From: muller@eddy.engin.umich.edu (Jens Dominik Muller)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.german
Subject: Re: Mir reicht es jetzt !
Date: 26 Jan 1993 19:23:20 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: eddy.engin.umich.edu
Originator: muller@eddy.engin.umich.edu


In article <1993Jan25.234349.12984@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>, pss4c@curry.edschool.Virginia.EDU (Peter Savage Schweitzer) writes:
....
> What I feel is important to remember is that a network like
> this should be used as a great resource by Germans and people
> interested in German to exchange information, ask questions,
> practice reading and writing in a foreign language, find out
> more about German culture, etc.  We here in America have only
> limited opportunities to find out more about current issues in
> Germany and to try to assist Germans who have questions about
> or are having troubles living in the US. I would hate to
> subscribe to this group right now for the first time hoping to
> find out what was available on the network and be forced to try
> to sift through the absurd postings that are now sadly dominant.
....
> Peter Schweitzer

I do think the discussion we're having currently (J4G, Anatomie,..)
matches your criterea. Xenophobia, Neo-Nazism and the 3. Reich
were at the top of the agenda whenever I recently had discussions
with friends at home. Even the recession Germany is diving into
is most frequently seen in this light, as is, of course the
whole reunification. You definitely learn about German culture
at the moment. 

I say this without irony, Germans always (excuse, fellow netters,
for this generalization) tended to do things profoundly right, 
perfect. An attitude that many neighboring people tend to see
as arrogance. In the same way, the current topics cannot be 
handled as a nice coffee talk until all the arguments are really
ground down to bits and pieces. Moreover, I have the impression
that all those who dislike the current dominating topic do not
see how fundamentally important the issue is as a new German
self image is emerging. The West always carried a amorphous guilt,
like the catholic inherited sin, and, as one could not identify
fully with the past, received its self esteem out of its economical
success. The East never assumed any guilt, claiming that had been
eradicated with communism. The limitations that the unsolved 
German question across the iron curtain imposed were swept with
the unification and a very, very painful process of a Nation
finding itself has started.

And, as in the past, every group having special interests in
these questions is joining the discussion, claiming they have
their say. I'd assume that this thread will continue for quite
a while, but don't despair, you assist the rare event of the
birth of a nation. Jens.

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|         Jens-Dominik Mueller, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor      |
|                        muller@engin.umich.edu                        |
|                                                                      |
|                      "E pericoloso sporghersi."                      |
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