Scottsdale, Arizona
“IT’S A DIFFERENT KIND OF HEAT.” You see these words on T-shirts and shot glasses at the souvenir shops in Arizona. But it really is true: Despite temperatures that hover around 105 degrees, it is much more bearable than back East, where the humidity can be stifling. And with its Sonoran desert, abundant cacti, and jutting red rocks, Arizona offers a refreshing change of scenery. It truly has a calming effect on the body. Or perhaps it’s the $155 Sonwai massage at the Hyatt Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale (“Quiet your mind. Breathe deeply,” advises the hotel’s website; “You can request a full-body massage or a treatment targeting specific areas”). Not that I had time for massages–I was in Scottsdale on official business. The Hyatt Gainey Ranch played host last month to the 25th annual American-German Young Leaders conference. Sponsored by the American Council on Germany and Atlantik-Brücke, the confab brought together a dynamic group of young Germans and Americans from the fields of government, business, and the media. The theme was “Assessing the U.S.-German Relationship: A Partnership Amid Tensions,” and for four days we debated the future role of the United Nations, the lessons of Iraq, and the global economy.
In between plenary sessions and the smaller discussion groups, the delegates enjoyed dining with keynote speakers such as ACG chairman and former NBC chief correspondent Garrick Utley. But the key moment came at a lunch with Joe Arpaio, Maricopa County’s meanest and toughest sheriff, and one of the most shameless self-promoters in America, which is saying something.
ARPAIO is known in Arizona for his “Tent City,” in which inmates live outdoors (“just like our troops in the Middle East,” he points out), eat reduced-calorie meals, and wear pink underwear. He also boasted about his chain-gangs, which line the highways picking up trash. Women serve on the chain-gang, too, he told us, since he’s a big believer in equal rights. And then there was the time inmates were forced to eat green bologna. And on and on and on. Most of the Americans listening to his rant laughed incredulously and brushed off his pronouncements as exaggerations meant for shock value. The Germans, however, were horrified.
“Disgusting,” said one, loud enough for other tables to hear. A few even walked out. Several Germans dared to question the sheriff about recidivism rates (Arpaio had no concrete numbers) and accountability (“I have no boss” other than the voters, he explained). But having heard it all before, Arpaio was ready with comebacks, wisecracks, and retorts. When he concluded his speech, the controversy spilled out into the lobby, where some Germans, a few members of the Bundestag in particular, were engaged in a heated debate about human rights violations and questionable comparisons to East Germany (and wondering why they were subjected to Arpaio in the first place). The result was an ad hoc session contrasting the differences between American and German values.
Some of the German delegates were genuinely angry not only at Arpaio’s remarks, but that he was a featured speaker. There were dark warnings that Arpaio’s electoral success did not bode well for America. “We are going down the road to tyranny. The United States is losing its attraction as a role model of democracy for the world,” exclaimed one delegate. Another was disturbed by the Americans laughing at Arpaio’s snarky comments. Another felt an all-too-familiar onus: “I feel guilty for not having stood up to him,” he said.
The Americans were, for the most part, silent and taken aback. A few chimed in to explain that Arpaio is famous for exaggeration. Some tried to reassure the Germans that the sheriff was not a sign of things to come–that the nation still has safeguards to prevent the rise of a dictator. Nevertheless, one of the larger issues was the apparent divergence concerning the rights of criminals. “It’s not that we don’t share the same values,” explained one American, “but we do have different experiences. From the time of our Founders, we’ve placed a lot of weight on the individual and liberty.” Another American provided a better context, explaining that the rise of Joe Arpaio and his methods came at a time in the early 1990s when crime rates were dangerously high.
“I underestimated the German response,” said Elmar Thevessen, news director for ZDF television. “I thought they would book it under the ‘wild, wild west’ stereotype. But they took offense because of our deep belief in human dignity.” Thevessen is familiar with Sheriff Joe since he visited Tent City in 1996. “It is true Arpaio puts on a little show every time he speaks. But by the same token he represents a system of humiliation that extends far beyond the unusual treatment of the detainees.” Thevessen was sure to clarify that he wasn’t soft on crime. “‘Being tough on criminals’–I am all for it! But violating the principle of human dignity–which was instilled into the German constitution by our American friends–is not the right way for a democracy to achieve its goals and protect its values.”
Not that all Germans felt as strongly. “There is so much worse out there in the world,” said one German. “And besides, you should see some German prisons. They aren’t exactly the greatest either.”
The vociferous German reaction, though surprising, should be welcomed. It is a good thing that the Germans of today hold human rights and dignity so close to their hearts. (Would we prefer they instead embrace order and conformity?)
THE NEXT DAY, several delegates took Arpaio up on his offer to visit the prison. According to one German, there were no signs of human rights violations and that given a choice between living in an indoors facility or on the tent grounds, she would opt for the latter. (This did, however, upset some of her colleagues who felt she was playing into the hands of Arpaio by having visited the jail at all.)
Throughout the conference, there was much criticism to be had: Some Germans thought the Americans ought to see things not just in black and white but in more complex terms. Meanwhile, former CDU treasurer Walther Leisler Kiep criticized Germany for neglecting its military responsibility in the post-Cold War years, “having gotten drunk on the peace dividend,” and spoke of the need to “stop the discussion of the legality of the war and focus on winning the peace.” But at the end of the day, despite many differences, some commonalities prevailed (namely, a love for drinking and obnoxious karaoke at the pool bar). As one German delegate astutely noted, “Outside of Europe and North America, how much of the world really shares our beliefs in democracy and freedom?” It is this very notion that brings us back from the edge–a realization that whatever differences exist, there is still a need to get along and find ways to work together (in Iraq, the war on terror, and getting free massages at the spa).
Victorino Matus is an assistant managing editor at The Weekly Standard.
