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The German National Colors Stand for Democracy and Freedom
People say that Rammstein displays symbols associated with militarism and Nazism in their performances, because they are proud to be German and want to show their true German national identity. However, they do not seem to display the most well-known symbols of German identity. That is, the German flag and the national colors (black/red/gold) and other icons of the historic German struggle for freedom and democracy.
Unfortunately, Germans suffered for many centuries under the rule of often very cruel despots. Germans have written songs before that can have more than one meaning as Rammstein does today. The song below, “Die Gedanken sind frei”, can be interpreted to have a “secret” meaing. It is a unique 700 year-old protest song and it can be interpreted as being “secret” criticism of oppressive rulers. For that reason it was sometimes banned in parts of Germany during turbulent times, such as the Peasant Rebelion (Bauernkrieg) of the 16th Century and during the reign of the Nazis. Pete Seeger recorded it in his album “Dangerous Songs”.
Georg Büchner also wrote (with a clear meaning) about oppression of ordinary Germans in Der Hessiche Landbote in 1834. The video clip below shows German citizens rising up to battle the Prussian Reich in the streets of Berlin in 1848 for freedom and democracy. Some people seem to want to believe that the only symbols that can truely represent German national identity are the symbols of some of the worst of the despots and cruel dictators from the past? The symbols of democracy, tolerance and freedom, such as the Paulskirche in Frankfurt are also strong German national symbols, and they represent a much more positive national identity than that that Rammstein projects. Of course, Rammstein does not want to project anything positive, they want to project “dark” and “evil” images and represent themselves as the true representatives of German identity, while their oft times naive young fans enjoy a very strange fantasy of being part of some kind of special Nazi-like movement which re-asserts a harsh German national identity. Behind Rammstein’s dark performances seems to lie dark hearts as well.
It seems very curious that Rammstein likes to claim that they are improving the image of Germany in the World and promoting German culture, when what they actually doing is selling an cheap, ugly, hateful stereotype of Germans. Most Germans would rather reinforce the more humanistic ideas about Germany that are expressed in the video below, rather than the angry, violent, arrogant, intolerant, nihilistic, stereotypical image of Germans that Rammstein is selling to the World. Most Germans would rather go forward towards a free and democratic future than to try to put lipstick on the ugly pig of the intolerance and despotism of times past as Rammstein seems to want to do. Most Germans do not think that Rammstein — with their dark, militaristic tones and frequent allusions to Nazism — represents them or German culture at all. Rammstein does not respect German history, German culture or the German people and certainly not the American people. Rammstein should stop making this foolish claim that they represent Germany or German national identity. Americans and our German friends should join together — not to ban — but to give a giant raspberry (Pups) to Rammstein and other (also several American) bands of their kind with their dark militaristic and evil apocalyptic messages. Too many young people take Rammstein’s silly music seriously.
Es lebe demokratisches Deutschland, aber nieder mit Rammstein!
Die Gedanken sind Frei (Thoughts are Free)
DIE GEDANKEN SIND FREI
Pete Seeger Version. Does not match this German version exactly. (www.songlyrics.com)Die gedanken sind frei
My thoughts freely flower
Die gedanken sind frei
My thoughts give me power
No scholar can map them
No hunter can trap them
No man can deny
Die gedanken sind freiI think as I please
And this gives me pleasure
My conscience decrees
This right I must treasure
My thoughts will not cater
To duke or dictator
No man can deny
Die gedanken sind frei
Tyrants can take me
And throw me in prison
My thoughts will burst forth
Like blossoms in season
Foundations may crumble
And structures may tumble
But free men shall cry
Die gedanken sind frei
No symbol represents German identity better than the Black/Red/Gold colors of the German flag. It can be displayed at soccer games. Why doesn’t Rammstein display the current colors, if they are so proud of their German national identity, and want to show it? This is so, possibly because the colors of the flag have been associated with freedom and democracy since the partially successful, pro-democracy revolution in Germany of 1848. This flag was also the flag of the democratic Weimar Republic, which the Nazis hated and overthrew to set up their murderous dictatorship. Neo-Nazis in Germany sometimes show the current national colors of German Democracy but these thugs and miscreants much prefer to fly the national colors of the Hitler dictatorship and the Prussian Reich.
Rammstein Reveals Their True Colors
However, if you look at the Rammstein Website you do not find the current national colors. You find the principal colors of the website design are Black/White/Red with a kaki brown trim. Black/White/Red were the Nazi “war colors” of Hitler’s Third Reich and earlier of the militaristic Prussian Second Reich. Kaki brown was the color of national socialist storm trooper uniforms, as in the image below. The photos on the Rammstein Website are all in black and white, apparently so as not to distract from this very interesting color scheme that they designed for the website.
Here are the colors of the Rammstein Website, black, white, red and brown:
You can also see the Black/White/Red color scheme of the Third Reich in many of Rammstein’s performances and on album covers. Here are a few examples:
This is from this Rammstein Webpage
dedicated to Adolf Hitler.
Actually, this image was used in a well-know Hitler election poster, although the slogan on the bottom part is missing. Below is the original poster with the slogan – Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer.
Hitler Election Poster
All good leftists — as Rammstein claims to be — have pages dedicated to der Führer in their websites, right? Especially an image which is associated with this particular NAZI election slogan, a slogan that is illegal in Germany now.
Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer!!
In any case, we can see, even the dear Führer loved to wear the Rammstein (Völkerball) colors. Whether this is historical evidence that Adolf Hitler was a Rammstein fan or that the Ramstein members are fans of Adolf Hitler, who can say? All we know for sure is that Hitler liked to exhibit the very same colors of the Third Reich as Rammstein so often does, as the images below demonstrate.
Rammstein Website
Rammstein Logo
Live aus Berlin Album Cover
Lindemann performing
Weisses Fleisch (White Flesh)
Sehnsucht Album
Rammstein Cover
Rammstein Burning Cross
Klansmen Burning Crosses
Some of their performances also have a predominantly storm trooper brown theme, as with the video “Links, zwo, drei, vier”, the marching video. Links is almost entirely done in kaki brown to complement the militaristic theme of the song.
Dancing with Nazis 