illustration: Guen Douglas.
After 16 years in power, our Chancellor Angela Merkle resigned a few days ago. Her departure from her post as German head of state was preceded by several photos of her in very private settings that sparked many memes, like the iconic of her with tropical birds at Vogelpark Marlow, or the recent photo published in Bunte magazine. of her in casual dress with her husband. In all of these photos, she looks genuinely happy and relieved, probably looking forward to the moment when she no longer has to face the Trump, Putin, and Erdogan of the world. For some reason, its outing into private life seems to be the mood of our time. It doesn’t take much to imagine what pressure this woman must have been under.
Although she is part of a very conservative and capitalist political party that has fundamentally blocked any kind of progressive or social movements over the past decades, she was an icon of the liberal world and respected around the world. It’s a mystery to many why she was even in this appalling party and her internal feuds with her more conservative male colleagues were no secret. But she managed to overcome it all and because of her more social policies in recent years, she even had voters on her side who could have voted green or red this year. In a way, the fact that she didn’t run again this year was a relief to many who might have been torn between her and more liberal / social / ecological parties.
Like many people, I had mixed feelings about her. I loved and respected her because she always acted egoless and you could tell she would always have the best interest on her mind. It was impressive for me to see how she treated all these crazy world leaders and had her way of silencing them. I also liked her super dry sense of humor which was rarely seen (especially the various BBC parodies that exist of her that were pretty much their own version of her). But also I would never have voted for her or her party because they defend a lot of bad things in this world and their policies in particular were not in favor of LGBTQ and immigrants.
Tattoo artist and illustrator Guen Douglas shares my feelings about her and was inspired by her leaving to create a little tribute design that we really love. version that will probably be the one we will remember her. It’s available to order as a t-shirt and sweater in baby blue and I’m sure this will be the Christmas present of the season (the only one up for pre-order as deliveries will be in January).
“Love or hate her politics, during her tenure, she crossed political lines to become an icon around the world,” Guen explains. “I wanted a shirt for myself to commemorate his tenure, especially after the past two years living in a pandemic, his straightforward childbirth and motherly tone have allayed my anxieties more than once and I thought some d ‘you might feel the same way. Although I disagree with her on everything, I do respect her integrity, her compassion and her ability to admit faults; an incredibly rare quality in politics these days. So this is it ! My ode to Mutti Merkel, Germany’s reluctant feminist icon, in blue with a nod to vintage East German design.
We couldn’t agree more. And we love this tribute to our departing chancellor!
Here are some quotes from Angela Merkel’s farewell speech:
“Our democracy feeds both on our ability to engage in critical debate and to correct ourselves. It is nourished by the constant balance of interests and mutual respect. It thrives on solidarity and trust – including trust in the facts – and it thrives on the fact that protests must arise wherever scientific findings are denied and conspiracy theories and hate speech are prevalent. . In addition, our democracy is nourished by the fact that our tolerance as democrats must end wherever hatred and violence are seen as a legitimate means of asserting vested interests. “
“The many internal challenges we face are also reflected in foreign policy – not just since the start of the pandemic. The financial and economic crisis of 2008 and the many who sought refuge in 2015 underscored how much we all depend on cooperation beyond our national borders, and how essential multilateral institutions and instruments are if we want to successfully meet the great challenges of our time: climate change, digital transformation and refugees and migration. I want to encourage everyone to keep in mind that we must also see the world through the eyes of others; also recognize the sometimes uncomfortable and contrasting views of others and strive to balance interests. “
Diesen Artikel auf deutsch lesen.
through Franc
December 8, 2021
in Design, Products