German Guilt, Postwar Burden

In this article written by German- Canadian journalist Ingeborg Boyens, she confessed the ambivalence growing up as a German immigrant in Canada. In her memory, children of German heritage were often being bullied and recruited as the evil losers in war games that were played out on the street. The German identity of these second generation children was often being purposely disguised. “I was so desperate to blend in, on the walk to the bus stop most mornings I undid the braids my mother had earlier lovingly plaited. On the walk home, I redid the braids to complete my transformation from German to Canadian to German again. Did my parents not notice my flyaway, disheveled look? If so, they never said.” This sense of German guilt has prevailed since the Second World War. Though it might have subsided over the years, the residue of the war has still been nibbling many Germans and people of German heritage. “My German guilt will be with me until the day I die. ” Boyens admitted. She also mentions that in Winnipeg, the German-populated town where the author grew up has only one German restaurant, with the fear of any hint of German nationalism. However, this is the reflection of an at least 40 year-old, decades have passed, and the situations are different to those of the next generation German- Canadians and Americans. In Seattle, just by walking around U-District and a little further down to Roosevelt, at least 3 German restaurants/ bars can be seen, and the restaurants also do not avoid playing German TV shows and music. Time has passed, it seems that, although many Germans are still afraid of showing patriotism and nationalism, but the circumstance has changed, and the identification with German heritage and culture are slowly making their way back.

~Eunice

Marijuana

Marijuana has been a hot topic of late in the U.S. with the debate over whether or not to legalize it. It appears that the same is also true in Germany. Der Spiegel's article "German Politician Inhales on Live TV", they briefly discuss the legal state of marijuana, and the repercussions of using it.

They also mention the possibility of classifying marijuana "on the same level as other 'soft' drugs such as alcohol and nicotine". How does this compare to the American discussion? Would Germans agree with how we regulate "soft" drugs? 

Is US Foreign Policy Falling Behind?

In light of the recent American foreign policy debate, I thought it would be interesting to see what Germans are saying about the subject. In an article from Der Spiegel titled "Debate Reveals Outdated US Foreign Policy", both Romney and Obama were bashed for their outdated, Bush era, stance on foreign policy. The article stated that they were not focusing on important, new global challenges such as green technology and the rise of Asia, but instead still stuck in a world order created by the Bush administration that focused on the Middle East.
    From an American perspective I found this idea completely new. I had just assumed that because the US was so focused on the Middle East, so was the rest of the world. Instead I was caught completely unaware by the idea that what the US considered some of the most pressing issues in foreign policy were outdated. This lead me to wonder what this could mean for the US as a global power if many of the world's other countries consider it to be wrapped up in problems of the past. What do you think?

Leipzig becomes Germany's hipster playground

Students study outside the University of Leipzig. Photo courtesy of University of Missouri.

According to Der Spiegel writer Maximillian Popp, Leipzig has taken Berlin's title of "Germany's hippest city."

Just in the last year, approximately 9,000 people have moved to the city, raising Leipzig's population to highest its been since the Berlin Wall fell.

Young artists and writers are flooding the city, occupying the city's Clara Zetkin Park and formerly abandoned warehouses-turned-studios.

Much like the U.S., Germany also has a high unemployment rate with nearly a "fifth of the country's population living on unemployment benefits."

In the U.S., considering the difficulty for recent graduates to get hired for entry level positions. Thus, it has  more common for students to begin studying subjects they do not necessarily find practical. Instead, students both in the U.S. and in Germany are studying subjects they just find interesting like arts and literature. 

What remains to be answered is whether this trend will remain prevalent in both American and German culture. Do you see this as a short-term trend? If so, how do you think this will effect popular cities like Leipzig?

"A Million a Day..."

"A Million a Day..." by Ana Sofia Knauf, Eunice Cheng, Magdalena Cooper, Andrew Johnson, and Amy Hartquist

Currently, German citizens of migrant background makes up 10% of the population, while immigrants without citizenship make up 8%.

In creating this cartoon, we wanted to comment about the tendency of "first world" countries, like Germany and the U.S., to willingly throw foreign aid money at "third world" nations. However, should the people of those nations immigrate to Germany, the migrant groups are treated as though they are unwanted.

What are your thoughts about this issue? Please feel free to leave comments below!

Global Power in Decline

This article from the Spiegel  looks at the October 22nd U.S. presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. The article states that both candidates failed to adequately adress many of the growing concerns of the American people such as climate change, the rise of Asia, education and infrastructure. More importantly, the Spiegel argues that neither candidate fully explained how they will deal with an increasingly outdated foreign policy at a time when American citizens are tired of being a world police force but still want to believe in American exceptionalism. Thoughts?

Immigrants in Germany

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/excerpt-from-we-new-germans-a-858622.html

In this article about second-generation Germans, the magazine Spiegel investigates the mentality of immigrants who carry German passports but lack a sense of belonging with the country. 

This question of one's identity has become prevalent in this time of globalization.

Perhaps this identity crisis is even more prevalent in the U.S., whose history of mass immigration can be dated way before Germany even started.

I myself am also a member of the league of identity crisis. Though both of my parents were born and raised in Taiwan, both of their families are essentially not Taiwanese in the traditional sense. As Taiwan is also an immigrant country(predominantly from China) just like that of the U.S. that can be traced back to hundred of years ago, my ancestry consists of Japanese, Indonesia, the Netherlands…etc. As growing up in different continents, one of the questions that I get the most is, "What are you?" As in the U.S., when I reply, "Taiwanese," people would automatically assume me as Chinese, which I am not. On the other hand, in my hometown Taiwan, many people would also automatically assumed I was a foreigner, and pick on my accent when I speak Chinese.

This article from Spiegel is an epitome of this ongoing global trend, in my opinion, a projection of the future of human race. Perhaps one day in the future, all of the countries will be united into one, and there will be less racial conflicts, since everyone will be somehow racially mixed.

Gender Issues

As I was looking for interesting articles to share, I found this one by Der Spiegel, entitled "Berlin Conference Addresses Male Troubles" about a woman well known in Germany for her unusual stance on gender equality. It brings up interesting ideas about gender equality, especially men's place in the fight for equal rights. Is a conference like this likely to occur in America as well as in Germany? What kind of reaction would a conference like this receive here? Thoughts?

Children of Immigrants

    A recent article,"Immigrant Children's Complicated Search for Identity", from Der Spiegel discusses what it means to be the children of immigrants in Germany. This article discusses the issue with the three authors of "We New Germans" who are also the children of immigrants. One of the interesting points brought to light by this article is the refusal of many Germans to accept a multicultural society in Germany. For example, many politicians are making the distinction between Germans with immigrant backgrounds and Germans with German heritage. This creates a new in-between class of people who are not entirely immigrants, but are also not entirely German. So, what potential effects does this refusal to completely allow immigrants or their children to become part of German society have on future immigration and acceptance of immigrants? How is this attitude different from that of Americans. Is it?

German disillusionment with Obama administration seated in violence and lack of environmental change

                                               Photo courtesy of REUTERS/Jim Young

In this article from Der Spiegel, author Bruce Stokes analyzes the changing German political view of the Obama administration. As election season encloses upon U.S. citizens, Germans are beginning to worry about the promises with which they believe Obama has not followed through.

Their grievances include Obama's use of military drones and perpetuated violence in the Middle East as well as disappointment regarding the President's failure to implement his promised environmental policies to combat global warming.

With such concerns about the President's potential reelection, only 49 percent of Germans aged 50 and older and 61 percent with Germans aged 19-28.

Do you think these are fair criticisms? Let's discuss in the comments!

—Ana Sofia Knauf

Differences Between the United States and Germany

http://www.kendallschoenrock.com/blog/2006/11/22/8-differences-between-germany-and-the-us/

I came across this list of 8 differences between the U.S. and Germany. As a group of individuals who are interested in this topic and who have done a fair amount of travelling throughout Germany I thought this would be appropriate for us to discuss.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you guys agree with this article? Why or why not?