Some history:
Berlin – Metropolis of Vice: Part 1
Berlin – Metropolis of Vice: Part 2
What people leave out of the Weimar experience and IMO its foundation is the lack of men – killed in the war. We are doing something similar with our divorce laws. And our drug war on the Black Community.
And the 60s? Similar. Look up the M/F ratios.
When there are not enough men you get loose women. Culture dives when the M/F ratio is out of whack.
Update: If you are familiar with the work of William Burroughs you can see the influence of the Weimar Berlin experience on his work. Particularly Naked Lunch and the character AJ with his purple assed baboon. Probably a take off on Anita Berber.
Lotte Lenya in English
At the suggestion of Kathy in the comments I’m adding the following:
At the suggestion of Jccarlton in the comments I’m adding Ella in Berlin:
Comments
9 responses to “The Weimar Experience”
Munich not berlin was nazi’s starting point and adolf liked boys and girls like his niece ava was much later and other factors not loose women alowed hitler to steal power as he lost election to hindenberg!
If you want to investigate something investigate the effect of police informants, as that was what hitler was when he was ordered by police to join nazi party, to take over group they are informing on it is a long list!
I’m sorry. NO ONE did Mack the Knife like The Master
That said, I think you are right about “loose women” – when we have no choice, we take what we can get. Men are romantics; women are pragmatists.
Uh. The discussion (from my point of view) was how M/F ratios affect culture.
The Nazis used culture (and its presumed defects) in their rise to power.
What, no Ella?
I like each version in its own way, and I bow to no one as far as appreciation of Louis, but I still think Bobby Darin’s version is the best. Some moments are just perfect, and the miracle of recorded sound is that we get to keep a few of them.
Back on topic, one would think that this will be a self-correcting problem. People tend to seek their own balance. Women will likely start to avoid college if men show it’s unnecessary. But then I recall the Augustinian laws–I’m not sure Roman culture ever did recover from the degenerate Late Republican period. Which is very likely what made Christianity such a draw for them in the late Empire.
We seem to be going along a Weimar path right now:
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130624-will-men-wear-skirts-and-lace
From Free Republic with lots of interesting comments:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3052435/posts?page=51
Jccarlton,
First – nice to see you here.
Second – our social conservative friends have exacerbated the problem with their draconian laws against vice. They are working against their own ends.
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Wonderful post!