A few years ago, I came across this sketch on YouTube. I thought it was funny and I get most of it but there were a few specific bits I wanted to ask about – cultural rather than language problems, I think!

  • 0:43 – He's active in the Gewerkschaft für den Öffentlichen Dienst, but also in the Kameradschaftsbund. So I guess the former is a Trade Union and is traditionally left-wing, while the latter is some kind of right-wing bro thing?

  • 1:06 was that "my wife was working when I met her, but I soon talked her out of that"?

  • Straight after that he says their son works for the Wiener Verkehrsbetrieben (I presume this is now Wiener Linien) as a ticket inspector, and they're very proud. This gets a small laugh, but I'm not sure why

  • 1:47 He's a "big music fan", particularly classical, then names Andre Rieu (got that one – middle-of-the-road mass market light classical) and Helmut Lotti. Not sure who the latter is and why that's so funny. And they're regulars at the Mörbische Seefestspiele – are they considered similarly lowbrow/light?

I think I got the rest,,,

by Brickie78

3 comments

  1. GÖD is affiliated with the conservatives. “wean of” would also be a fitting translation. WVB in fact turned into WL. No idea about Mörbisch, it’s Operettas.

  2. No, the GÖD is not left-wing by our standards. They have always had leadership connected to the center-right economically liberal / socially conservative ÖVP party. The Police (and other executive jobs) union part of GÖD is very large afterall.

    The entire section is funny to the audience because just before he says “I’m not politically affiliated” and then lists all sorts of things closely affiliated with the ÖVP and conservativism. Essentially he’s portraying the sort of person who says “I’m not political at all”, but rants about immigrants and socialists after a few beers.

    > 1:06 was that “my wife was working when I met her, but I soon talked her out of that”?

    More like “I made sure she didn’t work anymore wink wink”. Implying he forced his wife to be a housewife.

    Helmut Lotti is considered Pop by many people. Not very high brow fore sure. The section pretty much says “I brag about buying Mörbisch tickets without caring much for the art”.

  3. The son works as a ticket inspector, which is not a particularly prestigious job.

    I guess it’s about showing a certain status when you have a premiere subscription to the Seefestspiele in Mörbisch, where mostly operettas were shown in the past.

Leave a Reply