Spaßbremse

What's with the bizarre obsession that some Germans have with Indigenous people from North America? Every year, thousands of Germans gather to dress up and play "Indianer"—or at least their imagined, naive stereotype of what it's like to be a First Nations person—complete with appropriated powwow dances, regalia, and living in tipis. On this episode, Ted, Michelle, and Isaac go through some of the...

A short preview of our third premium episode, where Ted, Michelle, and Isaac talk about the Nazi history of three more German companies. To listen to the full episode, support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/spassbremse If you're not able to support us monetarily right now, we totally get it! We'll be back in a few days with another full-length episode for the main podcast feed.

To celebrate (???) the traffic light coalition agreement and Christian Lindner's ascension to Finance Minister, we're unlocking our first Patreon Premium episode, in which Ted and Michelle talk us through Lindner's rise to prominence. We also released an episode on Oct. 31 (15 - Zombie-Ideologien und das Inflationsmonster) in which Ted interviews Dominik Leusder from the London School of Economics...

This week, Michelle ( @shhellgames ) digs into the criminalization of abortion in Germany. In a Spaßbremse first, she interviews two (2!!) fantastic guests — Kate Cahoon ( @katecahoon ) of the Bündnis für sexuelle Selbstbestimmung and Stephanie Schlitt ( @StSchlitt ) of Pro Familia. SIGN THE PETITION TO REPEAL §218 Get involved with the “Weg mit 218” campaign: https://wegmit218.de/ To learn more a...

A short preview of our second premium episode, where Isaac joins Michelle and Ted to talk about the Nazi history of some notable German companies.  To listen to the full episode, support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/spassbremse If you're not able to support us monetarily right now, we totally get it! We'll be back next week with another full-length episode for the main podcast feed.

Just in time for Halloween, an interview about the biggest boogeyman in Germany: inflation! Ted ( @ted_knudsen ) sits down with Dominik Leusder ( @NewLeftEViews ) of the London School of Economics and economic policy think-tank Dezernat Zukunft to talk about what the aftermath of last month's German elections means for German politics, economics, and the European Union. This episode ties together...

A short preview of our first premium bonus episode, where Michelle and Ted talk about one of the most exciting, innovative, and dynamisch people in German politics: the one and only Christian Lindner, leader of the FDP and likely next German finance minister. To listen to the full episode, support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/spassbremse If you're not able to support us monetarily right now, we...

It's Tee trinken time! Hosts Michelle ( @shhellgames ) and Ted ( @ted_knudsen ) are joined by producer Isaac ( @wuermann ) and friend of the pod Alice ( @aalicerrose ) to talk about Germans' bizarre obsession with alternative medicines such as homeopathy and anthroposophy.  The articles referenced on this episode are:  - Homeopathy doesn't work. So why do so many Germans believe in it? b...

What's behind Die Linke's abysmal 4.9% result in Germany's latest federal election? Michelle ( @shhellgames ) and Ted ( @ted_knudsen ) conduct their own post-mortem with Alex Brentler ( @full_enjoyment ) and Loren Balhorn ( @fraubalhorn ) from Jacobin Germany.  Sources: Alex Brentler with an election post-mortem for Die Linke Loren Balhorn on Die Linke's lack of pre-election strategy Quinn Sl...

After recovering from their election night hangovers, Spaßbremse hosts Michelle (@shhellgames) and Ted (@ted_knudsen) sit down with Julia (@KMarxiana), Nick (@sternburgpapi) and Ciarán (@ciarandold) from Corner Späti to hash out the results. Why did die Linke do so poorly? Will Christian Lindner finally become finance minister? Will your Deutsche Wohnen-owned apartment be socialized as soon as the...

Hosts Michelle ( @shhellgames ) and Ted ( @ted_knudsen ) are joined by Spaßbremse producer Isaac ( @wuermann ) to go over the final polls and debates before tomorrow's election.  Join us tomorrow to watch the results! We'll be hanging out with our friends from the Corner Späti podcast at Donau115 in Neukölln from 17:30. Apparently there will be prizes! For more info, check out the Facebook ev...

Ted ( @ted_knudsen ) and Michelle ( @shhellgames ) sit down with Nick ( @sternburgpapi ) and Ciarán ( @ciarandold ) from Corner Späti ( @cornerspaeti ) to break down the major parties in the lead-up to the September 26 elections. Tangents include Armin Laschet's Instagram influencer son and the FDP's bisexual lighting.  Produced by Isaac Würmann ( @wuermann ). On election night we'll be hangi...

If you live in Berlin or have visited the city in the past few months, you've undoubtedly seen the purple and yellow posters of the Deutsche Wohnen & Co. enteignen referendum campaign lining the streets of every Kiez. With the referendum vote coming up in less than two weeks (!!), Spaßbremse co-host Michelle ( @shhellgames ) sits down with campaign organizer Thomas McGath ( @tamcgath ) to disc...

What's with the Schuldenbremse and the Schwarze Null? Ted interviews Philippa Sigl-Glöckner ( @PhilippaSigl ), director of the economic policy think-tank Dezernat Zukunft, about German politicians' aversion to running deficits and how that affects people's lives in Germany and beyond. Following the interview, Ted ( @ted_knudsen ) and Michelle ( @shhellgames ) read a piece by Wolfgang Schäuble publ...

On this episode of Spaßbremse, Michelle ( @shhellgames ) and Ted ( @ted_knudsen ) dive into the myth of Angela Merkel, the so-called "leader of the free world." As we enter into the final month before the Sept. 26 election that will choose her successor, let's talk about how Merkel became such a beloved figure around the world, while at the same time forcing through an austerity agenda, dropping t...

In the final installment of our series of German reunification, Michelle (@shhellgames) and Ted (@ted_knudsen) discuss the ways East Germany continues to be (mis)remembered in popular and political culture. Produced by Isaac Würmann (@wuermann). To read up on some of the finer details discussed in this episode, check out these links: - A Second Life for Socialist Realism by Magdalena Moskalewicz ...

In the third installment of this series, Michelle ( @shhellgames ) and Ted ( @ted_knudsen ) interview American journalist Victor Grossman about his experience defecting to East German in the early 1950s and living through German reunification. Produced by Isaac Würmann ( @wuermann ) with help this week from Tom Wills ( @tomwills ).  To learn more about Victor, check out his two books:  C...

In this second instalment of a three-part series, Michelle ( @shhellgames ) and Ted ( @ted_knudsen ) discuss the economic impacts of Treuhand and the mass privatization of East German enterprises, and challenge the "Aufbau Ost" narrative that positions reunification as the saviour of the East German economy. Stay tuned for the final part of this series, where we'll hear from someone who experience...

Ted (@ted_knudsen) interviews Alex Brentler (@full_enjoyment) of @jacobinmag_de on the recent flooding, the history of climate politics in Germany, the contradictions of the German Greens, and the prospects for a break from the coal-reliant German energy system. Then, Ted and Michelle (@shhellgames) embark on Spaßbreme's first reading series, dissecting a bizarre take on on why emergency warnings...

In this first installment of a three-part series, Michelle ( @shhellgames ) and Ted ( @ted_knudsen ) guide us through the messy months in 1989 and 1990 that resulted in the unified Germany that we know today, and pose the question: Was it really a unification, or rather an annexation? Stay tuned for part two of this series, where we'll hear from someone who experienced this moment in history first...

The first episode of Spaßbremse is here, and Michelle ( @shhellgames ) and Ted ( @ted_knudsen ) are discussing Hartz IV—aka Arbeitslosengeld II—the controversial reforms to unemployment benefits introduced by Gerhard Schröder's SPD-Green coalition government in the early 2000s. Produced by Isaac Würmann ( @wuermann ). Music by Lee Rosevere . Art by Franziska Schneider.  To learn more abo...

Hosts Michelle and Ted tell us about what to expect on Spaßbremse, including a fair share of gripes about how Germany is portrayed in English-language media.  Music by Lee Rosevere .