Notebook entry on 8th of August: Germany and the Germans
I’ve got some time to myself in the hotel room and can finally get some writing done. I feel I’m getting very edgy by having people around all the time, so some quiet time with me and my thoughts has been missed.
What I’ve really been wanting to write something about is the new found German pride in their nation. It really wasn’t further in the past than 4 or 5 years that I was discussing this topic with some German friends. They then told me that it would be unheard of for a German to show any kind of pride in his country or his nationality, using the flag to celebrate big events or using the German colours to cheer on their teams in sports or something like that. If they did they would be seen as very right-wing extreme nationalists.
I thought this was an awful thing. 55 years after WWII a new generation was growing up in Germany still feeling ashamed and blamed for what happened back then and not being allowed to be normally proud of who they were. After all, our nationality, our culture, our traditions and our history as a nation is a big part of who we are as humans, as individuals.
Norwegians have always been very proud of being just that, especially since the union with Sweden ended in 1905. Mostly it’s pretty innocent this national pride of Norway, it just makes us feel good when ever our different athletes in different sports do well in representing our country, or when ever some other Norwegian does something good that is noticed by the rest of the world. We’re proud of our mountains and fjords and the midnight sun and that so many foreigners want to come to our beautiful country to see it – and I don’t see any of this as an unhealthy unwanted too nationalistic pride in who we are and where we come from.
Up until recently the Germans I met didn’t dare to show any such pride in being Germans, in their country. This year things have changed though: now there are truly a lot of cars with German flags, lots of balconies with German fags and all in all I thought I could feel a change in the nation. It must’ve been the football world championship! I don’t care much for football, but if this is what was needed for the world to move on and leave the past, not forgotten, but in the past – then I’d say there’s something good in football too!
This really is a good thing I think, it’s a healthy sign that this large nation that Germany is, finally allows itself to step into the future and being proud of itself in the same way that other nations are. It really was about time!
What I’ve really been wanting to write something about is the new found German pride in their nation. It really wasn’t further in the past than 4 or 5 years that I was discussing this topic with some German friends. They then told me that it would be unheard of for a German to show any kind of pride in his country or his nationality, using the flag to celebrate big events or using the German colours to cheer on their teams in sports or something like that. If they did they would be seen as very right-wing extreme nationalists.
I thought this was an awful thing. 55 years after WWII a new generation was growing up in Germany still feeling ashamed and blamed for what happened back then and not being allowed to be normally proud of who they were. After all, our nationality, our culture, our traditions and our history as a nation is a big part of who we are as humans, as individuals.
Norwegians have always been very proud of being just that, especially since the union with Sweden ended in 1905. Mostly it’s pretty innocent this national pride of Norway, it just makes us feel good when ever our different athletes in different sports do well in representing our country, or when ever some other Norwegian does something good that is noticed by the rest of the world. We’re proud of our mountains and fjords and the midnight sun and that so many foreigners want to come to our beautiful country to see it – and I don’t see any of this as an unhealthy unwanted too nationalistic pride in who we are and where we come from.
Up until recently the Germans I met didn’t dare to show any such pride in being Germans, in their country. This year things have changed though: now there are truly a lot of cars with German flags, lots of balconies with German fags and all in all I thought I could feel a change in the nation. It must’ve been the football world championship! I don’t care much for football, but if this is what was needed for the world to move on and leave the past, not forgotten, but in the past – then I’d say there’s something good in football too!
This really is a good thing I think, it’s a healthy sign that this large nation that Germany is, finally allows itself to step into the future and being proud of itself in the same way that other nations are. It really was about time!
posted by Lena M Bakke @ 11:50 AM
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