i don't buy your second premise, except of course there will be some SS children and grandchildren who fit the profile in a country as large as here.

But most Germans i've met fit a wide enough profile as to be indistinguishable from the profile of any other place in the west. Though Yurpeens have several distinct cultural advantages over their USian counterparts. But that's not under discussion here.

Most Germans buy into the attempt at making civilization more sustainable, no matter their political stripe. And they bury stereotyping better.

And i don't buy the premise on the "Ossies." If anything causes a difference, it's that there isn't enough money or jobs in the east. And places like Leipzig or Dresden are havens of progressive thought and art, even if not so much political power.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin