Hitler Still Bad, Press Reveals

From DW-World.de:

A publishing house in Berlin has released a card game featuring 32 dictators, including Adolf Hitler. The creators wanted to make an ironic statement about the tyrants but not everyone appreciates the joke.

The game, called Das Fuehrer Quartett, is based on a popular German children’s card game called Quartett, but with a difference. In the traditional game, the cards feature cars or flowers or even beer brands, which players try to collect from their opponents. In this new version, the cards present pictures and information on notorious historical figures such as Joseph Stalin, Francisco Franco and Adolf Hitler.

“We didn’t really have a clear political idea in mind with the game,” said Volker Oppmann of Onkel & Onkel, the Berlin-based publishing house behind the deck. “But we did want to take away some of the power that these figures still have. When you can laugh at them, you don’t fear them as much.”

My skeptical eyebrow (the right one, if you care to know) rose at this line because it’s hard to imagine someone laughing at Hitler simply because he’s pictured on a playing card. “My word, Heinrich, have you ever seen something so ludicrous? Hitler is pictured on a game component! Oh, and here’s Mengele on a package of gum! And Goebbels on a beach towel!” Please.

That said, I’m always astounded that the media will stir the pots that publishers present them in order to garner publicity for their creations. And now look what happened – I did it, too. To see images from the game and find out what else Oppmann had to say, read the complete article on DW-World.de.

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Thanks for the info, Eric. But I did not care to click on the link, as you already said all that need to be sad, eh, said… Posted by Richard van Vugt on Jul 24, 2008 at 03:05 AM | #

Since the cards don’t glorify the dictators and they present historical facts about them, I have no problem with this.  I understand the potential sensitivities with a Hitler card in a German game, but here’s a case where the public can vote with their wallets.  Since the game is popular and far from sensationalist, I’d say people aren’t being too offended and the publisher judged the mood of their audience correctly. Posted by Larry Levy on Jul 24, 2008 at 09:51 AM | #

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