Member of the Bundestag and professional youth Philipp Amthor draws attention to himself with a post on Instagram. He holds a controller in such a poor and faked manner that it brings him much mockery and ridicule, but also the attention of gaming influencer HandofBlood.
This is Philipp Amthor: The 28-year-old Amthor joined the CDU at 16. Since 2017, he has been a member of the German Bundestag. Although not the youngest member of the Bundestag, he is the youngest to win a constituency.
In the years that followed, he earned a reputation as the “shooting star” of the CDU. Due to his bold demeanor, Amthor quickly came into the public eye and became a target for satire. Memes formed around Amthor: some referred to him as the “Harry Potter of the CDU” or “Fipsi”.
His otherwise steep career stumbled in 2019 when he was embroiled in an awkward lobbying affair. Consequently, Amthor withdrew his candidacy for the state chairmanship of the CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern but entered the federal elections of 2021 as the top candidate of the state association.
Memes about Amthor often revolve around his conservative “law and order” image.
“So, enough of this nonsense”
This is the new clip: In a clip from his Instagram account, the 28-year-old politician holds a controller and wildly presses some buttons. It is evident that Amthor
- a) is not really playing.
- b) probably holds a controller for the first time in his life.
- c) apparently has never seen anyone else handle a controller.
Then he pauses, reflects briefly, and says: “So, enough of this nonsense.”
This phrase has already been used by Amthor several times, and it is supposed to become his trademark.
Young Union plans gaming event, seeks influencers
What’s behind the clip? The Young Union is planning a “gaming event” on July 21. Amthor is expected to play Fall Guys starting at 7 PM. The event will be live-streamed on Twitch.
On its own website, the youth organization of the CDU is looking for people who want to compete against Amthor (via jugaming.gg).
He promises to “destroy the nerds while gaming” and to “put an end to nonsense.”
During the internal discussion about the event, the CDU members seem to be amused that Amthor has nothing to do with gaming.
This is suggested by a statement from the “Young Union” leader Tilman Kuban:
“Because motivating Philipp to game… the people will really have to prepare themselves for that.”
Tilman Kuban, leader of the Young Union
This is how it’s discussed: One of the biggest German gaming influencers, HandofBlood, makes fun of the clip. He mentions the “Gamecube” controller that Amthor is holding, and the glasses.
Overall, there is much mockery over the strange finger movements that Amthor makes with the controller.
For many, it is clear that he is only pretending to game: “You can clearly see that he apparently has a controller for the first time in hand. You just can’t take that seriously.”
Others pity Amthor for lacking gaming experience: “I find the mockery here inappropriate. Philipp had friends in his childhood! They just were more interested in legal gray areas with tax loopholes.”
Another Twitter user adds: “That moment when you, as a politician, want to reach a new audience with sympathy, but are as far removed from the subject as the Earth is from the Sun.”
But one also says: “The bad thing about it, I only just realize now. I’m 99% sure he planned it that way. He wanted it to become a meme. Otherwise, no one would have cared here.”
Amthor uses “cringe” as a stylistic device
What’s behind it: The clip seems to have been created with a wink. Amthor is apparently aware of his image as the “oldest twenty-year-old in the world”.
Thus, a meme about him circulates: He is the first person to simultaneously receive child benefits and a pension. Amthor is also often compared to Benjamin Button, who ages backward.
Amthor is here apparently pretending to be a gamer and knows the “gamer language,” even though no one believes him. He is playing here – as in his reaction to the “Rezo video” – obviously with his image. He wants it to be clearly perceived as awkwardly trying hard to the point of being funny.
Handofblood is one of the largest German content creators. The largest German streamers on Twitch are introduced here. One can safely assume that Amthor will also make it onto this list in a few years:
