ENVY

The lack of bitter, counter-productive responses is encouraging.

I am aware that I express thoughts that many would prefer to deny or ignore. First my direct responses:

@Karla: Nice name. You trip appears to be focused around large "West" (influenced) cities. I say influenced because technically Berlin isn't in the West part of the country. Your experience would differ extremely if you were visiting smaller or "decidedly Eastern" German cities. Additionally it will be relatively brief. This plus your youth & two "X" chromosomes probably means you will have the time of your life. Being female might be your greatest asset overall. Sad but true. People of different genders who are placed in the same set of circumstances typically have more positive experience from the social (human) components. Anyone courageous (or foolhardy) enough to visit countries without a common language probably will probably be flexible & can roll with the punches.

I wish you a great trip. Extra-Tip: Advertising the fact that you are Mexican & JUST VISITING could improve your experience.

@mee: Your comments about German jealousy seem naïve if not completely in denial.

Neid, Volkskrankheit? Germans are notoriously jealous of one another & foreigners. To offer sugar-coated opinions to the contrary is reckless. This dynamic to everyday personal & professional social interactions in Germans is something persons wishing to live/study in Germany need to know. People considering something as extreme as relocating need such details in order to make informed decisions. We all place different importance on the components that make up life in a particular environment. For one, the quality of scientific education is all that matters, for another it’s public safety (low incidence of gun violence), & yet another is focused on availability/cost of health care. Maybe for Ms. Yamamoto a lack of religious diversity/tolerance is a deal breaker, for Mr. Abdullah it’s taxes & Mr. Smith can’t handle certain social peculiarities. Isn’t it fair to tell Mr. Smith the truth & let him make the best decision based on as much information as possible? A fully informed resident is far more productive than a disillusioned one. Naturally things like jealousy affect people on vacation to a lesser extent, but they too should have access to accurate information. If you don’t act envious, then you are happy & satisfied with your life, what you have, & what you have earned…IN COMPARISON TO THOSE AROUND YOU! The guy working at the assembly line at VW waiting in line for soccer tickets is not jealous of the drunken homeless guy passed out in the alley. He IS envious of the Turkish/Russian guy who just drove by in his new S-Klasse on his way to the VIP entrance to his luxury box in the Allianz Arena. This is not healthy “I wish I had that” or “wow, cool” form but a much more insidious form. VW guy (hab nichts gegen band arbeitern bei VW…es ist NUR als beispiel…some of my best friends work at VW …really) will be irritated anytime he sees someone pay with a large Euro note, wearing clothes that appear expensive, driving a nice car, or any other signs of success which VW guy does not have. Many Germans resent those who have or show prosperity. There is an unwritten rule that you are not supposed to have more than your neighbor…& if you do, hide it! Germans (& foreigners alike) often relocate or live lives of secrecy rather than risk the envious friends of their “former lives”. The mixing of economic classes often ends badly. The source of the prosperity is irrelevant to the offended party. VW guy doesn’t care that you legally & ethically earned what you have. To him it’s “not fair”. (dass du hast für 8 Jahre studiert & war mehrmals befördert spielt keine rolle.) Furthermore, you should have been content to your prosperity as to not make anyone else feel inferior by comparison.

I don’t feel your schools encourage free thinking, but rather the perpetuation of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. This creates a society that will defend to the death certain accepted social principles despite their obsolescence. Ladenschlussgesetz: An impractical sign of German inflexibility for over 50 years. It was obsolete at its inception, but has been used as a piece of propaganda to advance various agendas. Despite the fact that most Germans find its limits stifling, it has been the political sacred cow since 1956. Those defending it have threatened that its elimination would result in the destruction of families, exploitation of the working class, & fabric of society becoming irrevocably unstitched.

I empathize with your “Post-War” shame & agree that it may seem unfair that you must bare its burden. In my previous post I eluded to the fact that the Germans picked the wrong race & the wrong time to perpetuate genocide.(there is, course, no “right” race or “right” time to commit mass murder) The victims of the Holocaust have a voice…very loud, electronic, mass marketed, all-reaching, digital surround sound, downloadable voice. Every German reading this may want to grab a strong drink because you are probably not going to like my solution for you. Since it’s highly unlikely that Jewish people relinquish their influence in the media & even less likely that they will stop talking about the Holocaust, Germans have only two options. Shame or Change. If the only negative thing about German society was its WWII legacy, then this board wouldn’t exist & we would all be eating Waldmeister ice cream in Schloss Neuschwanstein. Hitler took advantage of deeply rooted behaviors & beliefs to create the Third Reich. Without the fertile social conditions, his rise to power would have been impossible, fruitless, or unremarkable. Ironically, (based on the “no jealousy” post), among the contributing factors was widespread jealousy & envy of the large & successful Jewish population. Modern-day Germans have not made great strides in their popularity (especially among neighboring countries). Germans are often seen as cold, depressed, envious, jealous, inflexible, backward-thinking, & cheap. (THESE CONDITIONS ARE, OF COURSE FOUND IN EVERY SOCIETY, I’M ONLY LISTING COMMON IMPRESSIONS OF GERMANS) Every German knows what is meant by “Typisch Deutsch”. I submit that every time a German, REGARDLESS OF GENERATION, behaves in this manner it validates, perpetuates, & propagates the negative perceptions & stereotypes about German people. Every one of us comes from a culture or nationality with well known negative stereotypical traits. When we fulfill those stereotypes we do ourselves, all those like us, & our future generations a disservice. YOU ARE YOUR CHOICES. If you don’t want to live with Post-War shame, make Germany & Germans (by your actions) something less shameful. Make “Typisch Deutsch” something positive. If YOU change what “typical” German behavior is, then the opinions & stereotypes will change as well.

The media can talk all day about your past, but if your present is unequivocally different…then it’s just talk. If you aren’t who they say you are, then make who you are louder than who they “think” you are.

@mr_black: I am curious to hear specifics about your situation. In as exacting detail as possible. I find it fascinating to compare & contrast the individual components & choices that make up an individual’s experience. By exchanging this information we can enable to others to make better decisions for themselves. I received very subtle advice during my first visits that were difficult to decipher & interpret. Of course “if I knew then what I know now” would have played an extensive role in my decision-making, but I’m not so sure that my overall choice would have been altered. I feel that we have the opportunity to offer those at a crossroad as to their country of residence a powerful tool. My goal is not to bash Germany but rather to remove the illusions & denial. Please make sure that you are objective in your sharing. If you just rant, then you give ample fodder to those who reminisce about “the good ol’ days” (damals war alles besser) & those living in denial. Be clear & if you must include emotional details, make sure that it is discernable.

@flyindutch: Of all the people who have ever (anonymously) disagreed with me, your words have given me the greatest desire to meet & talk.

In conclusion:

The beauty of German churches, cities, parks, forests, & castles is legendary. The exhilaration of her Autobahn is the stiff that dreams are made of. Germany’s Schiffshebewerke (boat lifts) are awe-inspiring engineering marvels. Her Denkmalen (monuments) & structures are breathtaking. Even the preservation of Konzentrationslagern (Concentration camps) is admirable. If you drive at 230 km/h on A14 freeway after visiting the Völkerschlachtdenkmal in Lepzig, stop & see the last work from Hundertwasser in Magdeburg, walk the historic district of Lüneburg, watch the 38 meter ship elevator around the corner in Scharnebeck, trek west to see the Cologne Cathedral (600 years in the making), then back south to watch people surfing the canal in München, head back up & hug a column of the Brandenburger Tor & then make it to Rügen and…do nothing, you will know (some of) the beauty of Germany…BUT… Just as you need to inform yourself about the best way to go about visiting these places, you need to be prepared for the mentalities of some of the people you will meet along the way. If your stay requires anything more than a Schengen Visa, there are a number undeniable historical, political, psychological, & socio-economic realities that must be faced.

RN

ronniesneffe 22 Июн 2009, 08:43 - Report