Re: An interesting item from the news

["schoenho" <schoenho@via.at>]

Schoenhofer
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e-mail: schoenho@via.at

-
James,

Thanks for this interesting contribution. Your question as to the
Trittbrettfahrer is a challenge even for me, whose mother tongue is
German....... These are my comments:




> 
> The 18 July 1997 issue of the German weekly newspaper _die Zeit_ reports 
> on a international meeting on Blood Formation and Treatment of Leukemia, 
> held in Hamburg in the first week in July.
> 
> _die Zeit_ reports that the epidemiologist Freda Alexander of the 
> University of Edinburgh presented a paper at the meeting describing a 
> study of leukemia "clusters", which analyzed 13551 cases of leukemia in
17 
> European countries during the years 1980 to 1989.  It appeared that the 
> clusters mostly occurred in regions of average population density that 
> earlier had been rather isolated, but subsequently had significant in-
> migration due to the growth of big cities or the construction of large 
> industrial facilities nearby.  The analysis of 240 clusters showed no 
> relationship to environmental factors.  Only 4 of the clusters were near 
> nuclear facilities.
> 
> _die Zeit_ continues that this study tends to support the existing 
> hypothesis that leukemia clusters are caused by some virus introduced 
> into isolated communities by an influx of outsiders.  They also note the 
> absence of an increase in leukemia in regions affected by the Chernobyl 
> fallout, even regions with a significant increase in thyroid cancer.
> 
This is an interesting hypothesis, though the virus causing leukemia may
not be acceptable.



> German anti-nuclear activists were not amused.  _die Zeit quotes a 
> press release of the organization International Physicians for the 
> Prevention of Nuclear War (quoting Bertold Brecht), 

The famous Bertold Brecht was a person, who lived very well in the German
Democratic Republic. I suppose you have not been able to avoid seeing his
pictures with a big cigar in his mouth - hardly anybody except the top
ranking party members had ever a chance to smoke a cigar in the GDR. I do
not comment his contribution to literature - but it is well known, that he
had all the privileges of the upper communist class. Quoting him in the
context of radiation protection, leukemia etc. is therefore a nonsense,
which gives some hints as to the  opinion of the person quoting him.

Let us return to radiation protection and leukemia. 

"Knowingly or 
> unknowingly the participating scientists are allowing themselves to 
> become the "Trittbrettfahrern" of the nuclear industry."  
> "Trittbrettfahrern" outruns my knowledge of German and my dictionaries, 
> for that matter.  "Trittbrett" means, among other things, the running 
> board of a car; "Fahrer" is a driver.  My sense is that something 
> similar to the formulation (popular with the Chinese) "running dogs" is 
> intended.  Perhaps some German-speaking subscriber can provide a better 
> translation. 

"Trittbrettfahrer" is an unacceptable insult. "Trittbrett" are the steps on
a tram, which you have to climb to enter it. "Fahrer" is not only the
driver, but also in combination with other words "passenger" - so
"Tramfahrer" is a passenger on the tram - please note, that "tram" has
become the "German" word "Tram", pronounced the German way. A passenger on
the "Trittbrett" is somebody, who has not paid his fare, who takes
advantage of the fact that somebody else has unknowingly paid the costs for
his trip. Whenever a control approaches, the Trittbrettfahrer will jump off
the tram-trittbrett. In the context of the press release I would interpret
it, that scientists are accused of taking advantage of the nuclear
industry, their money and I would even go so far, to interpret it that the
scientists in question have been bribed by the nuclear industry.  
 
Nothing to bother - such an insult is just a very weak one. Normally
persons not refusing nuclear energy (consider carefully my expression!) are
called murders and marked as persons, who want to delete mankind from this
planet.

_die Zeit_ was referring to the unhappy activists when they headlined 
> their story "Wut statt Wissen" or "Anger instead of Science".  
> Interestingly, although _die Zeit_ is a liberal newspaper by almost 
> anyone's definition, they have been modestly supportive of nuclear power 
> over the past few years.  _die Zeit_ ends its story by noting that 
> 
>     "The press release was signed by an anti-Kruemmel activist, which 
>     makes the attack on the meeting understandable, but not acceptable.  
>     The IPPNW characterizes itself as an organization of 'physicians for 
>     social responsibility'.  That attacks 'below the belt' could be 
>     considered to be social responsibility was the most disconcerting 
>     revelation of the meeting." 
> 
I am really surprised - positively - that there is a newspaper in Europe,
which dares to give such a comment!!!!!!!

Franz

Whatever I write and sign with my name is by definition my opinion and need
not be approved by anybody, nor can it be disapproved.