drpyleclemson-blog

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A Somber Reflection

As a white, Christian, man in the US, I’ve never experienced the kind of “-isms” that many of my friends and colleagues have. I’ve never been oppressed. I’ve never been discriminated against. I’ve never had to fear for my own safety or the safety of my family because we look different from the people around us. 

I’ve visited many museums and memorials to the holocaust and have studied it in school since I was in 8th grade. While I’ve always been troubled by what happened during the holocaust, it has never been personal for me. I’m not a member of the groups traditionally included in those who were sent to the camps. 

(Gate A - the entrance point to Sachsenhausen)

This year with @cuingermany, at Sachsenhausen, @drscottclemson was debriefing the students  on Sachsenhausen and helping to make it more real for them. He said, “If I had been in Berlin at that time, I’d have been given a pink triangle and been sent to Sachsenhausen.” He turned to me, and pointed out “Dr. Pyle would have been given a red triangle - he’d have been sent to Sachsenhausen as well.” 

As a university professor not falling in line with the Nazi party, I’d have been in a group that was rounded up and sent to Sachsenhausen. Never before had I made the connection that I to would have found myself in this terrible place. 

(”Arbeit Macht Frei” - “Work Makes you Free/will set you free” - the lie posted at every concentration camp. The reality was that freedom came only through death)

Perhaps I should have made this connection on my own, or made it sooner - but this was an incredibly sobering experience for me. It made the camps and the experience of those imprisoned there even more real for me - and made me reflect more deeply on the experience. 

(This memorial stands at Station Z, the final point in the camp for prisoners, as this is where they died. There is a trench where prisoners were hung, a room where they were quietly shot, and a a chamber where they tested gases to make them even more deadly for use at the larger extermination camps like Auschwitz)

If you’ve never been to a camp memorial or to a holocaust-related museum, I recommend it. This is a history that’s important to tell, to share, to remember. As populist movements are on the rise, and campaigns to reject people who are somehow different gain popularity, we must be willing to speak out against these hateful perspectives. There are still those who claim “the holocaust didn’t happen,” but standing in the middle of this camp makes such claims obviously ridiculous and foolish. 

This camp makes it clear just how much evil can be perpetuated by regular, everyday humans. Perhaps one of the most problematic lies about this era is that the people who ran these camps were especially sadistic. From reports, accounts, journals, and letters, we know today that with a few exceptions they were just regular people. Some were especially violent, but most were average soldiers. Quite simply, they bought into a lie - that people who were different didn’t deserve to live. We must not allow that lie to again pervade society. 

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The falconry exhibition was incredible. And… they got really close! The one on the right came back to eat the meat that the one on the left dropped. ….he dropped it between my feet.

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A sampling of foods from Week 1 2018! And yes, there’s a frog and a badger in some of them. They are this year’s travel friends. Last year Daniel Tiger, this year Henry Badger and Charlie Frog.

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Week 1: Already Over?

This week was both the longest week and the shortest week I can remember living through (only because I actually can’t remember the first week of Henry’s life).

In one week, @drscottclemson and I got to Germany to finish pre-program prep, the students arrived, and we hit the ground running.

Tuesday: We had a fantastic tour of the city center (Stadtmitte):

Wednesday: We had a full day of classroom time followed by Spring Fest:

Thursday: Class outside in Ludwigsburg, followed by a tour of the (best) palace:

Friday: a tour of parliament, then everyone was off for the weekend!

It was a good first week. Every day felt like 3 days, but now it’s hard to believe we’re 1/4 through the program.

I’m off to Schorndorf and Haubersbronn for the weekend!

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Strat Comm - Germany 2018 Begins!

@drscottclemson and I have had a long year of recruiting, prepping, revising, and planning to be ready for this year’s program. On Saturday evening, my family sent me off in style:

(Henry in his Germany shirt and authentic Alpine felt hat, Charlie in his monkey romper. Like I said, in style.) 

The flight went really well (can 100% recommend Turkish Airlines, had a fantastic experience!) - probably the best international flight experience I’ve ever had. 

After a brief layover in Istanbul and a good night’s sleep in Stuttgart, I spent Monday morning exploring the neighborhood and taking care of last-minute prep before the students arrive. The Maibaum for this area is up in the plaza our hotel faces!

The neighborhood this year is much more central and a lot closer to both food and shopping, so I think the students will be pleased. I wanted to see how long it takes to get from the city center to our hotel, so I walked from the parliament building back to our hotel plaza. Google said it should take 28 minutes.... I figured I could do it in 15. I walked at “Dr. Pyle brisk walk” speed (as opposed to “the casual mosey” or the “CRAP WE’RE LATE” speeds; I walked quickly, but it wasn’t grueling), and darned but if Google wasn’t pretty close to correct - it took 23 minutes to get to the plaza. So, factor in the total group and the fact that evidently my “brisk walk” is “near sprint” for the students, and it will probably be a solid 30-35 minute walk to the city center. Or.... a 4 minute metro ride. 

While I was wandering yesterday, in addition to checking out the incredible city center...

...I picked up our metro passes, and found the restaurant for the Welcome Dinner. Or rather, identified the easiest path to reach the restaurant - it’s the same place we had the welcome dinner last year. 

So, here we are. We’re sitting in the lobby, waiting for the rooms to be ready. Abenteuer! 

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So glad to be back in Germany for CU Strat Comm 2018!

First year’s student video!

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I spy graffiti.

Prompt 3 (extended): At Teufelsberg this week you will see a huge amount of graffiti. It’s a cultural phenomenon here - highly skilled artists have been allowed to paint the walls of this defunct spy station. Some murals have lasted years, while others are painted over from one week to the next. As Ledingham tells us, “Public relations is best defined and practiced as the active attempt to restore and maintain a sense of community.” How is this graffiti a function of community building/maintenance? How might this space be different in the U.S.? Would the owners of this property or the federal government be likely to allow this long-term graffiti haven to continue untouched by anyone who isn’t part of the community? Post a selection of murals to illustrate your post.

Teufelsberg is a must-see for anyone, in my opinion.  Before visiting, I was a tad apprehensive about whether or not I would be interested in a former, now deserted German spy facility.  But, I believe that was the absolute coolest experience of any that I had in Berlin.  While exploring the buildings and random areas around the site, I kept feeling as though I was almost in a different world.  The noise level was minimal, no running water or electricity, and the feel of the organization was completely laid back.  This was especially evident within the graffiti spaces. 

The charm of Teufelsberg is due to the sense of community the entire place creates, but specifically in regards to the artwork known as graffiti painted throughout the organization. Artists are allowed to visit the site and paint depictions of a cause, belief and random feelings or thoughts. They have the freedom to create a message of any kind without fear of judgment or critique.  It is purely a place of open speech and creativity.  Providing this opportunity for people is an awesome way of building and maintaing a community.  Graffiti artists have the chance to gather, share opinions and grow off of one another.  I believe this strengthens the organization and gives everyone a reason to keep pushing forward to up-keeping the site. 

This space would differ in the United States for various reasons.  For one, I do not think artists would be allowed to paint certain representations, such as, half naked women, phrases alluding to drug usage, or negative military-related portrayals.  Also, there would most likely be regulations implemented to ensure no one crosses a line.  For example, artists may only be allowed to paint a certain amount of square inches or their design could have to be approved before the actual painting went onto the wall.  Furthermore, I can imagine the artists being charged a hefty sum of money to “rent” a space, along with being penalized for any rule breaking, whether the penalty is monetary or in another form.

Keeping the graffiti haven flourishing and private to those only a part of the direct community cannot be easily accomplished by the owners of federal government. One reason I believe this to be true is because of something my tour guide mentioned when he saw me taking a picture of one of the artists in a paining session.  He asked that no photographs be taken for obvious reasons.  Later I understand what he meant by that general statement.  The majority of those artists, possibly him included are local graffiti artists who “may or may not” display their work on the sides of train cars.  Meaning, if their work were seen and recognized by government personnel, they could potentially be fined and imprisoned for a very long period of time.  This would be very harmful to the growth of the organization and overall respect for artist’s creations. 

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Weekend 3: May 26-28, 2017

This weekend was a huge Abenteuer for @drscottclemson... because he left on Friday morning to fly to San Diego for ICA (International Communication Association conference). He was there Saturday all day, then flew back on Sunday/Monday. Needless to say... by the time he got back, he was fried. 

Friday morning we had class (back in the classroom at Aletto, our hotel we stayed in last year! Ah, memories....) - we had a discussion about PR ethics & dialogic communication in PR, then the students had time to work on their final projects. I took the video team ( @blaineeads, @sam-rochford, @marleygoestogermany, and @izzybelledavis ) to Neuersee (new lake) in the Tiergarten so that they could see it as a potential place for shooting spotlight videos. 

Blaine & DT checking out the petting zoo from the park overlook

Video team preparing to shoot Izzy’s spotlight video

The rest of the class stayed back at Aletto to get work done and prep their projects. Friday afternoon was free for travel and work, so we sent the students off to their respective planned & unplanned Abenteuer(s) .

Friday afternoon we reached out to see if the students wanted to go check out KaDeWe (http://www.kadewe.de/) - the biggest, fanciest store I think I’ve ever been in. It’s got 7 floors, and from bottom to top you’ve got luxury goods (perfume, makeup, etc), Men’s clothes, women’s clothes, entertainment, yummy nibbles (everything from food kiosks to tea/beer/wine/tobacco/chocolate kiosks to...... bakeries. So many bakeries). None of the students decided to go, so @liketheoceannotthetree and I went and wandered through the store, then we got yummy baked goods at one of the bakeries. 

Saw this and thought “H would love that!!” - but it’s 2000 euros. So DT took a photo with it.

Bee sting cake! (Bienenstich) - it’s sponge cake, custard, more sponge cake, then topped with an almond/honey praline.... it was one of the most delicious things I’ve had. I’m thinking about going back for another piece. 

At KaDeWe you can get Skippy & Jif! Every American student’s dream. 

Thinking about #GBBO, @smpyle! Sachertorte here and Prinsesstårta below!

Saturday was mostly a work day for me. Took a jaunt around Tiergarten with Sarah in the afternoon for some fresh air, but then came back to get more work done while she continued on for more exploring. 

Getting ahead of myself - went to a church service at Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on Sunday evening. It was beautiful. Also, I was lost much of the time - all in German. But still a neat experience. Oh - the church pictured here is the ruin of the old church and is a memorial now, the new church is beside it... I didn’t capture a photo of it. See the it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiser_Wilhelm_Memorial_Church

Oh, and there was a Lamborghini. NBD. I think I saw six this weekend. It was a pretty weekend for driving your ultra luxurious sports car around, I guess. 

Sunday I went in the morning and rented a bike so that Luke and I could take a cycling tour around Berlin. It was a gorgeous day for it! Fortunately I had remembered to get sunscreen the day before.... because otherwise I’d have been red as a ripe tomato. We met in Potzdamer Platz, then rode through the city to Badeschiff, a manmade beach area on the edge of the Spree (river that goes through the middle of Berlin) with a swimming pool submerged in the river (not river water, normal pool that just happens to be submerged in the river). 

Construction near the MB Arena and East Side Gallery, bonkers how many cranes there are over here.

Panorama of the Spree

Duck-face selfie in front of the massive blue Badeschiff duck. I know, it’s epic.

Oh, and then we went past the Bald Eagle enclosure at the zoo on our way back to Europa Center to get lunch and drop off my rental bike. 

As I mentioned above, in the evening I went to a service at the Gedächtniskirche (memorial church). This is the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation - Luther and his 95 theses and all that - so the topic of the service was about Luther and some of his contemporaries and lessons we can learn for today. It really was neat to be in a service there, but I think for our final Sunday I’ll go back to the International church I attended our first weekend in Berlin. 

Monday begins our final week! We’ll get a tour of Olympia Stadion on Monday, the Autostadt on Tuesday, Teufelsberg on Wednesday, and the Communication Museum on Thursday. Thursday morning the students will present their final projects in my class. Friday-Sunday afternoon are free for the students (we’ll be grading frantically), and Sunday evening is our farewell dinner. And like that, it’s all over and we’re headed home. How quickly the time does pass.  

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Day 19: May 25, 2017

Today’s experience was incredibly humbling. In the morning we had class, and then the students had time to work on their final projects. In the afternoon we met Marianne and traveled together on public transit out to Oranienburg, to visit the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. (Note: No Daniel Tiger photos today)

Having been to a couple of different Holocaust museums and to Dachau (outside of Nürnberg) I wasn’t sure what to expect - the Dachau tour was pretty open-ended, we had time to simply wander the grounds and read about what happened. At Sachsenhausen our tour guide was a graduate student whose studies focus on Jewish history & culture, which was interesting because she was obviously quite passionate about the topic and was able to offer wonderful insights to us about the place and its history. As has been the case every time I’ve visited a museum or memorial on this topic, I learned new things and was again humbled to know that the holocaust was able to have happened, and the extent to which people simply allowed it to happen. As populist movements begin to regain momentum and influence across the globe (AfD in Germany, the nationalist party in France who nearly won against Macron, the “alt-right” in the U.S.), it was troubling to see firsthand how quickly the type of system Hitler & the nazis established was able to take route and flourish. We’ve had (I think) some good conversations with our students about the history and perspectives of some of these groups. Hopefully they return home in June with a new outlook and an increased capacity to think critically about the messages, arguments, and perspectives that political leaders promote and advance. 

Here are some photos from our time there (the got out of order in the upload):

Soviet memorial to soviet citizens who worked/died here

Soviet museum on the grounds

“Work makes you free” - this sign was at most concentration camps, and was initially believed to be true... eventually prisoners realized that “freedom” only came through death. 

Tower A - entrance to the camp. Overlooks the compound and the roll-call parade ground. 

The approach to the camp. 

Inside a barrack - at the height of the war this barrack held 250 people (there are additional rooms to each end, but it would have been extremely crowded)

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Chrome Bugatti

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Summer 2017: Week 4 Blog Assignments

Prompt 1: How can cultural stereotypes hinder cross-cultural or international public relations? How is culture a factor in managing international PR? Find a person not from the U.S. (on the street or at a restaurant... somewhere outside the hotel) and ask them for one stereotype about people from the U.S.; ask their permission to audio or video record them answering the question - post the audio/video here. Open by explaining you're students and it's a class project, people are usually okay with it. A script I've found effective: "Entschuldigung, sprechen Sie Englisch? I am a student from the U.S. trying to learn about how people view the U.S. May I record you answering a question for me?"

Prompt 2: Capture an advertisement that you think would be ineffective in the U.S. Tell me why it would be ineffective, and then describe how you might do it differently for a U.S. market. Post a photo of the advertisement so that your classmates and I can see what you're referring to.

Prompt 3 (extended): At Teufelsberg this week you will see a huge amount of graffiti. It's a cultural phenomenon here - highly skilled artists have been allowed to paint the walls of this defunct spy station. Some murals have lasted years, while others are painted over from one week to the next. As Ledingham tells us, “Public relations is best defined and practiced as the active attempt to restore and maintain a sense of community.” How is this graffiti a function of community building/maintenance? How might this space be different in the U.S.? Would the owners of this property or the federal government be likely to allow this long-term graffiti haven to continue untouched by anyone who isn't part of the community? Post a selection of murals to illustrate your post.

Note: Each post should include both text AND photo/video. You should also be referencing our readings (citing specific concepts with page numbers) and referring back to/quoting our tour guides/hosts.

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Berlin

We have now moved to Berlin, and the history here is amazing! I think I enjoyed the countryside more, but the city is bustling and there is no shortage of things to do.

This is an empty library – a memorial to all the book burnings that used to take place here.

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Day 18: May 24, 2017

Today was non-stop Abenteuer, from beginning to end. We started the day with a guest speaker in my class - Luke Lalor, from Alpha Pool Content Marketing (https://alpha-pool.com/) - he also happens to be one of @drscottclemson‘s most bestest friends. Trav’s oldest friend, actually, I think? Anyway, he also does some really interesting work building branded content, campaigns, and a variety of PR products for a variety of clients - from Lexus to Bacardi, they’ve worked with people across a very broad spectrum. Luke spoke with the students about a variety of case studies and projects he has worked on, and provided some wonderful insights for students preparing to jump into careers that will (for the most part) be highly related to what Luke does. 

Luke Teaching: Action Shots

Important Concepts

Trav being cute

Daniel Tiger insisted on getting in the photo, he was very impressed with the presentation. 

After Luke’s talk, the students had a few hours free. Some of the students found a cute French patisserie a few days ago, so I went and checked it out. I tried a little coffee flavored meringue.... it was deeeeelicious. Creamy, fluffy, coffee flavored air. I walked back to the hotel and had some free coffee in the lobby while I ate it. YUM. I didn’t even let Daniel try it. 

We all reconvened in the lobby a bit before 6 to head down to Max-Schmeling-Halle (handball arena) near Mauerpark to see the Berlin Füchse (foxes) play against the Magdeburg.... team, I have no idea what their mascot is. They didn’t bring anyone with them, like a frog or a cow or something, so I have no idea. We’ll say they’re the Frogs. They’re probably the Eagles or the Falcons or the Rattlesnakes or something, but I’m saying Frogs. 

Every seat had a large piece of card stock printed with an inspirational quote and a player photo, and they were designed to be folded into fans and beaten against the metal poles (handrails) to make lots of noise. It was so loud! And super fun. Trav used his to practice his fan language. 

“At home is where everyone believes in you.”

“At home is where you rise above (or maybe “go above and beyond”).”

Trav practicing. He’s getting better at the fan language. Pretty soon he’ll be able to order food without proposing marriage. 

We were cheering for the dark green jerseys, by the way. 

Daniel thought it was a bit too loud, but he mostly really enjoyed himself. 

At the end of the game a kid went out to play hand ball with the mascot. Super cute. Oh, and the game ended in a tie, 25-25. We were down by 3 with 2 minutes left in the game (almost impossible to come back from that), and somehow we (and by “we” I of course mean “die Füchse”) managed to steal the ball back twice and score to tie things up. Right at the end there was a foul against the frogs, but the guy who did the penalty shot missed, so... tie! In league play, handball is able to end in a tie. Trav and most of the students were really annoyed that there wasn’t JUST ONE WINNER, but the Germans were all okay with it. Actually, the Berlin fans were super excited about it because they thought the team would lose, and then they came back to tie. So, win-win. 

When we finished up, Trav, @liketheoceannotthetree, Madeline, Madeline’s mom (here for a few days visiting) all went to get a bite to eat. we ate at a fancy-pants restaurant just down the road from the stadium. I had a pork sandwich and sweet potato fries, and I’ve got to say.... it was excellent. 100% would order again. 

It... was definitely healthier than it looks in this photo. Probably. Maybe. 

It was a good day. Tomorrow: Class in the morning, then Sachsenhausen in the afternoon. An emotionally exhausting excursion right before the weekend! 

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Walking tour of Berlin

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Tübingen and the Car and Toy Museum

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Schwabisch Hall

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Comm 3550: Week 2 Prompt 1

The Farmer’s Association is an organization that takes their ethical views and values extremely seriously and has based their mission off of what they view as important to the success of their organization.  The farm has expanded throughout the years and the face of the organization, Rudolf Buhler has established himself (and his farm) as a leader that operates his business very truthfully to what he believes. His beliefs are reflected in the values, which are shown through the quality of the product that the farm puts out into the world. The farm operates as a GMO and antibiotic free along with being certified organic, along with having their own private standards regarding their product. During the presentation given by Hardy Mann, he showed us a slide that listed the values of the organization. They are businesses standing together, cultural projects, organic and sustainable practices, and social projects and commitment. These values were represented in the tour experience through Hardy telling us about the relationship that their farm has with others in places such as Zanzibar and India. They expand their networks to other countries and establish relationships with them in order to create the best product that they can. Their value or organic and sustainable product is shown through their sharing of how they are GMO and antibiotic free and that they operate under the organic certified regulations, which is something that they clearly advertise due to how seriously they take it. Through businesses standing together, this is shown through the cohesive way in which the farm is run, where every different team within the farm plays a part in the overall success of the farm, along with their partnerships with other countries. Their commitment and social projects value is shown through their belief in farmer and peasant rights along with the rights of animal welfare. This was also something that was communicated to audiences through advertisements from the farm itself. Overall, this organization is one that enacts their mission “to put potential and resources of the region into value and serve it to the people of the region” through each of their values.

ECOLAND office building

inside the media office (featuring pyle powers posing with daniel the tiger)

schwabian pigs