Ich bin ein Klingon*
- At September 15, 2004
- By Bob Howe
- In Blog Posts
10
The BBC headline “German radio starts Klingon service” caught my eye this morning:
The German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) is celebrating 10 years of its online service by adding a new language to the 30 it already publishes – Klingon.
I have to admit that my first reaction was: Uh-oh. How long before we start hearing about the Romulan Corridor, and the mistreated Klingon minority on Beta Eridani? How do you say Ein Folk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer! in Klingon? (Check with the Klingon Language Institute if it really matters to you.)
But as it so rarely happens, the better angles of my nature asserted themselves. The more I thought about it, the more I believe this is A Good Thing (
To extend the ecological metaphor, intellectually speaking, our country is an environmental disaster area. The keystone species, physicists and engineers, are on the decline. PBS, a bellwether for the nation’s intellectual health, has dumbed down its lineup with the execrable History Detectives and various historical reality shows, such as Frontier House. The current president of the United States is the poster child for anti-intellectualism: his administration has suppressed or distorted the scientific analyses of federal agencies to bring these results in line with administration policy.
There will be the predictable blats of derision from media pundits over the Klingon Language Service. News anchors, some of whom should know better, will make the same tired, arch comments about Star Trek fans. Meanwhile, most Americans know more about Paris the parasitic socialite than Paris the City of Light, and care more about NASCAR than NASA. It’s enough to make me wish I, too, was a Berliner.
steelbrassnwood
I guess it’s a more encouraging indicator than reality programming (or the right-wing talk shows PBS has been starting lately) but I think my reaction is probably to blat some predictable derision. And I say that as someone who, as a Tolkein-obsessed teenager, learned to write the Tengwar. Aren’t there enough real languages to learn?
(Of course, at least Europeans KNOW a few other languages, unlike most Americans including me…)
Interesting background on the JFK quote. I didn’t know that.
Anonymous
Dammit…here’s another cool story I can’t use anymore. Next thing you’ll tell me is that Hitler had TWO testicles!
Bill
mckitterick
Thanks for reinforcing the notion that “intellectually speaking, our country is an environmental disaster area.” Just when I was feeling hopeful about things — well, personal ntellectual things, anyhoo — you go and remind me that I live in a country, half of whom support the retard-in-thief.
Chris
admin
Aren’t there enough real languages to learn?
Of course, but that’s exactly my point: it’s healthy that people and organizations can pursue minor intellectual exercises that don’t have any obvious utility. It’s enjoyable. Life is full of things we SHOULD be doing, but sometimes we choose to do things that satisfy us for their own sake, like playing the harp.
About the JFK quote, Bill Mason and our classmates heard the legend from our anal-retentive German teacher, and we went around repeating it for years. It’s interesting that we learned the “jelly doughnut” story from the professor who was a native English speaker, rather than the German-born professor.
admin
Heh heh. Brings to mind the old Boy Scout song: “Goebbels, he had one big ball…” See my response to Ken, above.
admin
Sorry, Chief. I just calls ’em as I sees ’em. But congratulations on the sudden interest in your novels: I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you.
steelbrassnwood
…but sometimes we choose to do things that satisfy us for their own sake, like playing the harp.
OK, that’s fair! Although it fails to recognize that my leisure pursuits are deeply significant unlike all those other people. (And ultimately, pretty much everything outside the 4 F’s is leisure.)
But I do see your point that we’re fortunate to be able to spend our time doing things like that and not just fighting/fleeing/feeding/fucking.
Also, given European football-fan behavior and the rise in racist and anti-Semitic groups in many western European nations, I don’t think the U.S. always comes out on the bad end of the comparison. I mean, we have enough sense not to watch Jerry Lewis, and we knew there were much better things to do with Matthias Hohner’s harmonicas than play polkas on them…
couscous1021
I agree with the assessment of your “better nature” ( and happy to see him or her make an appearance, by the way). CNN pointed out that the Bible has already been translated into Klingon, which means that the language has to be a complete entity at least on a rudimentary scale. At least.
With that said, why not? its a publicity move for sure, but not the worst we’ve seen by far.
How would you feel about it if Star Trek didn’t have a 25+ year history, and had been critically and popularly shunned?
PS- Here I am, falling into your trap with this icon. Happy now? )
admin
… my leisure pursuits are deeply significant unlike all those other people.
*laughing*
Yes, you are special. To your other point: It’s not a competition to the bottom of the barrel. Yes, there are dull-witted right-wing loonies in Europe—vicious anti-semites and rule Britannia bullyboys; what they lack is our ingrained anti-intellectualism. Europe and Great Britain (and Canada, for that matter) hold learning in higher esteem, and a higher percentage of the population is reasonably educated, even if a lower percentage of Europeans attend college. And let’s not club the French too hard for Jerry Lewis when our home-grown dullards are held rapt by Fear Factor, Oprah, Paris Hilton, the New York Post, and the World Wrestling Federation.
admin
Yes, I heard about the Klingon Bible. Makes you wonder how they translate the Sermon on the Mount, doesn’t it? Blessed are the peacemakers, until we rip out their gall bladders and use them to flavor our barbecued ribs.
How would you feel about it if Star Trek didn’t have a 25+ year history, and had been critically and popularly shunned?
Oh, I don’t know that it would make a difference to me; it might even lend the enterprise more cachet.
Did you catch Martha’s self-pitying press conference last night, by the way? “I’m going to miss my dogs…” Yeah, I’m going to miss my lunch in a second.