Comments on: Lars Von Trier: A prankster, not a Nazi

By: Cat

Cat — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 05:51:34 +0000

I can see why people would think that Danes are racists. I mean, a lot of our jokes (if not all) are based on stereotyping race, class and such. In reality, as it was said earlier, we don’t really care who you are, we are going to make fun of “you”.
What really bugs me, though, is how nobody even thinks that we make fun of our selves. We have learned in Denmark, that nobody is “holy” or important enough to be untouchable- all subjects are open to make fun of. Which is also why we in Denmark actually do make fun of people like Hitler, Stalin and such.

What I can’t make sense of, though, is why people would think that all Danes are racists. Isn’t racism about prejudices? Isn’t it a prejudice to say, that all Danish people are racists, based on some statements? I cannot argue, that one of the leading parties in our government (Dansk Folkeparti) aren’t racist (beacuse they are), but saying that because we have them in our society and then saying that all of us are racists, is complete and utter bollocks. That’s like saying all people in USA are like Sarah Palin (ha!).

By: Alison

Alison — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:18:47 +0000

These bans are to appease the moneymen, they have little to do with right or wrong. Hence why LVT gets banned yet Polanski who is the darling of too many people who should know better doesn’t. It sounded to me like a poor joke, lost in translation that basically went down like a lead balloon. A lot of people hear certain trigger words, their knees jerk up fast enough to knock their own teeth out and they shut their ears.

I don’t see where the anti Denmark stuff is coming from! Is it really much different to the rest of Northern Europe? I see substantial differences in how racism and political correctness are perceived and interpreted between the US and Europe but not so much within Europe. Irreverent, sarcastic…sounds like here in the UK.

By: Dru

Dru — Thu, 26 May 2011 15:40:31 +0000

Honestly, if they’re trying to make a point about how they don’t support criminals or whatever, how come Cannes still rolls out the red carpet for Roman Polanski? Because banning von Trier basically makes the statement that some offensive clumsy comments are worse on the moral scale than the rape of a child.

By: Dexter VanDango

Dexter VanDango — Tue, 24 May 2011 09:00:05 +0000

Firstly, I’ve lived in Denmark these last 40 years and I don’t recognize anything particularly racist about Danes. There are more racists in Orange Country than in all of Scandinavia. As for their sense of humor Danes make jokes about everyone, including themselves and they’re rarely malicious. Why be proud of coming from a culture filled with cowardly taboos?

Secondly, no one has wondered what Lars was thinking before he rambled on. Some times the smartest people make the dumbest jokes because they don’t realize other people aren’t following their train of thought or jumps in logic.

Lars is a movie director, and therefore a kind of dictator. He’s been accused of using rather brutal head games to get better performances out of his actors. I think he was saying, “I can be a bit of a prick, too, so I know where Adolph was coming from..”

For more on his character: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482358/usercomments

By: Sister Wolf

Sister Wolf — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:38:51 +0000

CRicket9 – Hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahhahahahaha! Thank you!

By: Cricket9

Cricket9 — Mon, 23 May 2011 19:22:16 +0000

OK, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgv7LMPuxwo

By: Stella Mayfair

Stella Mayfair — Mon, 23 May 2011 18:20:03 +0000

i’m with you here, sister. lvt was just… err… being lvt. also, i love that you called her a cunt. hehehe. sometimes that’s the only thing to do.

By: TheShoeGirl

TheShoeGirl — Mon, 23 May 2011 18:09:21 +0000

Hmmm. Watching that video made me REALLY uncomfortable. You can tell he’s joking but his delivery is SO bad. ugh.

By: stljblog

stljblog — Mon, 23 May 2011 11:30:29 +0000

If his sense of humor can only be understood in Denmark, he should not step out of his country. You can’t joke about ‘understanding’ Hitler, a guy responsible for the death of millions. That is not irreverence but assholery.

I agree with that Lars Von Trier not really being Nazi, but he must face the consequences. He didn’t cross the line, he took a dump on it, burned it and then tried to douse it by pissing over it. He is a 55 year old man, used to plenty of public interactions, there is no excuse for his statements.

By: Dude

Dude — Mon, 23 May 2011 10:50:55 +0000

I agree with Heidi, with him being Danish, you can’t help but think that he actually meant what we he said. If he had been another nationality, I might have given him the benefit of doubt and thought it was a pathetic attempt at humour which went horribly wrong.

The problem for the Danes is that when they in Denmark, they can come out with the most appalling racist crap and nobody bats an eyelid. Racism and racial stereotyping is a way of life in Denmark.It pervades every aspect of society, from education to the media.

Danes assume that just because it is normal in Denmark, it must be okay outside of Denmark. The fact that so few Danes ever get public recognition means they rarely get taught lessons by the rest of the world.

The rest of the world also remains unaware of the “debate” in Denmark because frankly, nobody cares about the country, and secondly the language means nobody knows what Danes are saying even when they listen.

The biggest eye opener in Denmark is when you begin to understand the language, and you realise just how bigoted and xenophobic things are.

So, in conclusion, his comments were just more of the same that you hear every day in Denmark from all aspects of society.