Hitler on display - Berlin 1st Since WWII

[Penn]

Wow!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11542473

[Wiseman]

This is surprising for Germany. Normally, any product, that displays anything relating to Nazis is not allowed in Germany, particularly video games that contain swastikas are censored and some are even banned.

[rdret1]

With the passing of most of the WWII vets from all countries, their memories of what it was really like are fading from public thought as well. Liberal educations and the changing of history text books are downplaying and even omitting many of the worst atrocities. Like the old saying goes: "history repeats itself." Some of us may live long enough to see it come true.

[akv]

This could go either way IMHO, on the one hand give the Germans credit for confronting the evils of their past, unlike the Japanese or the Turks who ignore, deny or omit responsibility for Nanking or the Armenians, it could as stated attract a neo-nazi presence, but like cockroaches isn't it better to see them?

To paraphrase Kit Cessna, the Europeans are not nearly the tolerant pacifists recent popular culture has led them to believe. A couple thousand years of constant bloody and in two cases global strife is hard to label as anachronism. This conduct isn't unique to Europe, however relatively the Third World doesn't seem to share these fanciful pacifist notions. Hopefully studying the lessons of their past both good and bad will lower the possibility of repeating it in a scenario similar to Bosnia.

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by Wiseman

This is surprising for Germany. Normally, any product, that displays anything relating to Nazis is not allowed in Germany, particularly video games that contain swastikas are censored and some are even banned.

You might surprised, while distancing themselves from the Holocaust, for many Germans there is an underground pride of how their Grandfathers served the Fatherland.

One evening several years ago while on Team Speak, a young German was excited to tell me he had received something very special for his 18th Birthday but he was disappointed he could not talk about it outside the family, but since I was in the US it was no problem.

What he received was his Grandfathers SS Dagger. And he explained the family (as are most families he knew) was extremely proud of his service to the Fatherland and it was quite an honor to be chosen the recipient of the gift.

[mojaveman]

Many Germans don't share the same view of Hitler that "Auslanders" do. In talking with many of them on the subject I formed the opinion that they view the entire Third Reich as some sort of self made catastrophic mistake rather than a great evil.

[Paslode]

You may find this related...

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE69F19T20101016

Horst Seehofer, chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the CDU's sister party, has rejected any relaxation of immigration laws and said last week there was no room in Germany for more people from "alien cultures.

[Surf n Turf]

Saw this on German TV last night (Deutsche Welle – worldwide), and everyone was tiptoeing around the issue in an extremely PC fashion.
There is a veneer of pacifism in Germany today, but history is what it is – and now they are in a self justification mode.
SnT

Originally Posted by Paslode

You may find this related...

Horst Seehofer, chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the CDU's sister party, has rejected any relaxation of immigration laws and said last week there was no room in Germany for more people from "alien cultures.

Paslode,
I believe that the comments have more to do with the Muslims inability to assimilate than a sense of “German Nationalism”

“Attempts to build a multicultural society in Germany have "utterly failed," according to Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"This approach has failed, utterly failed," said Merkel, head of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), in a speech to the party's young people's association in Potsdam on Saturday. She added that not enough was done in the past to support the movement. "The failures of the last 30 or 40 years cannot be resolved so quickly," she said.
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6118859,00.html

[Zosima]

Somehow I missed the post above me, its about the same topic from a different source.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11559451

[Iraqgunz]

As someone who did their first tour of duty in Germany and spent many years there as well as having two children who live there now I have been listening to the events with interest.

My first wife was German and her grandfather (who was alive when we met) was a member of the brown shirts and later served in the Kriegsmarine.

I was amazed at how little the Germans knew of their own country and it's history. My wife had no idea about all the atrocities committed and she told me that in school they really gloss over WWII history.

It seems to me that their denial of what happened and lack of education on the subject in the schools is what has allowed certain groups to flourish.

I distinctly remember many of the "average Johann's" not being so happy about the influx of Muslims into Germany and many felt that Germany should be helping it's own people first.

I wonder if this is a signal of Germany heading back down a path previously traveled?

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by Surf n Turf

Paslode,
I believe that the comments have more to do with the Muslims inability to assimilate than a sense of “German Nationalism”

I believe you are correct, however there are factions within their political structure that lean towards German Nationalism., some even embrace it. Many Germans have a growing distaste for immigrants, in particular Turks and their Governments lax immigration policies and standards.

From what I recall (I will see if I can find the article), it was only a couple years ago that a particular nationalist leaning party with supposed ties with White Supremacist groups was making serious en-roads into the Bundestag. In the article it mentioned that if this group gained enough seats in the Bundestag, Germany would likely become less immigrant friendly state.

That particular group was campaigning along the lines of anti-immigration and the Turk scourge.


Time will tell.