From: godfrey@sscvx1.ssc.gov (LAURENCE GODFREY)
Subject: Re: have this stopped simply
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory
Distribution: bionet
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 12:22:00 GMT

In article <1992Sep1.074428.12242@gserv1.dl.ac.uk>, suter@de.dbp.MPG.MPIZ-KOELN.VAX           writes...
>Subj:	Re: FW: SJapan: bio ctrl. research
>L.godfrey wrote:
> 
><In article <9208311903.AA19984@genbank.bio.net>, weigeld@STARBASE1.CALTECH.EDU
>< ("WeigelD") writes...
><>
><>L Godfrey writes:
><>
><>>Regarding your choice of Germany or Japan, Germany is, in my opinion, the
><>>most appalling country to work in.  I worked there for two years, and the
><>>people are utterly humorless, racist, arrogant, and never admit to being
><>>wrong.  Furthermore, Asians of all kinds, particularly Orientals (my wife
><>>is one) are frequently threatened and often attacked by local neo-nazis.
><>>Finally it is expensive, the food is revolting, the rents are high, cars
><>>are outrageously expensive (particularly used cars), the bureacracy is
><>>impenetrable and arrogant (especially the Immigration people) and the country
><>>offers very little by way of amusement or entertainment.
><>
><>What do you call somebody who condemns a people wholesale as racist?
><>
><>A racist.
><>
><>By the way, for an impenetrable Immigration bureaucracy, try the INS.
><>
><>Detlef Weigel
><>Caltech
><>
><
><The Germans are a nation, not a race.  Criticism of national characteristics
><is legitimate, particularly if those characteristics are so prevalent and
><objectionable as they are in the Germans.
><
><I agree that the INS is awful (I am not American), but the US has compensations
><whereas Germany has none.
><
><LG
> 
>i am not german, i am dutch. as some of you may remember, the dutch have had 
>some (minor) problems with the german nation in the past (before i was born, 
>actually).
>But the reaction of L. Godfrey (probably based on personal experience ?)
>is extremely reactionary, AND DOES NOT BELONG ON THE NET !
> 
>(the only hope i have is that D. Kristofferson puts an end to it now, so that
>it won't linger on for the next few weeks)
> 
>clemens
>----------------------------------> cut here <----------------------------------
>Clemens Suter-Crazzolara, PhD
>Max-Planck-Institut fuer Zuechtungsforschung
>Abteilung Genetische Grundlagen der Zuechtungsforschung
>Carl-von-Linne Weg 10
>5000 Koeln 30
>Tel. xx49-221-5062.221           fax. xx49-221-5062.21
>suter@vax.mpiz-koeln.mpg.dbp.de
>-------------------------------> end of message <------------------------------- 
>  

I'm sorry that my honest attempt to warn others about Germany has provoked
some criticism, but what I had to say was my considered opinion after working
there for two years, and I stand by what I said.

It seems that what caused the trouble was my accusation that the Germans are
racist, a fact so blindingly obvious to foreigners who live there and a fact
that has been confirmed by several recent surveys of the Germans by the Germans.
Well, if it's racist to dislike the Germans because of their persecution of
foreigners, then I must be a racist!!

I accept critcism that the net is not the right place to discuss this subject,
but I do not accept that we should all keep quiet about the state of affairs