Herbert Grönemeyer’s song Bochum comes from his 1984 album 4630 Bochum. It is a song of love for the city. It also states plainly that the city is not beautiful and that it is grey from work. Since 1992 the song has been played before every kickoff at VfL Bochum.
Criticizing the Work
Section 193 of the Criminal Code covers tadelnde Urteile über wissenschaftliche, künstlerische oder gewerbliche Leistungen, critical judgments about scientific, artistic or commercial work. It also covers Vorhaltungen und Rügen der Vorgesetzten gegen ihre Untergebenen, reproaches and reprimands by superiors to their subordinates. Such statements are punishable as an insult only if the form of the statement or the circumstances show an insult. So a manager who tells an employee plainly that the work is poor is, as a rule, not punishable for insult, unless the form or the circumstances of the remark make it insulting.
Schmidt the Snout
In the 1950s Helmut Schmidt was a young Social Democrat member of the Bundestag. His sharp-tongued speeches soon earned him the nickname Schmidt-Schnauze, Schmidt the Snout. Schnauze is an animal’s muzzle, and in everyday speech a big mouth. As an expert on transport and defense, he fought fierce debates above all with Franz Josef Strauß. Schmidt later became federal chancellor.
Able to take criticism
The German word kritikfähig has two meanings in Duden. It means able to criticize, and it means able to accept and bear criticism. One word covers both sides of the exchange.