German Word of the Week: Stoibern

Ahh, Edmund Stoiber [pronounce it "SHTOY-bur"].  He's the Minister-President of Bavaria.  Germany's most prominent conservative, except for Angela Merkel.

And certainly the most despised, as Carl's recent comment, in which he declares he becomes physically ill when hearing Stoiber, indicates. 

I don't know what sparks such animosity toward Stoiber -- I find his Bavarian accent adorable.  And in his funny costumes, he looks just like Germans are supposed to look, for God's sake. 

Plus, his name is just irresistible.  It sounds like a Yiddish insult: "This Finkelstein fellow (says the Jewish paterfamilias), my dear Aviva, you will certainly not marry!  Ach, what a stoiber he is!

Apparently other people find his name just as versatile.  I once visited Cologne during a gay-pride parade once [nota bene -- I am gay-friendly, but not gay, despite occasional use of pretentious Latin phrases].  There, I saw a bunch of fairies prance by waving "magic brooms" with which they were going to Entstoibern ("de-Stoiberize") the surroundings. 

Herr Minister-Präsident Stoiber has also unwillingly lent his name to a frequent vice of his: saying impolitic things about, say, homosexuals or East Germans.  In fact, just recently the Stoibmeister was recorded vaguely implying he thought it was terrible that "frustrated" people in the East might determine who becomes Germany's next Chancellor, and that everything would be better in Germany if everyone in the country (hint hint) were as smart and disciplined as Southern Germans like Bavarians.

Now we see that a new German word has been created: stoibern, or "to stoiber."  For lovers of German grammar, one declines this verb stoibern, stoiberte, hat gestoibert, etc.   In fact, the picture caption here poses the question whether another prominent German conservative politician "stoibered" (hat gestoibert).  Ahh, it reminds me of bowdlerize...

Comments

[rollinger]

abgestoibert

[marcc]

Another Stoiber-picture...
http://www.doc-rollinger.de/2005/07/das-knnt-lustig-werden.html
it's an older one, at least four years.

[Carl]

Oh wow, thanks, Andrew, one post and two reactions by members of the Editorial Staff at German Joys HQ.

[Sambatänzerin-Caipirinhasäuferin]

:-):-)Zum Todlachen!! The funniest GWOW ever!"he looks just like Germans are supposed to look, for God's sake." is a good teaser....this kind of statements drive them mad! ;-)