One of the worst preconceptions of Germans is that they are all Neo-Nazis.\u00a0 This is the legacy handed down from Hitler, from the Third Reich, that Germans today must contend with, both at home and abroad.\u00a0 Within Germany, they are painfully aware of their history, of their national shame.\u00a0 Patriotism is not a virtue, here.\u00a0 Moderation, civility, honesty, privacy.\u00a0 These are valued.\u00a0 I’ve had long conversations with my colleagues at school, and with my roommates, and they are disappointed in the ignorance and prejudgements of non-Germans.\u00a0 They have met too many people who thought that all Germans are Neo-Nazis.<\/p>\n
I have met exactly zero German<\/em> Neo-Nazis.\u00a0 Of course, they exist.\u00a0 They exist in America, too.\u00a0 The only Neo-Nazis I have met were Czech.\u00a0 They were completely wasted, and sat, drinking beer and toasting Hitler, while my companion and I sat in the train compartment with them, awkwardly, wondering how we could extricate ourselves.\u00a0 The announcement of our stop was a blessing.\u00a0 Meeting actual<\/em> Neo-Nazis, this first-time experience, had made me a little more wary, since the NDP is a relatively popular party, in MeckPomm (33% of the vote in Koblenz).\u00a0 But I refuse to base my opinion of the Germans, or the Czechs, as a people, on this one unfortunate encounter.\u00a0 And I’d like for all of us to consider what prejudices, what preconceptions we<\/em> hold, and why.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the worst preconceptions of Germans is that they are all Neo-Nazis.\u00a0 This is the legacy handed down from Hitler, from the Third Reich, that Germans today must contend with, both at home and abroad.\u00a0 Within Germany, they are … Continue reading