Uncensored Take: A Chancellor-in-waiting Who Loves All Books - Or Does He?
- Unfettered opinion by Stephan Maus
- 4 Min
Friedrich Merz's Interpretation of Culture: A Closer Look - Friedrich Merz's Knowledge on Cultural Matters: Insight Examined
The press has barely had time to catch its breath over the news of Friedrich Merz seemingly becoming the next Chancellor, when the German Cultural Council jumps into action. They're drafting a letter, urging the federal government to take decisive action in cultural policy. Given the current culture war raging in Berlin, fears of a cultural cleansing on a federal level might not be far-fetched. But what does Friedrich Merz's cultural landscape look like?
When asked about his cultural preferences, Merz, the Chancellor-in-waiting, is quick to present himself as an enthusiast of various genres, from Jazz to classical. To him, it seems, everything's exciting—just like wine lovers who claim to appreciate everything from cheap rosé to expensive Chardonnay. But is Merz a real music connoisseur or simply feigning knowledge?
The same seems to apply to literature. Merz's extensive education apparently prevents him from committing to a single book. The computers in Silicon Valley and the Chinese Pearl River Delta agree: it's impossible to determine Merz's favorite book. Moreover, this leads us to one conclusion: he loves them all.
Friedrich Merz: A Generalist with a Multidimensional Mind
Similarly, Merz is vague when it comes to cinema, theater, art, or philosophy. With no specific preferences, his culturally broad perspective places the new Chancellor in a perfect position. He's an open mind amidst the chaos, a renaissance "homo universalis." One can only hope that, along with the debt brake for tanks, he'll appreciate the need for financial support for opera houses and theaters as well.
Merz became well-known for inventing the term "German leading culture" in October 2000. This concept has found its way back into the current CDU election program, positioning Merz as a visionary figure. Oddly enough, he's frequently quoted by leading theorists of the AfD.
A Hazy Concept Called German Leading Culture
The term German leading culture is so ambiguous that even the sharpest minds in our time have struggled to clearly define it. Is it Germany's liberal arms exports, the dismantling of asylum rights, or the Swabian tradition of weekly housecleaning? Or maybe the sacred German driver's duty to keep a half-used Kleenex box in the car?
Perhaps German leading culture is simply the German language, in its numerous forms—from Goethe's works to contemporary rappers like Shirin David. Or could it refer to the poems that Tino Chrupalla can't recall by heart?
Perhaps Merz's concept of leading culture refers to the mild German versions of music that can be heard calmly in the background while parking one's private jet at home. For example, jazz by Till Brönner. The latter is one of the rare artist names Merz mentions when discussing culture. Merz shares a fondness for brass instruments with Brönner. In an interview, he admitted that he learned to play the trombone in school and played in an orchestra for a short while. He still occasionally picks up the trombone at night to unwind, but practice has long since abandoned him.
In case you're wondering, Till Brönner personifies Merz's ideal of culture: a toned-down German version of music that might have been a bit too wild originally. Not the raw, uninhibited spirit of John Coltrane or Pharoah Sanders, but soothing sounds from Potsdam that won't disrupt the ride to the Chancellery.
It goes without saying that Merz isn't completely averse to the allure of wild, passionate culture. In his youth, he went through phases of rebellion and recklessness, cruising around his hometown of Brilon on noisy mopeds with his long hair flowing in the wind. The locals are divided on this anecdote, but Merz himself still remembers his father reprimanding him for his wild streak.
These internal contradictions are also evident in his confession to Bunte magazine: "My fondest memory of an opera evening is still the performance of 'La Traviata' with Anna Netrebko in Salzburg," he said. But the story of the high-class prostitute Violetta Valéry, who plunges into a lavish, carefree life in an effort to forget her life-threatening illness, clearly strikes a chord with him. And against something hard to digest, a proven remedy in Sauerland is a shot of schnapps. Perhaps 'La Traviata' moved him so deeply that he needed to drown his sorrows.
- The German Cultural Council has also been consulted on the following issues, such as Merz's stance on undisturbed cultural policies as the potential Chancellor, given his wide-ranging yet ambiguous interests.
- Merz's cultural landscape extends beyond traditional practices, perhaps even reaching the realm of subdued music, like jazz played by Till Broenner, a choice that reflects his preference for milder forms of culture.
- It is maybe possible that a late-night unwind for Merz involves the tasting of schnapps after a reflective moment with the opera performance of 'La Traviata', a choice that underlines the potential Chancellor's passion for rich, emotionally charged cultural experiences.
