Postat în Germania forum
I just read a story on Spiegel online which shocked me: According to a new study, more than 14% of German teenagers can be considered as "anti-foreigners", while more than 5% fall into the category of the righ extreme with Nazi-tendencies.
Surprisingly, the bad reputation of foreigners seems to be higher in those regions with little foreigners (so those regions where people don't even know what they talk about!!!).
The original article is here: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,613844,00.h
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To me - this is just another example of human ignorance, but for a foreigners living in Germany, these numbers are pretty scary!
What are your opinions and personal experiences with the way Germans see foreigners?
To John
postat de către Henry Lee în Germania forum
Good point John.." I love my country immensely but also very much enjoy getting to know and experience other cultures". and just to add to it, some of us are here because of other reasons like job or relationships. And to be honest, I have lived in five countries and visited many others and must admit that racism is everywhere. There is an old West Indian say, "Come live with Me & Come visit me are completely two different things". It is the same thing in everything we do in life. People can visit you and we will treat them nice, but when they are here to stay, we start having, seeing or finding faults about them or you in them. Some of us are lucky because we have not come across full blown racism in our lives, some of us are unfortunate to experience the worst side of humanity and others have experienced a little bit of both. At the end of the day, we should watch when we point the finger and see how much is pointing back at us. Racism is a horrible defensive mechanism we all have to some extent to defend ourselves and I have seen and experience it from all works of life and types of people.
P.S
postat de către John Lovejoy în Germania forum
@Mo Osman
P.S.
Quoting you
“...i am sure that if your situation was better in your land, you would have never want to leave anywhere else.”Assume much ?
I love my country immensely but also very much enjoy getting to know and experiencing other cultures.
And yes sadly, Germany is the least friendly place I've been to so far but nevertheless make the best of it. :)...
postat de către John Lovejoy în Germania forum
@Mo Osman
Oh, this not about me or my happiness at all.
I am perfectly fine, do as I please and have chosen to fulfill my contract.
But I am not blind.
Besides Mitmacher sind Mittaeter
This board and thread is about sharing experiences and impressions in the spirit of passing on information, tips and being helpful.Why suggesting, you best go home and DON”T SAY ANYTHING?
Unless you want to control the information and sweep less flattering aspects of Germany under carpet, hide them.
It is a common practice in Germany, in fact the Nr.1 knee-jerk reaction when foreigners or even immigrants with German citizenship speak up, to tell them to either shut up or leave.The thread opener asked the question: How bad is it?
People answer and share.
Is there a problem with that?
Besides what I speak of is corroborated by many and not just on this site.
Telling people to leave is just further confirmation of the facts.
You reap what you sow.True
postat de către Utilizator şters în Germania forum
Actually i agree with Oliver H. and Daniel Hollenbeck. IF YOU DO NOT FEEL HAPPY IN GERMANY TRY SOMEWHERE ELSE: it is completely awkward to live and earn your life in this land while criticizing Germans for giving you the chance to build your life...i am sure that if your situation was better in your land, you would have never want to leave anywhere else.
Your comment to Y.T.
postat de către John Lovejoy în Germania forum
@Daniel Hollenbeck
Your comment to Y.T.
“I mean seriously, allegations of racism are rich coming from a Japanese person. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Sorry TY, racists ARE everywhere. That is not lame, but a sad fact of life”That is a racist slur, because you’re dismissing his entire post solely because he is Japanese.
I am not calling or branding you a racist and don’t think that you meant this to be racist.
But it is.
And that is precisely the problem in Germany that prejudices, racial slurs, negative attitude toward immigrants, foreigners, ethic minorities, denial of housing and jobs is not considered to be racist.
It’s like a huge blind spot, when in fact it is the definition of racism and xenophobia.What makes the problem exponentially worse is what is currently discussed in the “Are Germans rude” tread on the same board.
Where several Germans explained that it is not common to talk to or be friendly with “strangers”. That it’s not rude, “ Get used to it if you want to live here. Deal with it.”
As if this where not rude.
Presenting the stranger, foreigner, immigrant, ethnic minority with the problem that he/ she has little chance to change that rash judgments past on face value alone because of the standoffishness and cultural disconnect.I cannot count how often I have witnessed or encountered such prejudices and slurs engaged in by otherwise perfectly normal if not nice people here, done with such nonchalance and air of entitlement and that is what makes it so chilling and disturbing.
They don’t see and often appear to be unaware how offensive and hurtful this is, precisely because it is so normal in Germany and culturally acceptable.
You can’t fix a problem if you don’t recognize it.@TY @John Lovejoy
postat de către Utilizator şters în Germania forum
Thank you for your answers, gentlemen.
First of all, as I teach politics and history, I totally agree that I have an impact on the future behaviour of my pupils. Incidentally, we teach a lot about the 3rd Reich, especially under the viewpoint of just want went so horribly wrong that the German people turned on first part of their own people, then on half the civilized world.
But, that said, the war ended more than half a century ago and the Nazis are in the dustbin of history, right where they belong.
And I think I might be entitled to add that while the Germans have worked on a critical reception of their own history, other nationalites might benefit from a similar work on their own countries dark aspects of their past. But they don´t, I´m guessing because it is so much easier to point the finger. "My country, right or wrong" is not a German phrase.
I mean seriously, allegations of racism are rich coming from a Japanese person. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Sorry TY, racists ARE everywhere. That is not lame, but a sad fact of life.
Ha, etwa nicht???
postat de către Utilizator şters în Germania forum
Meine Familie kommt daher und es ist halt, ähm, etwas ländlich.
Arsch, ja? ;) Hey, ich hab Dich doch auch lieb ;))
another excuse
postat de către T Y în Germania forum
Dear Daniel Hollenbeck,
it's actually no longer the Hitler past or the Germany's dark history that is creating the illusion of German racists. excuses like "racists are everywhere" or "it's not worse than UK, France, etc," are getting just too lame. let's admit all that, but what makes Germans different is that average Germans are (not knowingly??) very insensitive and ignorant, I mean exceptionally ignorant. I've also met very friendly Germans who are just as open minded as Brits, Americans, Canadians, etc, but those are very rare, and I don't think they represent the majority.
and I believe we are complaining about those average Germans, and not just neio nazis.
I think it'd be really cool if a German person admitted the reality and were willing to start a discussion on improving the situation instead of denying all the negative experiences foreigners have encountered. this is the only way for you Germans to convince us that the Germans aren't that bad.
agreed
postat de către John Lovejoy în Germania forum
@Daniel Hollenbeck
I agree that the Nazi talk is inappropriate and has no place in a civil discussion unless one refers to real Nazis or Neo Nazis.
Moreover Neo Nazism these days is not limited to Germany but sadly has found its way in many other cultures too.
Neither is racism necessarily nazism but sometimes just racism and varying in degrees from mild xenophobia (mostly born out of fear or ignorance) to full blown hatred of “the others” just because and then often rooted in delusions of cultural and or racial superiority.In your post you said that you teach kids from varying ethnic backgrounds and that they get along just fine.
This does not surprise me because racism is an ideology and with that has to be taught first.
A kid on his own would not be racist unless somebody taught him or her that or its part of the culture and environment they grow up in by witnessing it or being subjected to it.
So the lesson here is, how you treat others in the presents of children will deeply impact them for the rest of their life.