Kay's Korner: Cup illuminates world of problems in Germany

Live as if you were living already for the second time and as if you had acted the first time as wrongly as you are about to act now!

-- Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

In a little more than a week, more eyes and ears will be attentively tuned into Germany since Nov. 9, 1989. As host country to the World Cup, Germany is planning on using the international event to promote itself, and rightly so. It’s one of the richest countries in the world, boasts some of the world’s most innovative transportation systems and nearly every suburban 17-year-old American girl drives a Volkswagen Jetta.

But Germany has a dark secret that will make Detroit’s Super Bowl "street sweep" response to the "homeless situation" worthy of a Salvation Army humanitarian award. That's because what every German official, regardless of their association with the World Cup, fears most is a violent movement from the country’s growing right-wing population. Translation: Neo-Nazis.

While playing in Germany, Adebowale Ogungbure has been threatened numerous times. (Getty Images)

As reported in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, the U.S. State Department warns travelers in Germany that "hooligans, most often young, intoxicated ‘skinheads,’ have been known to harass or even attack people whom they believe to be foreigners or members of rival groups." No other European country has such a disclaimer.

German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble admits that neo-Nazi groups are planning to "use the World Cup as a means of raising their profile." There will be street demonstrations under the guise of freedom of speech marches as well as use of the platform to display their backing of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Ahmadinejad has the enlightened view that the Holocaust never occurred and that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

The Africa Council, an umbrella group for Germany’s African community, says there are "no-go" areas throughout the eastern region of the country where foreigners, particularly black people should avoid. They've even published an online guide of potentially unsafe areas, and according to the International League for Human Rights, "The whole of eastern Germany is dangerous for black people."

Their numbers aren’t large -- about 10,000 neo-Nazis and 40,000 right-wing extremists exist in Germany -- but crimes tied to the far-right are increasing at an alarming rate. Crime was up 24 percent in 2005 from the previous year. While Time magazine reported that most of these crimes were politically based and non-violent, they do suggest a charged environment. Add to that the fates of 31 losing nations, and you have the making of a veritable powder-keg scenario. Hooliganism already runs rampant in the sport and a number of black soccer players have recently been publicly humiliated.

Do you plan on watching the World Cup?   33%  No: It's baseball season     24%  Maybe: If the U.S. is doing well     43%  Yes: It's the friggin World Cup!     Total Votes: 3675

Earlier this spring, Leipzig's Nigerian midfielder Adebowale Ogungbure was called a "dirty N-----," "s--- N-----" and "ape" according to the German newspaper Spiegel. Things got so bad for Ogungbure that he retaliated to the hostile crowd in one game by mocking the Hitler salute, which is outlawed in Germany.

"I was just so angry, I didn't care," Ogungbure told Spiegel after the incident. "I could have been killed but I had to do something. I thought to myself, what can I do to get them as angry as they have made me?"

But that’s what neo-Nazis do. They press buttons. They pin people into corners. They want people to feel how they do: Unwanted, unappreciated, and therefore, small.

Under the formal title National Democratic Party, many neo-Nazis reside in eastern Germany where unemployment runs rampant (11 percent of Germany's population is unemployed; 4.7 percent in the U.S.). The high number of jobless citizens are the root of the movement, just as it was following World War I. Adolf Hitler was able to take advantage of an intelligent, but unemployed community and offer a solution to all its problems.

This new breed of Hitler disciples is just as angry with the world. They’re largely an educated lot, well qualified for many areas of work, but the jobs just aren’t there. So anger sets in and it’s easy to pick on the ones who look different. And what better platform to release pent-up aggression than the World Cup? Instances have already occurred.

Just over a month ago, an Ethiopian-born German citizen was taunted with phrases including the word "n-----" before he was beaten into a fatal coma. Numerous other reports that are less Fight Club and more A Clockwork Orange are littered throughout online German newspapers.

The states of Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt have the highest number of race-based attacks per 100,000 inhabitants. The finals take place in the state of Berlin while Leipzig (state of Saxony) is host to matches involving Korea, Iran and Angola. The ingredients for bad incidents are there.

Germany's atmosphere is reminiscent of the ultraviolent tale , 'A Clockwork Orange.'

Back across the pond, sports have dealt with their own adversity. Hockey is now an afterthought following the lockout. Football is plagued with egomaniacs like Terrell Owens and foolhardy personalities like Ricky Williams. While basketball had the Motown melee, baseball’s credibility is shot due to its inability to police its players’ drug use. While sports’ negative aspects alone give fans reason for hostility, average Joe fan has become a bit of a misnomer. You’re either completely vested in your team -- yeah, you ... the one with the Fathead posters as wallpaper -- or you’re out. The middle ground is disintegrating faster than you can say "Woody Paige."

Take the Barry Bonds chase, for example. Fans stood to applaud Russ Springer’s deliberate five-pitch plunking of the slugger. Syringes and other objects have also been thrown on the field in Bonds' direction as there are fans who legitimately hate the man. Just as there are fans out there who hate Kobe Bryant, hate J.J. Redick, hate Vince Young and hate Sean Avery. We’re not anywhere near hooliganism, but like nearly all movements, it always starts small. And in sports, it starts with people developing an unhealthy connection to the players.

So here’s hoping Americans watch with intrigue the demeanor of World Cup fans as much of what they do is good spirited and at times, humorous. But that’s not why I hope we watch (Though I pray they offer us something to replace the "defense" chant). What I really hope is that we watch and see how not to act. That way we’ll recognize the absurdity of getting too wrapped up in one’s team.

But more importantly, let’s hope that with the world watching, Germans of all shapes and sizes act with respect to those on their soil. After all, as the logotherapist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl reminds us: "To choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way is the last of human freedoms."

Germany has already acted as wrongly as any civilization in history and with a platform like it hasn’t had in years, it can now show off that it does know how to act. After all, the slogan for the Cup is: "A time to make friends."

It’s a good slogan, because as the character Danny Vinyard in American History X comes to realize: "Hate is baggage. Life’s too short to be pissed off all the time. It’s just not worth it."