Comments on: Never ending discussions about West and East Germany

By: Dennis

Dennis — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 00:59:46 +0000

As a Norte Americano I traveled through DDR (Ost-d) by car to Berlin and train (to Moscow) during the early 80s. I loved the slow pace, reminiscent of the 1950s US, and can empathize with those who miss it today; even those wonderful, temperamental, smelly Skoda autos (joke). We could all do with _parts_ of a culture that has remained outside the sturm und drang nach manana, tech und bucks, eh?

Of course Germans are wonderful. I can think of people of no culture I haven’t enjoyed as I got to know them individually or in small numbers. Even US republicans are tolerable in small doses — really small, as babies or only one at a time!

Problems arise when groups form and members become aware of their common bonds and, ergo, distinctions from other groups. That’s the bi-stable effect or yin-yang of tribes. Add stress, such as through forced life style changes during economic recessions, and people seek out their group’s designated or politically correct scapegoats.

The problem with that occurring to any relatively accomplished ethnic group is that its members have tangible evidence of their social virtue. In the US we have wonderful usually easy-going, accommodating young Hispanic males. However, when they fall into the influence of a group (a gang), they reflect/re-emit/amplify the tribal mentality, with too-often disastrous results.

M, u r 2 gr8!

By: MelvinXH

MelvinXH — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:22:59 +0000

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By: Marjolein

Marjolein — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:38:56 +0000

I agree with you, this discussion goes way much deeper than what I pointed out in my post. But I didn’t want to write about just the past, what I think is interesting is the way how younger people behave between one and another. Why don’t they look to the future? Maybe I should have been German to understand this.. But this is the reputation Germany has, a seperated country, still.

I could hate germans as well, because of what they did to my parents and grandparents during the 2nd worldwar. But why should I? During the time I was living in Germany I was really enjoying it and I love german people.

By: westernworld

westernworld — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:49:04 +0000

the east/west division goes much deeper then just having lived in the gdr oneself. east germany perpetuates many traits and mentalities that the 60′ and 70′ changed in the west in addition to differing social and economic structures going back as far as the days of the kaiserreich.

the whole being the conqueror and being the conquered dynamic plays a huge part even for generations to come, because the easterners inherit the bitterness and resentment their parents feel, and quite rightly on occasion, towards the west.

my generation, the so called generation golf, feels just disinherited … all the money that we could have spend on our lives our retirement was blown on the east, all our parents built …

this topic is a bottomless pit and you really would have to be german to read the codes the nuances, the idiosyncrasies.

you must remember that the popular opinion polls pre unification were 69% against in the west, for us the were always the unwelcome poor relations coming to stay.

so social class , regional mentality and historic experiance form an intricate web of mutual dislike.