Newsgroups: soc.culture.europe
Subject: Re: ///SAK/// GERMANY, Racism, Symphaty ..
From: ptisu_sa1@nl102.ittpub.nl
Date: 27 Dec 92 21:28:00 GMT
Organization: ITT Publitec R+D BV
Nntp-Posting-User: ptisu_sa1


  sommar@enea.se (Erland Sommarskog) writes;


>>I get so tired. Yes, there are racist people in Germany. Yes there
>>are regular assaults. But - it is not unique to Germany. We have
>>too many of those nutheads in Sweden too. And I bet The Netherlands
>>are not saved from them as well. But it is Germany on which everyone
>>is pointing their finger.

>>Why? Because of what happened 50 years ago? Unless you haven't under-
>>stood, what happened in Germany with Hitler could happen in any state.
>>No country is safe. Not even the wealthy, industrialized and supposedly
>>civilized Western countries. Racist attacks are not less dangerous because
>>they happen somewhere else in Germany. And likewise they are not more
>>dangerous because they occur in Germany. The only thing which is special
>>with Germany in comparison with, say, The Netherlands, is that Germany
>>is a bigger country and therefore can cause more damage if it comes
>>under bad regime. But that applies to France, UK, Russia, or why not
>>the US as well.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



 In the posting, there is no intention to *emphasize* the existence of racist
 people in Germany.    ( If there is  any  implicit  expression,  it is not
 intentional, but lack of English).


 Approach of anti-racist  people  towards  the  minority  problem  is being
 questioned. 

 I doubt if the attacks which happened in Germany, Sweden or elsewhere would
 happen in  the Netherlands  (in the same scale)  where there is *more* active
 participation of the minorities in the society. (I am not Dutch,  and have
 no reason to defend them other than what I witnessed so far).


 The problem is, are they going to treat the minorities as species to
 be taken care of, or are they going accept them as equals?
 and fight for their equality, to give the rights to minorities to defend
 themselves, to participate in the democracy? 

 Symphaty alone does not help. It even hurts when coupled with the feeling
 of inferiority it creates.

 >>Anyone who claims Germany is dangerous because they are Germans is a
 >>racist in the true sense.

 I could not aggree more.  After all, people behave, as they are expected
 to behave by other people. If you keep telling them they are racists,
 they will eventually become one. But I did NOT say it.

 The same posting could be written for Denmark or maybe another country, as
 long as the attention is given to the anti-racist part.                 --
 ------------------------------------------------------

 ///SAK///                             

p.s.

About the  WWII. It still matters for many people, what happened 50 years
ago.   But it is not only a German problem.   It  is  amazing  how  other 
countries who eventually collabrated with Germany (France, Austria, Italy)
have washed themselves so clean after the war. How Denmark,where thousands
of  Volunteers  fought  on Nazi side now overemphasizes its help to Jewish 
people, or how everyone in France happens to have fought for Resistance. 
Anyway, this was NOT the subject of the posting.