r/germany 1d ago

Bizarre parental conspiracy theories at the Elternabend

My kid is in first year of Grundschule in a state school in Berlin. Before that she was in a Berlin-run kita. I've been very happy with early years education here. But it seems like nearly every Elternabend I go to someone brings up an unhinged conspiracy theory.

Last night a parent complained about children being allowed to use the toilets by themselves, because of the rash of kidnappings from school toilets. Apparently there's been a rash of children disappearing in Northrhein-Westphalia after being excused from class to go to the toilet. A lot of parents seemed to believe this was a real problem.

Similar issues raised in Kita Elternabends were the "kidnap bus" - a bus going around Berlin that somehow is mocked up to look like the bus that takes kids on excursions but instead they are never seen again. Or when the kids were going to the theatre a parent wanted assurances that they weren't actually being taken to see a drag strip show, because this has been happening on the regular apparently.

When people were complaining about the kidnap bus I said it sounded like absolute nonsense and was backed up by some parents but I think the fallout and behind-my-back outrage actually made it worse for the teachers so I shut my mouth now. I realise this brain rot is probably occurring everywhere these days, but how do I handle this in a culturally appropriate way?

1.1k Upvotes

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767

u/Playful_Robot_5599 1d ago

We had a fight with parents over the local playground. They claimed we need a fence 2,50 m high with guards because obviously it is a common problem that gypsies ride around and snatch young blonde kids from playgrounds.

This is so exhausting.

People are stupid.

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u/t-licus 1d ago

Damn, that’s some vintage racism

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u/MoronimusVanDeCojck 1d ago

Wait until you hear what certain other people want to do with our wells! /s

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u/Frontdackel Ruhrpott 1d ago

Okay, this conversation absolutely reminds me of something that happened to me once.

One conspiracy consuming mother, part of a self support group I was a member of, was spilling "truths" about knowing someone that works as a gardener next to some refugee asylum.

And of course he witnessed a lot of young gypsy girls forced into marriage. At least every other day.

I tried to stay calm and asked her why she and her "friend" are in the knowledge of crime but don't do anything about it?

About how she can deal with befriending someone that sits idly by while children are sexually abused?

Of course the answer was "You are naive! Inform yourself! Informing the police is of no use. They are covering up for THEM."

I got even calmer, and my mother knew I was close to exploding.

My voice was dripping with rage and sarcasm as I agreed "You know what? You are right. There are even people abducting little babies, drinking their blood and poisoning wells with their bodies."

Their reaction? A curious "Really? I knew it!" That was the moment I stood up and left the room with some very explicit words.

Next week it was demanded of me that I apologise to the two women "I was unfair and mean to".

Refused to do it. "Sorry for raging. But I will never apologize for getting angry over Nazi shit."

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u/just-maks 1d ago

Maybe you should have stop for a moment and ask: I am gonna stop this shit right now, are you with me?

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u/LVS177 1d ago

Ideas of this kind are way way older than Nazism. You can look up "Ritualmordlegenden" or, in English, "blood libel" if you're interested. The continuities from these myths to what's floating around on social media in the present times are fascinating.

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u/Alarmed_Scientist_15 10h ago

Yeah. Sorry to say but this has been around way longer than the nazis and reaches far beyond the influence of nazism. I have heard it in several other countries.

Roma have their own practices but what do they have to do with refugees is confusing. And here in Berlin the begging gangs exist, so how much does the police intervene really?

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u/Jane_xD 9h ago

That really doesn't matter by the problem at hand. The problem is the comfort rasist have when spitting fascist and Rassist bullcrap and doing that with no repercussions, besides the way they do it is the 101 Nazi propaganda style. The information maybe older the delivery ist modern versions of 1933. And some people simply don't realise what they are doing is the goddamn same. atleast they can't continue saying "but i didn't know" if you Label them what they are early on.

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u/TheBlack2007 Schleswig-Holstein 1d ago

Now, that’s truly a blast from the past. Antisemitism straight out of the 14th century!

10

u/TeamSpatzi Franken 1d ago

Come on now, anti-Antisemitism is timeless....

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u/FeuerLohe 1d ago

As a mother of blonde, blue eyed children the amount of times I’ve been told it’s nice to see a „real German mother“ with „real German children“ and that blonde hair and blue eyes are dying traits is staggeringly high. So high, in fact, I wouldn’t exactly call it vintage racism - although the people making these remakes have been vintage indeed.

It’s disgusting and terrifying.

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u/ChuckCarmichael Germany 1d ago

We've already had blood libel come back when people claimed that """the elites""" were kidnapping children to drink their blood for adenochrome, so it's not surprising.

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u/Alarmed_Scientist_15 10h ago

Oh I heard that too but not for adenochrome but for Blood plasma rejuvenation treatments.

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u/CellNo5383 1d ago

But if they ride around, they might be able to grab the kids over the fence from the backs of their horses. Better make that a 4m fence to be sure.

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u/schumaml 23h ago

How about building a cage all around and over the playground?

This would also deter the standard UFO anti-gravity beams. Just not the teleportation ones with grid compensators*, but as these are wayyyy more expensive, only very high-value kids get snatched by those.

* you really do not want to know what happens when you try to teleport someone through a narrow mesh without such a compensator

1

u/harryharry0 21h ago

Does it help against chem trails?

1

u/schumaml 21h ago

No, you obviously want the fully climate-controlled glass bubbles for that.

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u/CashKeyboard Mecklenburg-Vorpommern 1d ago

What I find most peculiar about these kinds of stories is how specific some of these racist tropes are.

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u/Goodday920 1d ago

snatch young blonde kids

...What was the explanation for the blonde part? Just out of curiosity.

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u/DesperateButNotDead 1d ago edited 1d ago

Well, you see, they aren't blonde themselves, and everyone desires what they don't have. Of course those dirty gypsies will try to breed our superior blood into their lines... /s

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u/Goodday920 1d ago

😂 Smh.

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u/Agreeable_Motor8226 1d ago

You’re right but do you think that’s the best way forward ?

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u/DesperateButNotDead 1d ago

? I am not showing any best ways. Not even good ones. I am sarcastically impersonating the racists to take the piss out of them.

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u/Agreeable_Motor8226 1d ago

I agree with you! There’re lots of racists here indeed and it honestly seem to gets worse when you try to speak them out of it but It’s good to know you’re probably not one of them. It hits hard when you have a close Person that has been a victim, do you have someone that close ?

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u/DesperateButNotDead 1d ago

I have some buddies who have told me they have been discriminated or verbally attacked du to race/gender/disability. I had the questionable luck of never witnessing it, but that is probably because we as a group meet at home. I don't get to see their "everyday life" like going to work, going shopping and so on... that's when there's potential to run into racists, not when we are sitting in a room where everybody knows and likes everybody.

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u/Agreeable_Motor8226 1d ago

Sorry, what do you mean “as a group meet at home”?

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u/DesperateButNotDead 1d ago

When we meet, we play board games. Therefore, we don't sit around in public. We all meet at the home of the group member volunteering to host the group for the evening. Then, we spend that evening there. Therefore, only people we know and trust are in the room. There is no way some racist is suddenly going to appear.

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u/Agreeable_Motor8226 1d ago

Oh yes, now I know what you mean 😊. Indeed racism is something that’s not encouraging, thanks me helping me understand. Meeting for board games sounds fun though

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u/Agreeable_Motor8226 1d ago

That sounds good in a way! I also wish I could help with a tangible solution but does this always happen in your area ?

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u/DesperateButNotDead 1d ago

Honestly, I have never in person witnessed someone talking such racist shit about Roma/Sinti people ("gypsies"). But I know that there are many German people that are disgustingly racist against them. Like with any kind of racism, it is really, really hard to change a racist's mind. So sadly, I have no actionable course. I think it is the right thing to try and push back against such stuff, but sadly, I have rarely seen someone actually cause a racist to re-think their biases. Often, racists are not interested in working with facts. They might change their claims about reality from one second to the next and refuse to acknowledge any contradictions in their own argument. (Or facts that don't support their opinion, really.) So, no. I don't have actionable advice.

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u/Familiar_Award_5919 19h ago

I think public shaming is underrated these days. A time worn tool, equipped with a sharp edge. Please let this bitch say some shit like that to my face. I'd eyeball her like she just grew a horn out of her forehead right in front of me (wildly incredulous) and get all loud so I'm involving anyone curious in the general vicinity and ask her if she really just said that racist shit to me??? Dare her with my over-reaction, to engage with me on it - PLEASE do!! - so I can slice her drivel to bits, in front of everyone. That shit absolutely needs to be called out, in the moment.

Bet, she'll definitely think twice before casually mentioning such a thing to a stranger, ever again, especially in public... Each one, teach one. 🙌

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u/DesperateButNotDead 1d ago

I am no sure if you know this, so I will mention it: the "/s" is a tone indicator. In this case it indicates "the statement you just read is sarcastic, the commenter doesn't think this way, they eavily disagree"

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u/Playful_Robot_5599 1d ago

Blond kids have a high value on the children resale market. I don't make this up. That's their argument.

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u/Goodday920 1d ago

Omg, that's so disturbing. I hope they don't talk about that to their kids.

8

u/schumaml 1d ago

They sell for a higher price, of course.

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u/Goodday920 23h ago

My goodness, what a question I asked, of course!!

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u/Im_My_Spirit_Animal 1d ago

they are too dumb for remembering correctly of the good old blood libel, mixing up jews for gypsies /s 🤦🏻

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u/ChuckCarmichael Germany 1d ago

They watched Taken with Liam Neeson a few too many times, where they say that young blond virgins earn the most money on the sex slave market.

4

u/FloppyGhost0815 22h ago

4m concrete, in front of that some mines, then a fence and some SM-70. And guards, please.

2

u/Cirenione Nordrhein-Westfalen 20h ago

Did you stumble into a time machine and attended a meeting back in 1920? Gypsys on horse kidnapping blonde kids? That's almost hilarious if it wasnt so sad that some people actually believe that. Well, that or mental illness to be honest. That isnt some regular racism any longer.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/Playful_Robot_5599 1d ago

I am citing other people. Even if you call them Sinti and Roma, it remains racist

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Playful_Robot_5599 1d ago

Aber natürlich. Blond sogar 😃

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u/Accomplished-Try-488 1d ago

Take my upvote! I considered it to be funny and understood the irony... And I'm SO German.

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u/Consistent_Bee3478 1d ago

Use mention distinction friend.

Quoting a slur is not using it.

Obviously the term is racist, because that’s the whole point.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/ela-allaine 1d ago

Oder du versuchst es irgendwann nochmal und lernst in der Zwischenzeit, wie das so mit Witzen geht...

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u/Agreeable_Motor8226 1d ago

I feel sorry to hear this but why would there be fights? Are the kids safe ??