushing the Berlinale management to resign aims to avoid political damage, but primarily comes across as cowardly. It is an open door for supporters of her predecessor Dieter Kosslick. For supporters of a management that turned the festival into a banal event over the years.
Bei ihr geht es gleich um Amtsbefähigung
Aus der Parteipolitik hängen Claudia Roth Injurien der Güteklasse „dampfende Gefühlsmaschine“ (Stern) an. Nach der documenta wurden Bilder herausgekramt, wie sie iranischen Politikern die Hand gab – sie sollte in die Nähe des Antisemitismus gerückt werden. Außerdem und immer werden ihr Feminismus vorgeworfen, Mitgliedschaft bei den Grünen, ihr etwas bunteres Frausein. Weil das nicht reicht, geht es um Amtsbefähigung. Um grundsätzliche Mängel.
The conservative author David Brooks recently questioned the concept of wickedness in The Atlantic. His argument is that in American society, people no longer practice how to treat others with consideration. „In our society, more and more people feel they can freely indulge in their selfishness.“ It is worth looking at the United States, as Dorothee Bär, Florian Hahn, and Andreas Scheuer from the CSU recently visited the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. His Christian worldview allows for the deportation of refugees through false promises. He has also initiated the banning of books from school libraries. DeSantis prioritizes personal interests and includes defaming his opponents in his playbook. The three CSU members then tweeted about „collaboration.“
Claudia Roth stellt die Leitung der Berlinale um. Sie muss sich überlegen, wie sie mit der Filmförderung umgeht – einem weitverzweigten System von Interessen, bei dem Fernsehanstalten mitreden, auch mal Produktionen mit Tom Cruise gefördert werden und oft der Eindruck zurückbleibt, dass Wirtschaftsförderung wichtiger ist als künstlerische Aspekte.
And she must navigate the hierarchical connections of her office, which is aligned with her predecessor Monika Grütters. The Ministry of Culture awards 2.14 billion euros per year, including dozens of museums and offices, heritage preservation, the cursed city palace, and a cultural protection law organized by Grütters with various compromises. When this was pushed through, there was an open letter. An art dealer pointed out Grütters‘ falsehoods. When Claudia Roth announced the end of the dual leadership at the Berlinale, there was also an open letter. People from the film industry signed it. Can you guess which one Bild uses as a particle for their culture war campaign?