Deutsche Freunde: I'm reading a translation of Günther Anders' Die Antiquiertheit des Menschen, which renders "Verbiederung" as "banalization". I like that invention (more on that in a minute) but I'm not sure how true it is to the original. Thoughts?
Here's why I so like the word "banalization": it perfectly captures what the #BrokenTimes and American journalism are doing to Trumpist fascism. Their evil isn't banal (apologies to Arendt) but is being presented as such in our press.
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@jeffjarvis never heard that word before but it reminds me of https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biedermann_und_die_Brandstifter
My German friends, especially on Mastodon, teach me that the word also connotes a sense of making something cozy, chummy. That is precisely what American journalism is doing to the fascists: not merely normalizing but befriending or expecting us all to.
@jeffjarvis schmusen...with the fascists.
@jeffjarvis Das Problem ist das es schon keine gute Übersetzung für "bieder" gibt.
Teilweise wird es mit "conservative" übersetzt, aber das hat im Englischen eine ganz eigene Konotation.
"plain" wird auch manchmal verwendet aber das ists auch nicht wirklich.
Bieder ist ein Komplex aus einfach, bürgerlich, langweilig und altmodisch. Je nach Kontext...
@jeffjarvis What @ipaschke and @dozykraut are possibilities, but banalization could be correct depending on the context. Verbiederung means increasingly becoming bieder, an adjective which can also mean banal.
@jeffjarvis
Going backwards in nostalgic feelings couched in one's private little world?
shrivellizing backwardization ?
@jeffjarvis
My German is not good enough to be helpful, but I find it ironic that DeepL gives “gilding” as the first translation of Verbiederung. Describing US journalism as gilding Trump's fascism is just luscious.
@jeffjarvis The "Biedermann" is a subservient petit bourgeois. So "Verbiederung" is the preparation of a certain school of thought for acceptance by that demographic.
Cozy fascism, so to say ,-)
@dozykraut @jeffjarvis
Along those lines: "sich bei jemandem anbiedern" means to : attempt to clumsily ingratiate yourself or awkwardly trying to gain trust to become acquainted. "Verbiederung" describes how the media tries to get across outrageous events as something perfectly normal that we just need to get used to, like characters from a daily soap.
(Taking inspiration from https://www.gutefrage.net/frage/was-bedeutet-verbiederung - from 13 yrs ago ...)
@dozykraut
Very helpful. Danke.
@jeffjarvis Yes, that's close, but with the connotation that you are content with your own life, mind your own business and don't care about politics.
Think "Don't worry about the Government" by Talking Heads.
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