As a German , How do you feel when you hear about the " Nazi Era ".? Do you feel upset that you are blamed on something you personally had no part in , or something that happened before you were born ? . Do you feel that the image Germany is still suffering because of what happened during this time ?
Deutsch oder English
Danke.
2006-08-16 00:43:32 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
Hey,
I grew up hearing racist comments ( I am german, my step dad is englsih - he is in the Army so I lived with mainly British people).
It was really awful at times but what you said was mainly my answer : "Way before my time - nothing to do with me".
Yes germans still have a bad image because of it and we are never allowed to be proud of our country because it would look wrong.
However, I think the World Cup did us good - because Germany did well and the Flags were flying (which doesnt ususally happen) - our only problem is now - tackeling that "towel - sunlounge problem" on holiday - which is more than likely what most people think of these days when Germans are mentioned! LOL
2006-08-16 00:54:25 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am an english man who has lived in Germany for the past 12 years. Frm what I have seen over my time the germans are very keen to forget the past and move on! For some time they thought that even flying a german flag was a mark of nationalism and therefore a sign that someone might be a Nazi. And you would never see anyone walking around in a german football top, something that we in Britain would find strange.
I think the world cup helped as well. Most of the german cars had flags flying and some still do now. The younger generation can talk about the past now and see it as something the olde guys screwed up with and something that would never happen again. That is why they don't really get involved in conflicts, even peacekeeping roles, much at the moment. However, they are looking to change that.
Some of the older generation, espcially in the south, totally deny anything happened. However, the country as a whole is moving on and quite rightly, too!
2006-08-16 08:04:59 · answer #2 · answered by Whitelord 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As a german living in England it seems only the british media and those fools easily influenced by it blame modern Germany and its citizens for the Nazi Era.
Germans feel regret over the actions of their predecessors, however these are virtually all dead or dying, yet no german in their right mind feels guilty.
I feel upset that many in this country allow their thinking to unduly influenced by 'The Sun' or Jeremy Clarkson as opposed to spending some time in the country they criticise and getting to know the mentality.
Do english people feel guilty over the colonies they took? Do catholics feel guilty over the massacre during the cruisades?
No.
2006-08-16 10:05:30 · answer #3 · answered by losparx 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ich bin kein Deutscher. Aber ich lerne jetzt Deutsch sprache.
It is really a shameful era for the Germans but Germany shouldn't be blamed for that it's an one-man act done by the worst and most cruel person in the history named Hitler who has taken birth again on this earth with the name Osama Bin Laden.
2006-08-16 07:54:48 · answer #4 · answered by Max P 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was born in England but my Grandfather was a German soldier. I still get called a Nazi even now.
The other day, during the world cup, England were knocked out so I thought I'd wear a German shirt for their semi final. As I walked along the street a group of men (yes men) stopped their car and shouted, "German c*nt" at me. I gestured for them to get out of the car and they sped off. It's only small minded cowards that ever have anything to say so I'm not too worried by it.
Germany are a close ally of ours now and are probably the most closely related nation to us ancestrally.
2006-08-16 08:11:48 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
the german people and sensible people all the world are tired of questions like that that come from people with no ambition and no desire for an exciting world future
the only reason why we think of that era so much is cos its always brought up by the media and english football supporters. noone goes on about the 125 million killed by commies in china and ussr...constantly talking about the nazi era just seems like the fashionable thing to do, like people slagging off the New York Yankees
2006-08-16 07:53:18 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
as an english man i feel shame, for what we did during the days of empire. slavery, butchery rape and plunder.. Some what similar to the wars, but what germany didnt do, was draw straight lines on all the maps, giving countries new borders, and completely ignoring the old ones. that is our real lasting shame, because even today so many wars are based around borders we created.. the current germans will probably have some of this type of shame.
2006-08-16 08:11:56 · answer #7 · answered by yeah well 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes it seems unfair why can't people just forgive and forget but some (v.old) people still feel v.bitter about it, my grandad for example who used to live in Jersey which was occupied by the Nazis during the 2nd world war. But the he is bitter about a few things God Bless him. I knew a German girl for a short time she was angry about this unfair treatment..
2006-08-16 07:50:33 · answer #8 · answered by Dan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not from Germany but I was married to one and lived there for 3 years. My ex father-in-law was an SS officer. He never once spoke of the war and had nothing but praise for the United States and it's democracy. If anyone started talking about WWII, he would get up and leave the room. My ex mother-in-law told me that when US forces entered their city everyone was lined up on the sidewalks cheering and welcoming them. She is the one who told me that her husband did what he had to do because he had a wife and 7 children. In the 3 years I was there I never met anyone that had anything but disgust for Hitler. They would say his name and then spit. From what I understand about 98% of the military did what they were told to do for fear of their families being tortured and killed. My father-in-law always seemed like he was still carrying the burden of what he had been forced to do. He never said a disparaging thing about jews.
2006-08-16 08:04:09 · answer #9 · answered by blustang04 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Would your queston also include the japanese for the war crimes they committed or the americans/british for the war crimes they have also committed and the many other countries that have done likewise. We all have skeletons somewhere along the line live and let it go its in the past not in the now
2006-08-16 07:51:59 · answer #10 · answered by citta_uk 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋