GODFATHER' AT MICHIGAN Here's an offer you can't refuse: See the 1972 film classic "The Godfather" at the Michigan Theater. Thursday, Sunday and Monday at 7 p.m., Friday at 97:30, and Saturday at 7 and 10:30 p.m. ARTS Wednesday 9 June 4, 1997 German cultural history key to Hasselhoff's success s~ef. rape: arsil as ltsndf vs ft telt ml S in .,~s,' By Matthew Turner For The Daily Here on Earth, countries are vastly different, from the composition of their populations to their regional history; each country has different neighbors and different enemies, also. If we wish to better understand ourselves as a nation, we must learn why some countries are different from ours - we must unearth their cultural identity, which can often be puzzling to outsiders. For example, many people have been bewildered by Germans' national adoration for American actor and musician David Hasselhoff.But a deeper exploration of these issues shows that the intriguing Hasselhoff phenomenon has its roots itn Germany's cultural history. To begin, consider Germany and the German consciousness leading up to the government of the Third Reich and the horrible stain it left on the German mindset. German cul- ture had reached a high point in the late 18th century. This was an age of brilliant philosophers and amazing musicians: Goethe, Beethoven, Mozart. With respect-to the rest of Europe, the. German-speaking peoples. were at the forefront of culture. Naturally, this statement opens up debate. The iipdrtant thing to remember is that at this time, these were -the people who, in the German mindset, embod- ied what a human should be like and how one should live. They helped to form a standard after which all great gentlemen and ladies should model themselves. This leads us to two men who lived in Germany in the late 19th century, Friedrich Nietzsche and Richard Wagner. Both lived for the great German virtues of steadfast- ness, courage and valor, and they helped to further cultivate what the German identity potentially could be. Wagner spoke of the mythic past of gods and heroes, and the leg- endary roots of the Germans, a noble and powerful people. Nietzsche spoke of the Superman, who would rise and overcome his own humanity to somehow be more of a human, or a better human. However, so as not to place any blame on these fine gentlemen, the cultivation of German virtues spread too far beyond what they had intend- ed, and their ideas culminated in the Third Reich. The ideas of what it meant to be German and what good G er mans were sup- posed to off have done b for the acon of world were twisted into EE 6Ilai l notions of affairs. G e r m a n superiority a n d supremacy. The goodness of humankind, that had so long been exalted, had instead grown twisted and perverse. After the Second World War, when the citizens of Europe were devastat- ed and the entire world was pointing its finger at Germany, what were the Germans to do? They could no longer validate their identity on the' basis of their past culture, since their past had been used to create the monster of the Third Reich. The Germans needed to turn somewhere else for new cultural hope and free- dom. But where? One place that the Germans looked for insight was the up-and- coming United States. Here was a culture just beginning to blossom, and it had plenty of ideas. It is diffi- cult, however, to forget the past entirely and begin with a completely clean slate - there are still remem- bered experiences that act as a filter for the German conscience. This fil- m l ter prevents the Germans from becoming Americans and, converse- ly, does not allow all of America's offspring to enter Germany's collec- tive mindset; this filter allows Germans to be Germans still. But this filter has allowed one man to pass through - and to thrive. This man is David Hasselhoff. An American with a dubious acting career, he has been a total success in Germany. As Americans, we ask: Why'? There are a number of reasons. First, his name is Hasselhoff, a good German one, a name people can IS a2 trust. Yet ie isn't " completely ' ghtfor German - he has American blood in him and talks like an American. Americans are rebellious and whimsical, some- times flippant, which opposes the traditional German virtues of steadfastness, courage, and valor. But Hasselhoff isn't quite a true rebellious, whimsi- cal, and flippant American like Jim Carrey. That kind of American is too much for the Germans. David, how- ever, has a bit of class, Neil Diamond-style. David is the happy medium, cul- turally, that Germans were striving for post-WWII. He has helped the new, unified nation of Germany cul- turally rebuild itself from the depths of an ideological debacle. He has one foot in both the United States and Germany, and is a beacon of light for international affairs, pro- moting international peace through cultural understanding. Regardless of what we, as Americans, think of Hasselhoff's abilities as an actor or musician, we must respect the joy and love he delivers to millions of Germans daily. A. as x l David Hasselhoff has both ardent fans and devoted enemies on the Internet. The web site at http://www.ithaca.edu/shp/shp98/dwiller1/dh.html (top) promotes Hasselhoff's acting talents with a large picture of Hasselhoff in "Baywatch" mode. Another web site, http://www.indirect.com/www/warren/baywatch.htmf (above), takes a different approach, suggesting that Hasselhoff is actually Satan. And a #d, http://camel.conncoll.edu/ccother/sf folder/dh96/dh96.html (bottom left), advocates Hasselhoff's potential to be the leader of the free world. Regardless of what his true identity really is, Hasselhoff looks ready to break many hearts on the cover of his self-titled CD (bottom right).