Quote:
Originally Posted by danasan
As I pointed out, i am somewhat older aged. We grew up with the collective fault. We (born after 1945 do not have).
I do not feel responsible for 39 - 45, and as long as dealing with history in a adequate way, we (germans) should be able to discuss things like that.
But there is still a minority here in Germany which is fed and or influenced by images like that, swastikas etc.
I have been in touch with youngsters, 16 years old, preaching the old story over and over again.
As long as somebody is able to abstact reality from fiction, like you and I can, it is OK.
Some guys here can' t so far...
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Good post.....
I myself spent 6 years in Germany (back in the early 90's) and one area that Germany woke up to was you had to teach about Hitler and what happened during WWII. Its not the swastika that makes evil (after all isnt it a Hindu religous symbol that Hitler bastardized). Its ignorance.....
All my German friends (two of which were in the army) that were my age (40 now) were keenly aware of what happened.
Not a single one then golrified nazism...and actually were quite fearful that something could happen like that again. Especially as the Berlin Wall fell and East Germans and Polish were coming over to West Germany...and a lot of resentment built up, and with that feelings of hatred. To the point where we walked by an appartment used to house impovrished Polish people, and there was a swastika on the wall and "Polen Raus!" painted underneath. My friends were more than disgusted by this....
Like you stated ...its all about reality and fiction. Saying that the closing image from the game is horrible and evil and should be removed because it may make some young person a nazi, is like saying the Discovery channel/History/Military channel should never play "World At War" or some other documentary because it shows Nazi's.
While I was in Germany I took a tour of Dachau.... the worst tour I have ever been on. I took LOTS of pictures....and as my children have grown up I have made SURE to show them the pictures (when they were old enough) just so the could SEE the evil men are capable of and to question what leaders say and not blindly follow. I also showed them pictures of the coloseum in Nuremburg that was supposed to last 1,000 years (the time Hitler said his empire would last).... not because I wanted to glorify Hitler...but because it was history.