Corruption or just a little favour for the voters?

Clientelism invaded every part of Irish politics and is therefore a real danger for the democracy on the island. 

Money Tree, cartoon: politics.ie

Clientelism means that politicians build up a sizable and stable body of people they have some obligations to. These people are the so called clientele. The politicians would contact their clientele during the election time and remind them of the work they have done. In that way, politicians try to build up a reputation in the constituency and create a stable set of people who are going to vote for them.

To understand how clientelism can occur in Ireland you need to have a look at the role the representatives. The Teachta Dálas, TDs, are the elected representatives to the Dáil Éireann what is the lower house of the Irish parliament named Oireachtas. The responsibilities of TDs can be split into their primary role, to work on legislation, and their secondary role, to keep in touch with their local constituency. The secondary role can also be divided into three main functions. First, the role of the local representer includes the attendance of local events. Second, the local promoter advances the interests of the area, e.g. attracting new industries. Third, to advice people, to sort out individual problems or to contact civil service institutions for constituents is called the role of the welfare-officer.

On the one hand, the workload of the welfare-officer is criticised for being very time consuming. On the other hand, politicians believe it is very important for politicians to build up a good reputation to get re-elected. There are two different views on the outcome of the secondary role of the deputies. One side argues for a little outcome because it’s more like an “imaginary patronage” that is supposed to make people believe the TD achieved something for them even though he or she hasn’t. The other side is in favour of a great outcome that contains considerable power, undermines institutions and can be seen as corruption.

Though, it could be argued that it doesn’t matter what actual outcome the work has. The important fact is that people rather contact their elected TDs than civil servants to sort out private matters. In that way the administrative system is undermined and at least the perception of inequality is created.  

The most obvious impact of the clientelism is that the casework reduces the time TDs can spend on their parliamentary duties like legislation and discussing policy. This weakens the Dáils ability to provide scrutiny of the government. Nevertheless, deputies should be able to cover both functions. In 2003 there have been about 12 civil servants per minister to take care of the constituency work.

Even though, TDs might be able to help people getting what they are entitled to the effect on the civil service is a waste of time and money. Therefore, the perception of the political system can be positive in terms of the citizens having the impression there is someone who takes care of their problems. Still, it can have a corrosive effect because the confidence in the administration is injured. The political landscape tends to be centralised with two main parties because many politicians are adopting popular views to win the next elections. This leads to more inner party competition than party unity.

A very important effect is the individualisation of social conflicts. Michael D. Higgins, currently president of Ireland, argues that clientelism “disorganises the poor” and encourages links to TDs instead to people in the same position. Finally, that reinforces social individualism and perpetuates the uneven distribution of resources like wealth and knowledge.

Important politicians like Charles Haughey, Bertie Ahern, Ray Burke and Michael Lowry have all been involved in some controversy about political corruption. Most of the time, the politicians received high payments from individuals what made their political decisions on certain matters questionable. It is very likely that every one of the named above had a well established clientele to back up their actions.  

A different term that can be used to describe the relationship between local politicians and the constituency is brokerage. There the TD is used as a broker to access certain services. In contrast to the clientelism no long lasting relationships or obligations come out of that connection. Some scientists argue that Ireland should try to turn away from clientelism and to more brokerage.

Clientelism can be called corruption and is therefore a real danger for every democracy or the people’s confidence in it. If the social services would improve their efficiency and TDs would start to refer every request to the responsible institution clientelism would be unnecessary. People would be encouraged to become more active and organise themselves. Clientelism fails democracy completely. The expectation someone else is going to fix your problems is undemocratic because it stops people from participating and critical thinking within the system.

Christmas at the sex shop

The recession proves: sex doesn’t sell everything.

The short Mrs. Christmas outfit and the black laced nightie are decorating the store window on the Upper Dominick Street.  David Andrews opened the Laura Jane Adult Shop in Galway two and a half years ago. It has been over 17 years since he started to work in the erotic business in Dublin.

Laura Jane Adult Shop in Galway, Photo: Tanja Goldbecher

Next to the Firewoman, police and school girl costumes a red velvet dress with white feathers attached to it is hung up. “Until the 31^st of October we have the Halloween costumes put up and from the 1^st of November until the end of December it’s Christmas,” explains the owner of shop. It is the middle of November and none of the Christmas themed items have been sold yet.

Sales are down and even suspender underwear in red and white isn’t able to change that. “I don’t foresee any big rush for Christmas,” says David Andrews. “Not many people have money right now,” he adds. “It’s more like secret Santa than Christmas presents.”

“We are the most female friendly of the shops,” says Andrews. The sex shop has very little competition in the city and is located right in the middle of the pub and party area. To specialize on women’s accessories is a new concept of the family business. “Seven out of ten customers are women,” comments the 56 year old owner. Two days a week he employs well trained female staff to have an excellent customer service.

Looking back at the 70s the sex industry has made a huge transformation. “The women’s attitude has changed. They aren’t afraid to come into the shop anymore,” comments Andrews and says he thinks women are more independent and at ease these days. He even refers to the TV series `Sex and the city´ as an impulse for demanding female desires.

Most of the items that are sold are sexy underwear and toys for women. The bright range of choices makes that quite obvious. Andrews points at the blue rabbit vibrator with two big teeth on the side as the most popular product of its type.  

A big red sign at the entrance indicates no one under the age of 18 is welcome in this shop. That is a self-regulation the shop has imposed to itself. The father of six believes a certain age is necessary to understand the equipment of a sex shop and asks customers for their ID if necessary. Even if he could increase sales Andrews wouldn’t lower the age limit.

The Laura Jane Shop is constantly trying to develop its business. Buying lots of its products in China is a way to reduce the prices for them. “It’s exactly the same product, just not branded,” states Andrews. “With €20 you can leave with two or three items,” he predicts, and adds that this wouldn’t have been possible before. Nevertheless, the shop guarantees to be 100 per cent Irish because of the two retail outlets in Ireland. The Laura Jane homepage even offers online shopping and has widened its range of products to club and footwear. In its self-description the shop claims to be “not intimidating and overpowering” like other sex shops but instead “bright, welcoming and comfortable”.

The Laura Jane Adult Shop was a founding member of the Irish Adult Shop Association in 2003. Unfortunately, nothing that indicates the existence of the association or other members can be found on the internet.

Three times Andrews has been to the biggest erotic trade show Venus in Berlin to look for new ideas and contacts in the industry. Venus is the biggest erotic exhibition worldwide with a broad entertainment program and the Venus awards. Since 1997 the event takes place at the Messegelände in Westberlin every year in October. In 2006 the Venus trade show even exhibited in Shanghai and Paris. After three trips to Germany David Andrews meets the same people every time and therefore hasn’t planned to go again.

Apart from underwear, costumes and toys the shop offers magazines and DVDs in the back. The number of sales isn’t high in that area either because of the availability of erotic movies on the internet. Nevertheless, the shop owner wouldn’t change the nature of his work. Andrews is convinced: “There will always be a market.”

Occupation of Galway City

It has been two weeks since the first tents were put up in the city centre of Galway to join the global Wall Street protests and many more followed.

Ocupation Camp at Eyre Square in Galway, Photo: Tanja Goldbecher

From work to the protest camp on Eyre Square and back to work. This is what Daniel Rusek does during the week. “I waited 28 years for the global revolution,” he says and places himself in one of the camping chairs in the kitchen tent. Last Saturday Daniel Rusek cycled by the occupation camp on Eyre Square when he decided to stay there. “I just asked if I could put up a tent here,” and that is exactly what he did. With a polish background Daniel Rusek travelled to Galway five years ago and began working for the ISS Company. When asked how he manages to work and protest at the same time he says: “I’m tired because I can’t sleep because drunken people around here try to attack us”. Nevertheless, he wants to continue with the occupation. The 28 year old believes this is the beginning of a revolution and says “camping life is solidarity”. 

Protest Camp, Photo: Tanja Goldbecher

 Two weeks ago, only four or five tents were put up at the occupation. Until now the camp has developed to 20 constant protesters and a growing community. For Michael Linden it is also the first protest he participates in. “I protest for something I believe in. I don’t protest for the sake of protest,” says the former GTI student. The 20 year old wants the government to listen to the people and support a global movement. “I don’t have a definite time,” he answers to the question for how long he is planning to stay at the occupation. All of the protesters have this reply in common.

The people living at the occupation camp spend their days with building tents, constructing facilities, creating and putting up posters and discussing the aims of the movement. The group even organized a security night shift to make sure no damage is made to the site. Pallets and cardboard underneath the tents protect against the cold stony ground. Gas stoves were brought to the improvised cooking spot to heat up water and food. Little things are added to the protest camp every day and local people are supportive with handing over groceries. In front of the camp a small stage is erected to provide a space for public speakers and musicians. As this is Ireland, canopies for the rain are very important.   

Protest Signs, Photo: Tanja Goldbecher

“We have had amazing talks with people who have been completely against the idea,” says Liam Heffernan who has been part of the occupation since it started. “We want to show the people that they can be empowered when they awake from government propaganda,” he claims and expresses the aims of the protest in that way. The Galway collective has been in contact with the Dublin, Cork and Waterford groups and see this as “a great way for all people’s worries and griefs to get community support”. He says it is about the people realizing that they “have a choice”.

While the New Yorker occupation movement reports the current happenings via live stream, camps in Ireland or Germany transferred the protest to a global dimension. “Fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations over the democratic process,” is the self-representation of the movement on the occupywallst.org homepage. They accuse the financial district of being responsible for the economic crisis and got inspired by the Arab spring. With the slogan: “We are 99 per cent,” the protesters want to show how only the richest one per cent of the people are ruling the financial market and in that way politics, too. The resistance movement supports collective decision making and a participatory democracy in the occupation camps. The group wants to inspire all different people of the world to create a “people’s assembly” in their local community and set up guidelines for it.

Sign at the Protest Camp, Photo: Tanja Goldbecher

As the weather gets colder, the more difficult the camping life is going to be. That’s the point of the protest: to resist even under hard conditions until the government is paying attention to the movement and takes its claims seriously. “We might put it up to a public vote if we should stay or not,” says Liam Heffernan to the prospect of the Christmas market put up on Eyre Square. While the public broadcaster RTÉ covered stories about protests in Egypt, Yemen or Portugal, the Irish city occupations remain mostly unreported. Even though, the occupying groups are growing and the protests continue.

Der internationale Protest

Der Berliner Verein Interbrigadas unterstützt Venezuelas Widerstand auf dem Weltmarkt. 

 Venezuela befindet sich im Protest- gegen die dominierende Rolle der Industrienationen und für den Aufbau einer solidarischen Volkswirtschaft. 2001 stellte der venezolanische Präsident Hugo Cháves die Bolivarianische Allianz für die Völker unseres Amerika (ALBA) vor, welche die Wirtschaftsbeziehungen innerhalb Lateinamerikas und der Karibik stärken sollte. Dieses Bündnis wurde als  Alternative zum geplanten Freihandelsabkommen der USA entwickelt, um die Länder Lateinamerikas gleichermaßen von Nordamerika und Europa politisch und wirtschaftlich unabhängig zu machen. Derzeit befinden sich jedoch erst acht Länder in der Allianz. Die außenpolitischen Beziehungen von Venezuela zu den USA haben sich dementsprechend verschlechtert, aber auch mit Mexiko, Peru und Kolumbien treten Differenzen auf.

Simón Bolívar, Foto: Anika Mahla

 Dem Protest schließt sich der von berliner Jugendlichen gegründete Verein Interbrigadas an. Im Sommer 2006 fuhren David Wende und Boris Bojilov zum ersten Mal nach Venezuela, um einen kulturellen und politischen Austausch vor Ort zu organisieren. Sie entschieden sich nach Venezuela zu reisen, weil beide vor allem in diesem lateinamerikanischen Land die Veränderungsprozesse in der Politik beobachten wollten. In den folgenden Jahren schlossen sich immer wieder Gruppen von Gleichgesinnten zusammen, um den Kontinent zu bereisen und die politischen Umstrukturierungen vor Ort zu unterstützen.

Der Verein verbindet junge Menschen aus verschiedenen Ländern miteinander, um in Venezuela unkommerzielle Projektarbeit in kleinen Gemeinden zu veranstalten. Dabei soll den Teilnehmern die Möglichkeit gegeben werden durch eigene  Erfahrungen im Ausland die politischen Vorgänge im internationalen Kontext kennenzulernen.  

Interbrigadas Gruppenbild 2010, Foto: Anika Mahla

 Durch die Zusammenarbeit mit der venezolanischen Bevölkerung konnte sich der Verein besser organisieren und weitere Kontakte aufbauen. Eine Unterkunft fanden die Vereinsmitglieder meistens in den Gemeinden selbst. In den Barrios auf den Berghängen, welches die sozialschwächeren Bezirke in Caracas sind, bezogen sie für mehrere Monate einen einfachen Raum. Jeder einzelne erlebte dadurch die Lebensrealität der ärmeren Bevölkerungsschichten in Venezuela. Sie waren erstaunt mit welcher Herzlichkeit sie Jahr für Jahr von den gleichen Menschen begrüßt wurden. 

30 Personen aus Deutschland, Argentinien und Venezuela  bildeten in diesem Jahr eine feste Gruppe zur Projektarbeit. Von Anfang August bis Mitte Oktober teilte sich die Arbeit der Gruppe auf die Hauptstadt Caracas und die Küstenstadt Cumaná auf. An beiden Orten wurden kostenlose Kurse, wie beispielsweise Englisch, politische Bildung, Theater oder auch das Mitgestalten von Wandbildern in Zusammenarbeit mit der ansässigen Kommune angeboten. Im Vordergrund von allen Kursen stand das gegenseitige voneinander Lernen.  Felix Wiesner, der mittlerweile zwei Mal mit Interbrigadas in Venezuela war, betont: „ Uns geht es darum in den direkten Austausch mit den Gemeinden  in Venezuela zu treten und zu verstehen warum sich derzeit so viele Menschen für Verbesserungen in ihrem Viertel engagieren.“

Barrio 23, Armenvirtel in Caracas, Foto: Anika Mahla

Obwohl die Vereinsmitglieder Venezuelas Bemühungen ein gerechteres Wirtschaftssystem aufzubauen befürworten, äußern sie Kritik an der aktuellen Politik des Landes. „Es braucht viel Zeit eine Gesellschaft zu verändern, die sich über Jahrzehnte an Korruption und Kriminalität gewöhnt hat.“ sagt David Wende.

Die verschiedenen Gruppen besuchten besetzte Fabriken und setzten sich mit den Beschäftigungsverhältnissen der Arbeiter auseinander. In Gesprächen berichteten die streikenden Arbeiter über mehrmonatige Lohnausfälle. Um Druck auf den Fabrikbesitzer auszuüben, wurde die Arbeit in der Fabrik eingestellt und seitdem für eine Nachzahlung gekämpft. Für die Mitglieder von Interbrigadas entstand der Eindruck, dass Werte wie gute Arbeitsbedingungen vor der reinen Produktivität standen und von dem Staat Freiräume für diesen inneren Protest geschaffen wurden. 

Englischkurs in der Küstenstadt Cumaná, Foto Anika Mahla

 Für Jonas Holldack, welcher in diesem Jahr die Leitung der Gruppe in Caracas übernommen hatte, überwiegen dennoch die positiven Errungenschaften seit 1998 Hugo Chávez zum Präsidenten gewählt wurde. „Wir konnten selbst mit den Bürgern und Gemeinden über den Weg zu einer sozialistischen Gesellschaftsform sprechen und uns somit eine eigene Meinung bilden“, berichtet Holldack. 

 Allerdings ist der internationale Protest in Venezuela keineswegs unumstritten. Während der eine Teil der Gesellschaft Chávez und den angestrebten Sozialimus des 21. Jahrhunderts verteufelt, sind vor allem ärmere Bevölkerungsschichten über die Verstaatlichung der Erdölindustrie und die daraus resultierende bessere soziale Sicherung dankbar. Die Gesellschaft spaltet sich in Oppositions- oder Regierungsanhänger, andere politische Meinungen gibt es kaum. Aber alle sind sich darin einig, dass es vor Chávez nur wenig Interesse an der Politik im Land gab.

Wandbild für Autoglasfabric in Barcelona, Foto: Anika Mahla

Interbrigadas will mit der Freiwilligenarbeit auch weiterhin Venezuelas Versuche eine alternative Wirtschafts- und Regierungsform aufzubauen unterstützen. Derzeit wird in Caracas ein Internationales Haus errichtet, welches ein fester Standort für politische Bildungsarbeit werden soll. In Berlin verstärkt sich ebenfalls die Vereinsarbeit, um den internationalen Austausch zu befördern. So ist im Sommer 2011 ein zweimonatiges Straßenprojekt in Berlin geplant, wozu auch Künstler aus Lateinamerika eingeladen werden.

Wie sich der Protest in Lateinamerika entwickeln wird, bleibt nicht nur für Interbrigadas, sondern auch für das gesamte Weltwirtschaftssystem ein spannender Prozess. 

Hiking in Ireland

Sometimes hiking can be like walking through a river. When it is pouring down on you the wind makes sure the raindrops creep into every single inch of your clothes. The fields are flooded and so are you. After some time, you reach a point where you care less about the drizzle. You are soaked anyhow. Who is troubled by a little stream when you are floating in you hiking boots? Who thinks about the mud when you are sliding down on it anyway? By the way, the label waterproof on your boots can be very useful. It keeps you from loosing any of your careful collected natural water. Waterproof jackets and pants turn out to be “temporarily waterproof”.

The Burren, Couty Clare, Foto: Tanja Golbecher

You want to be fond of the rain. You just don’t understand why there has to bee so much of it at once. When you dare to look up from your hood you see the green hills covered with mosses and tiny mountain plants. Black faced sheep jump over fences made out of rocks and on the west coast a glimpse of the ocean is easy to catch. Only fog may keep you looking at the ground for confident steps.

There are some lovely sunny days up in the Irish mountains.  Well, there are properly more rainy and cloudy days. All of that doesn’t really matter when you are at home resting on your couch. You are tired but still feel very good. It has been a day in the countryside, an alternative to your daily work, a day with many deep breaths. The exhaustion becomes a relief and a way to experience the limits of your body. Plus, you can be surprised how flexible those limits are when you need to get back to civilization and to a hot drink in the closest pub.

Presidency: a matter of importance?

Damian, 32, originally from Clare and now studying in Galway hasn’t decided yet for whom he is going to vote on the 27^th October. It doesn’t matter to him if the candidate belongs to a party or not, even though he wouldn’t give his vote to a candidate from Fianna Fal. The undergraduate math student doesn’t believe the President should have more influence on current politics but represent the people in public affairs.

At this moment there are five candidates competing for the position. Michael D. Higgins is the candidate from the Labour Party and used to be a TD for the Galway West constituency. Gay Mitchell is in the race for Fine Gael and is a Member of the European Parliament for the Dublin constituency since 2004. Martin McGuinness is a Sinn Féin politician and the current deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. Mary Davis, a social entrepreneur, and Seán Gallagher, founder of the company Smarthomes, are both independent candidates.

Changes are made so quickly in this race. McGuinness turned out to be the Sinn Féin candidate even though he said a few days ago he won’t be nominated at all. David Norris might come back into politics if he gets at least twenty votes of the serving members of the Oireachtas. All this shifting around can be confusing for the average voter. 

The Irish presidential Candidates in the 2011 elections, Foto: irishcentral.com

Nevertheless, the second term of the current President Mary McAleese has come to an end and it’s time for the Irish people to think about a new candidate they wish to be the head of state. Compared to other countries, e.g. Germany, the president is elected directly by the people in Ireland. The benefits of that electoral system could be a higher interest in the election or a better representation of the people by the candidate. The politicians have to connect with the people and impress them with their personality rather than politics of the party. What impact does it have in reality? Should the president have a greater influence on politics? What do the students in the university think about the presidency in this country?

A reformation of the presidency is on the agenda for many. One of the older proposals is to introduce a constructive vote of no confidence system in the Dáil like it is set in Germany. In that way the parliament could elect a new President in case of distrust and the President would lose the power to refuse dissolutions made by the Dáil.

Though, it is controversial if the Irish people would like to change anything in their governmental system. Brian, 21, from Galway wouldn’t support a reformation because he is convinced the operation of the presidency is good as it is. He considers the president as an important model for the people and stabilizer for the state. The personality of the candidate is decisive for the student of public and social policy. Though, he hasn’t made up his mind for what candidate he is going to vote.

In 2009 the Sunday Independent conducted a poll concerning the presidential election and found out a significant number of people felt that the presidency is a waste of money. Dominique, 19, shares this point of view. The art student from Donegal thinks that the role of the presidency is politically redundant on the national level. Nonetheless, she admits the president’s importance for the international representation of the country. She was very pleased with the work Mary McAleese has done in the last years because she improved foreign affairs and fought for women’s rights. Dominique is in favour for independent candidates and is properly going to vote for Gallagher.  

Voters in Galway seem to be happy with the work McAleese has done. They supported the improved relationships to the UK and hoped the new president would continue with that work in the foreign affairs. McAleese, who was born in Belfast, was the first President to have come from both Northern Ireland and the Province of Ulster.

Another interesting fact is that none of the interviewees would have liked the president to have more influence on the actual politics. Until now the presidency is largely a ceremonial office what means that the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute discretion. Appointing the Government and the judiciary or signing bills into law are examples for the tasks the Irish head of states needs to meet.

Several female students didn’t want to comment on the presidential election explaining they weren’t “up to date in politics” at all or haven’t formed an opinion about the upcoming election. Even though there have been two women Presidents in succession in Ireland.

That leads to the question if the presidential election in Ireland has achieved greater importance than in other countries. The conducted poll for this article is not representative enough to answer that question appropriately. However, it indicates that the importance of the election might not be as high as hoped even though it is up to people to choose the president. It is going to be interesting to have a look at the poll and the number of participation afterwards.  

Der Floh steckt im Design

Er will kein Geschäftsmann sein. Marcus Hof steht auf einer gefrorenen Pappe und blickt fröstelnd hinter dem Tisch seines Verkaufsstands hervor. In den Handschuh steckt er eine kleine Schatulle, welche durch einen brennenden Kohlestab im Inneren seine Hände für ein paar Minuten erwärmt. Gemessene minus fünf, aber gefühlte minus 15 Grand wehen über den Flohmarkt am Mauerpark.

Im Berliner Szeneviertel Prenzlauer Berg fällt Neuschnee und verdeckt damit den gelbbrauen Schlamm auf dem Gehweg. Doch weder die Gefahr auf nasse Füße, noch stehengebliebene S- und U-Bahnen können die Touristen vom Lonely Planet Highlight abhalten- ein Besuch auf dem Mauerpark Flohmarkt. Nach Trödel müssen sie auf diesem Markt allerdings etwas suchen. Hinter Designer Taschen, bedruckten T-Shirts, fabrikneuen Stulpen und importierten Filzhausschuhen, tauchen ein paar Stände auf, die alte Schraubenschlüssel oder Platten aus den 60ern anpreisen. Für Anne Npora besteht genau darin die Besonderheit des Flohmarkts. Er gibt Jungdesignern die Gelegenheit ihre Werke zu präsentieren und diese dann auch direkt auf dem Markt zu verkaufen. Sie selbst hat ihren eigenen Laden verloren. Seitdem steht sie hier und verkauft Socken, die sie am Vortag beim Großmarkt eingekauft hat. 

Marcus Hof, Foto: Andresas Wohlgemut

Zu den angehenden Designern zählt sich Marcus Hof nicht, obwohl er mit dem Verkauf seiner bedruckten T-Shirts durchaus als solcher abgestempelt werden könnte. Zuhause entwirft er die Muster, welche er dann selbst mit Hilfe des Flexdrucks auf Kleidung und Beutel anbringt. Jeden Sonntag des Jahres verkauft er diese meistens an Touristen, im Sommer schwitzend, im Winter bibbernd. Marcus kann davon leben, einen anderen Zuverdienst hat er nicht. „Ich wollte keinen Vorgesetzten haben“, sagt der gebürtige Kölner. Nachdem er das Diplom in Bio-Chemie geschafft hatte, sprang er von der Karriereleiter ab und widmete sich dem Gestalten von Textildesigns. Nun ist er sein eigener Chef und bestimmt ganz allein, wann und wie viel er arbeitet.

Aus einer durchsichtigen Box holt er die nach Größe und Muster sortierten Shirts raus und hängt sie am Rahmen des Standes an. Während er auf seinem Platz hin und her wippt, vernebelt ihm der Atem die Sicht. Marcus blinzelt aufmerksam nach links und rechts, solange bis die nächsten Kunden vor ihm stehen bleiben. Wenig später schlurfen sie weiter durch die geordneten Gänge des Flohmarkts. „Heute läuft es nicht so gut“, sagt der 30-jährige Stammhändler. Im Sommer sei es viel voller und er verkaufe wesentlich mehr als im Winter. Von neun Uhr morgens bis sechs Uhr Abends verbringt er die Zeit auf dem Markt, ohne dabei eine Pause einzulegen. Endlich tauchen zwei Spanierinnen mit gezücktem Portemonnaie auf. Alba Moreno kauft das das T-Shirt mit Marcus` entworfenen Pusteblumen, und ihre Freundin Maria entscheidet sich für das Grammophon, aus welchem rote Schmetterlinge flattern. „Ich musste noch nie so viel Englisch sprechen, wie hier auf diesem Markt“, merkt Marcus an und wirft dabei den beiden Kundinnen ein Grinsen hinterher.

Marcus Hof, Foto: Andreas Wohlgemut

Ein älterer Händler, der schon seit sechs Jahren die Veränderung des Mauerparks beobachtet, bedauert, dass der Flohmarkt seinen Charakter durch die Professionalität verloren hat. Mehr Quantität, statt Qualität treibe den Mainstream und den Andrang der Touristen voran. Er selbst biegt  Draht in die Form eines Namens. Seinen will er hingegen nicht verraten, „man weiß ja nie, Überwachungsstaat und so.“

Gleich am Eingang des Flohmarkts sitzt das Ehepaar Finn in Decken gehüllt auf zwei Campingstühlen. Vor sich haben sie auf einem Holztisch kleine Puppen, Stulpen und Strickmützen ausgebreitet. Beide sind keine Stammhändler und verkaufen nur zwei Mal im Jahr Selbstgemachtes auf dem Markt. Bis zum Nachmittag haben sie kaum etwas verkauft. „Die Leute wollen am liebsten gar nichts dafür bezahlen“, meint Steven Finn. Außerdem ist Verkaufsoffener Sonntag und somit kein guter Tag für die Hobbyverkäufer.  

Marcus träumt davon sein Label Bedeckdich bekannt zu machen, um bald mehr über das Internet verkaufen zu können. Er stellt sich den Flohmarkt als Sprungbrett vor, mit dem er im Moment überleben kann. Irgendwann möchte er nur noch gestalten und anderen das Kaufmännischen überlassen.

Zurück an Marcus Stand sucht die 24-jährige Engländerin Emily Gilbert ein Weihnachtsgeschenk für ihren Freund in der Heimat. Beim Anblick des T-Shirts mit dem roten Brandenburger Tor und der erhängten Person in der Mitte zeichnet sich ein Schmunzeln in ihrem Gesicht ab. Auf dem grauen Preisschild steht eine 18 geschrieben. Marcus gibt es ihr ganz von allein für 15 Euro. Und das macht er heute schon zum dritten Mal so. Er fühlt sich selbst als Künstler, als jemand, der etwas anderes probiert um Erfolg zu haben.   

Generation Media

Spending half of her day in a café, she takes little sips of her latte and pretends to be insanely busy staring at the screen of her Mac book. What she is really doing is checking her e-mails every five minutes and looking for new friends on facebook. She is the embodiment of the generation media, at least according to Florian Schröder. 

When he was only 14 years old, Florian Schröder stood on stage for the first time giving examples of the jokes he usually entertained his class mates with. After high school, he toured through Germany with three fellow comedians putting up improvised cabaret shows until he began to work for the public radio station SWR in Freiburg. On the road to success Schröder came up with his first solo program which was called: you want it, too! In 2008, the artist started his first TV-show in public of television acting out live cabaret. He became famous for his way of presenting political satire, in particular for his gestures while imitating well known politicians, e.g. the chancellor Angela Merkel.

Florian Schroeder, Foto: www.siwikultur.de

In his show Generation Media, the artist criticizes not only young people`s mania with today´s media, but also the overall disorientation of the Bachelor graduates who prefer to study a media related subject instead of looking out for their own interests. Earsplitting, Schröder screams the word Bachelor over and over again into the crowd, comparing Germany´s education system to McDonalds and the food being served there: “it`s fatty, but you never get full”. 

Upon receiving their bachelor degrees, there are only two options for the future. Either they decide to earn more money as a lower qualified but convinced management consultant, or they call themselves “creatives” who stumble from one “project” to another barely making enough money to live on. In Schröder`s opinion, these so called “creatives” ply their dreadful trades in big cities like Berlin, Munich or Hamburg while calmly searching their troubled minds for ideas for their next screenplays. Subsequent to more of these elaborations, he draws a line to the beginning of the show. Where are those creative brains going to work on their next project? Of course in a café, with a latte, the Mac and the following twitter message: nothing has changed.

Florian Schröder tells stories about young people who don`t know what to do with their lives, who are not sure about themselves or their professional prospectives. Only one thing seems to be certain: it must have something to do with media. He explores what kinds of difficulties a world full of permanent information might contain in the process of growing up. “This generation is looking for security and backing up into privacy is their answer to it”, explains the cabaret artist after his show. In his opinion the problem is extending itself in the mixture of the necessity to be online all the time and the escape of the real and maybe precarious life situation.

Running up and down the stage Schröder tries to demonstrate how youngsters are taking pictures of themselves with their high tech mobile phone camera. Energetic he blurts out: “We are only rotating around ourselves!” The habit of self focusing is merely a sign for a helpless generation which is devastated to find a sense and place in life. You cannot avoid getting in touch with the media. Its influence on our daily lives is obvious.

Even though Schröder has a good point in criticizing the generation media, you cannot forget how important independent and accessible media institutions are for a functioning democracy. In addition, there are enough graduates who find a job upon receiving their degrees. Just imagine all of them sitting in cafés writing screenplays! Besides, many young people know how to use media sources properly and consider it starting point of opinion making and a platform of exchange.

With his successful show Generation Media, Florian Schröder makes the audience laugh and applaud. Ironically, he obviously forgets that he could be perceived as one of those very”creatives” he is making fun of. Dealing critically with certain aspects of society in the form of a cabaret show is the way Schröder chose to make a living of. Instead of drawing back into the private and safe sphere of home and using the media as the gateway to the world, he opts to put himself out there on stage in order to reach out for people and feed them information. Charismatically, with irony and a well developed line of thought, he proves to be successful in this business. If he has truly discovered a way of counteracting or merely reflects an inexorable development of society, is a question that remains in the open. After all, he is using the same media he exhibited in his show, by creating a profile on facebook and posting similar jokes on his wall.