RE: Self-racism?
February 9, 2015 at 12:04 pm
(This post was last modified: February 9, 2015 at 12:14 pm by Norman Humann.)
(February 9, 2015 at 11:55 am)Alex K Wrote: But maybe that's beside the point of the question - I think the fact that Germany is one of the least flag-waving anthem-singing countries around is first and foremost a consequence of the Nazi era, the foundation of the Federal Republic under American leadership and the confrontation with the Holocaust by the following generation (exemplified by the '68 student revolts). It's not like there was a lack of patriotism before '45. It is today simply seen as a suspicious, possibly dangerous sentiment.
Yeah, that has probably the most to do with it.
I'd like to say we're somewhere in the middle of the flag waving spectrum, but we only wave it when we're under attack. History has a lot to do with the country's mentality, in a huge generalisation, of course. We're really Polish only when we're being invaded. When we're free and prosperous, everyone would rather shit on the flag and go abroad - but say a bad word about us and we're suddenly superpatriotic. We'll find something to complain about either way, because that's how it's always been in history. Kind of exactly what I'm doing right now, but with more cursewords and much more opinionated
Losty, it may not seem like it to an American, but the Holocaust is still a really big deal in Europe. It left many bitter memories and many people who went through it are still alive and even if they aren't, their children are. Being an overly patriotic German just hits home to some people. Many of my family have died in concentration camps, while some of them had been affiliated with the SS. It's still fresh to many people and I can understand how some would rather not wave flags.
