Spiegel, and I imagine the rest of the refusenik press, is indulging in the single most common reason why spelling reforms are rejected: Old people don’t like them.

Ein lesenswerter fremdsprachlicher Beitrag bei A fistful of Euros über die aufgeblasene Aufregung zur Abschaffung bescheuerter und unlogischer Rechtschreibzwänge. Weitere Kostprobe:
Here, for instance, I learn that the spelling reform makes German writing more “primitive”, that eliminating compounds means “some ideas can no longer be expressed in print anymore” and that the reform “suggests changes in pronunciation.” [...]
To this, I can only respond, Oh please!
I don’t know what a “primitive” writing system is if not one that is unsystematic and ill-managed. The notion that any significant semantic distinction is being erased by this reform is ludicrous, [...]

[via Papascott]

Ebenfalls dort aufgeschnappt: The great spelling debate