Today's blog topic goes close togehter with the title of my blog: The Frontier Experience.
Yesterday, I talked to some people about German history, namely the more recent one like the coming down of the Berlin Wall, but - inevitably - also about World War II and Nazi Germany. What I realized in some conversations over the last couple of weeks now came clearly to my mind: being in Germany, I always thought that the history of Nazi Germany doesn't really affect me, I don't have to be ashamed of it because I was born only in 1985 (ok, for some of you this might already seem old!) and even my parents were born only in the 1950s. I had nothing to do with the Nazi crimes and WW II and therefore, nobody can blame me.
However, being in the U.S., I was a little shocked how slackly people over here, especially professors, treat the topic of World War II and some of the the crimes committed by the Germans. For example, there are teachers who joke about concentration camps. I mean, not bad jokes, but something like comparing the institution of colleges and the arbitrariness colleges show sometimes to German concentration camps. When I heard things like that I really didn't know what to think or what to say; I was shocked and tongueless.
I mean we Germans still treat this topic very carefully. Showing a swastika will be sentenced and owning Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" is also prohibited. Even if you are a historian you have apply for an permission to access this book.
Just the other day, an Italian court sentenced the Federal Republic of Germany to pay almost 1 million Euro. Background is a massacre on 200 Italians committed by German soldiers during World War II as a retaliation for the murder of three soldiers.
Still, as I wrote above I really felt that I don't have to feel responsible for acts of folly of soldiers of German citizenship, about 64 years ago. But being confronted with the handling of U.S. Americans showed me that I still have the feeling of being sorry for what German people did. That surprised me a lot.
So, the question is: how do things of the past affect us, our lives, our behavior and our feelings? For sure, things happening in our lifetime will do so. But what about things happening 30 or 40 years before you were even born?
Actually, I would say that they may affect us, but that they shouldn't make us feel bad. The same counts for U.S. citizens like you, being born in the late 1980s - the racism that was to be found in the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s wasn't your fault at all!
But still - the same as for me - when you are somewhere abroad and you are confronted with this topic, you might think, feel, react quite differently.
That's stange somehow ... is there something like sin of your forefathers that puts pressure on our conscience?
I really don't know.
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6 comments:
Warum nicht andere Sünden, die Erbsünde schleppen wir doch auch mit uns rum :P
If it is any consolation, I hate jokes about Nazis, the Holocaust, and other such things, and I intend to paint them in their proper perspective if/when I become a teacher/professor of History. Yes, the Nazis did bad things. But is that the fault of the German people? No! Many Germans didn't agree with Hitler and his ideals, from what I've read, let alone support the Holocaust. It saddens me to see people paying for the sins of their forefathers, as you put it.
There is a quote I have heard before, and I think it matches this situation. "History is written by the victors." Germany lost the war, so they were not allowed to write the history books. They couldn't talk about their version of what happened, and America declined to mention the war crimes they committed: The sinking of a German passenger ship, the bombing of civilian population centers, Dresden... Its quite sad when you look at it all from a 3rd party perspective.
I enjoyed reading your opinions on the matter... It was quite insightful, and I am sure it will help other people see things in a better perspective, themselves...
When I read about those students dressing up as SS henchmen, I thought 'idiots'. Still, I don't feel that you cannot make jokes about it, per se. Mel Brooks' The Producers is one of my favourite films, even if the humour sticks in my craw at times. Mind you, Brooks lost members of his family in the Holocaust and he goes on taking the piss out of Hitler. Some people might not be able to laugh about it, I am.
I guess I had never really thought about what it was like to learn about world war two through the eyes of a German. But people from the south get the same generalization. We are presumed to hate black people.
That is such an interesting topic to write on. I am sure that is a very bitter piece of German history that many Germans don't want thrown back in the face constantly.
I like your expression of opinions on this very deep matter of history. I agree, I think people need to see it from a different perspective.
Sehr gute Blog über die Geschichte von Deutschland! Ich habe gelesen wird. Halten Sie schriftlich!
- I tried. haha. hope you can read it.
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