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I think the idea is that Germany has had a confrontation with their past, and there's been a national cleansing of sorts, so that any mention of the Nazis (as analogy) seems grossly unfair as it wipes away the postwar confrontation with history.

But I place much of this discussion on an analysis of certain repercussions that have not yet been dealt with.

Frankly, I've been shocked at the depiction of Greece and Greeks by the German media and German hierarchy. Given Germany's history vis-a-vis Greece, I did assume Germany would be more chaste in its approach.

This is what sticks in my craw more than anything: when discussing Greece's history of poverty and defaults on its loans, it's apparently OK to go back centuries and insinuate there is something rotten in Greek genetics or DNA, but with Germany, it's verboten to go back in history to make the same examination. As well, we hear of heeding the dangers of inflation given Germany's pre-war experience, but such references block out the experiences of lesser countries that suffered under the Nazi boot by focalizing events solely through German eyes.

To sum up: there's a double standard at play in the revision and analysis of history. If you're going to look back, you can't delimit the discussion. It presents a skewed context if you do.

by Upstate NY on Tue Feb 21st, 2012 at 10:49:54 AM EST
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Germans have not learned a thing except to be quiet while talking about Jews when there are other people around, and I say that as a German.  
by stevesim on Tue Feb 21st, 2012 at 11:25:20 AM EST
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Really. Do you really thing present day Germany suffers from e. g. militarism?
by IM on Tue Feb 21st, 2012 at 11:46:37 AM EST
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let's face it -  Germans are super arrogant.  

in a lot of southern vacation spots, they have two areas - one for Germans, and one for the other guests.

I know scientists who went to do some work in Germany and could not stand the arrogance of the scientists they were working with, who did not have the knowledge or experience of my North American friends but would simply say "We are German, of course we are better scientists".  This, while my friend is a consultant to help them set up their apparatus.

Germans are super defensive and consider that they should be supreme in all aspects of everything.  For example, in my last job, the Germans would tell me that while I knew American movies,  I did not seem to know German movies so well -  maybe because Germans haven't made such a big impact as Americans have on the field!

And on, and on, and on.

They are no longer so military, but their aggressiveness and superiority complex needs to be toned down quite a bit.  They are obnoxious.

I am, of course, speaking in generalities here and not every German fits into this type, but a LOT of them do.

by stevesim on Tue Feb 21st, 2012 at 12:28:00 PM EST
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when I was working for the EU project, there were 2 groups -  the Germans, and everyone else.  The Germans did not mix with the others, despite being invited.  They would go to Germany for lunch from Strasbourg every single day, despite France being known for its good food.

And as I said, I AM German, speak it and have a German passport.  And I had real problems tolerating them.  

by stevesim on Tue Feb 21st, 2012 at 12:35:14 PM EST
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If anything, they suffer from pacifism.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
by Starvid on Tue Feb 21st, 2012 at 04:13:05 PM EST
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Some Germans.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Tue Feb 21st, 2012 at 11:48:53 AM EST
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that goes without saying.
by stevesim on Tue Feb 21st, 2012 at 12:28:20 PM EST
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I don't claim it is fair. But neither is really the role of devilish Germans in the gun'n'nazis version of history that takes Nazi Germany out of context by leaving out the atrocities and genocides various european powers committed in their colonies. Still, it is what it is, mention nazis and many - not limited to Germans - will immediatley jump to the Holocaust. Within a national discourse in a country that was occupied by Nazi Germany I guess the occupation may trumf the Holocaust as primary reference and thus be instead if you mention nazis you better say something about the occupation because that is what your audience will have on their minds.

The rest of German history is another matter. Blame them for the Latin empire, or imposing that deadbeat German prince who failed to pay his bills and I don't think you will get the same reaction.

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by A swedish kind of death on Tue Feb 21st, 2012 at 04:30:57 PM EST
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