Deeply 'Shocking' Skull-Photos

Good heavens, German soldiers serving in Afghanistan took photos of themselves, in 2003, posing with a human skull! There's only one word that comes close to describing my reaction to this headline-grabbing revelation: boredom.

Now, I comment less and less on current affairs on this blog, for one simple reason: I came to Germany because so little happens here. You can really live without distractions in a country where the unauthorized sale of elderly meat (which doesn't even make anyone sick) passes for a huge scandal.

But skullgate is just too rich to let pass without comment.

First, some background. German soldiers are -- how can I put this diplomatically? -- not renowned for being relentless killing machines. (Nobody wants them to be, obviously.) They're good at respecting the local culture, helping out with building projects, settling disputes, and the like. Whenever they are sent somewhere (usually reluctantly, after extensive debate), they are kept well away from combat. They'll be patrolling the coast off Lebanon, not mixing it up with Hamas. In Afghanistan, they've been sent well up to the peaceful north, far away from combat. Two-thirds of the 18 German deaths in Afghanistan have been from accidents.

So these soldiers were probably bored out of their skulls, so to speak. Yes, posing with the bones of some hapless Afghan was in poor taste. But it's not as if German forces killed the guy whom they posed with, which happened in Abu Ghraib (the man in the photo was killed by the CIA, not by the soldier posing with the body, according to the linked story).

Now, of course, German politicians are doing (G) what they do best -- stepping in front of microphones to register their "shock", "disappointment", and "concern" over this "outrageous" incident. The reporters, no doubt bored stiff themselves, dutifully transcribe the politicians' promises: The soldiers involved will be severely punished! Troop training will be reviewed! Parliamentary sub-committees will be summoned into action!

All this blue-ribbon outrage, just because some bored soldiers had a bit of disgusting fun, and were dumb enough to capture it on their camera-phones? I'd be willing to bet there are thousands of much more unpleasant photos on hard disks and CDs all over Afghanistan. People do senseless things when they're sent to foreign countries to do boring, stressful jobs, and I can think of much worse that these soldiers could have gotten up to. Much, much, much worse.

Unless this involves something more than stupid photos, I don't see why these should get anything more than a good talking-to and mild punishment. Except for the soldier who posed with the skull next to his exposed penis (G). That man obviously doesn't belong in any army.

He should be directing operas.*

* I know, that was cheap. But I couldn't resist. If the soldiers are brought up on charges, though, I would recommend an artistic freedom defense (German Basic Law, Article 5(3)) This was no corpse-desecration, it was an impromptu performance-art happening in which the soldiers made use of a traditional memento mori motif.

Comments

[Mr German Courses]

Hey Xapplex,
I deeply agree quour disappointment! I`d love to see the skull-photos! Pleeeeaaaaase!!!!!!!

[Don]

The Daeutsch do have their grabophobias, do they not?

Sometimes a dumbass stunt is merely a dumbass stunt. Young men do a lot of stupid things whether it's lager louts with too much to 'trink' in the Munchen Haptbahnhof or these idiots. On balance I prefer the soldiers to the lager louts. They are more likely to grow up into men worthy of respect than the louts are - because they are placed in a situation which makes some demands of them.....

[FAB.]

Our dear politicos just wrecked a major health insurance reform. So, in order to get that topic right out of the headlines, they´re only too happy to fabricate some (boring, indeed) "scandal" as a distraction. Too bad for those guys in Afghanistan.
I´ve been reading in a number of blogs and forums on this - the vast majority of comments are along the lines of the article above.
And of the people I talked to, every last one thought it was an embarrassment - the politicians´ theatrical posing, not the photos.

[Sebastian Koppehel]

You know that at least the media aren't in full emergency mode when RTL doesn't cancel its double feature of "Bones - Die Knochenjägerin" ...

[Don]

"That man obviously doesn't belong in any army."

I disagree, Andrew, the army is the best place for him. Tell the non-coms to keep a close eye on him rather than demobbing him back in Germany where he can take up residence next to the neighborhood kindergarten. Eh?

[Don]

Human bones from Abu Ghraib in Afghanistan? That is a long way. Unless they were souvenirs of the 'torturers' I can't understand why anyone would have transported them.

Perhaps they got up themselves and walked all the way from Abu Ghraib to the Iran border, through Iran, and through Afghanistan into the German sector?

[xapplex]

Here´s the skull. And the penis.

http://medienkritik.typepad.com/blog/files/Scannen0001.jpg

[orangeshow]

I am disappointed. I wanted to see the photos of the skull.