Viral scorn over Merkel's 'virgin territory' quip

[steve2470]

http://www.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20130620-50421.html



Chancellor Angela Merkel described the internet as “virgin territory” during a press conference with President Obama on Wednesday, prompting Twitter to explode with mockery about her recent discovery of a brave new online world.

"The internet is virgin territory (Neuland) for us all,” Merkel declared on Wednesday. But if she had meant to make a meaningful comment on the borderless, Wild West nature of the internet, it was lost on German internet users - who took to Twitter to poke fun.

Within minutes of her comment, the social network was buzzing with Tweets wondering what planet the Chancellor had been living on for the last twenty years.

Then, using the hashtag #neuland, a trickle of scornful memes began appearing which soon swelled into a viral flood as word got out across the Twittersphere.

[Monkie]

1. in europe mocking ones leaders is a time honoured tradition and a sign of a strong democracy

and nobody in germany is going to attempt to say with a straight face that those mocking merkel are misogynists (hint hint)

[Eleanors38]

2. What is she trying to do, boost tourism?

[OldEurope]

3. In fact she did not say that.

What she said was that the juridical procedures of the internet are "unknown territory", especially because different countries have different laws about privacy. It was a remark on the NSA cause which is complicated due to the fact that American authorities used American companies to spy on foreign citizens.
As usual some journalist tried to ridicule her by telling only a part of her speach.

I'm no friend of Merkel, but I'm not a friend of silly journalists, too.

[steve2470]

4. ah thanks for that info nt