Germany Still Divided 18 Years After the Fall of the Wall

[Gurkha]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,516472,00.html

Eastern Germans are less satisfied with and less optimistic about their situation than those living in the states that made up the former West Germany. They are also less convinced about the virtues of democracy than their western counterparts -- with many believing that socialism is a good idea that just hasn't been implemented well in the past.

[rickg]

uh....ok.
I hear China sees the mess in Russia as a reason/rationalization for staying communist.
Shows what poorly run democracy can do.

[Gurkha]

Indeed..........

[pj67coll]

Originally Posted by Gurkha

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,516472,00.html
with many believing that socialism is a good idea that just hasn't been implemented well in the past.

Sounds like a professor friend of mind from UCLA. Amazing to me the way this kind of idiotic mantra keeps surfacing like a outbreak of plague. I guess humanity must have a large quantitiy of lazy parasites embedded in it.

- Peter.

[raymr]

Keep in mind these people have been shaped by a communist regime where almost every other person was a stasi informant. The idea of self-sufficiency is alien to them as well. It will take a generation or two to shake out that mindset.

[Gurkha]

There were generations who were born and bought up in current German regime who were interviewed as well, from six to nineteen year old. They all liked the former East.

[PaulC]

Originally Posted by Gurkha

There were generations who were born and bought up in current German regime who were interviewed as well, from six to nineteen year old. They all liked the former East.

Ah. And what historical experiences were the six-year-olds relying upon to form their opinion, the good-old-days of 2005?

[raymr]

Well if the East Germans really want to secede, I'm sure the West Germans wouldn't mind one bit. The East has been an enormous drain on the more prosperous half, since EVERYTHING behind the wall was dilapidated, run down and below standard - with a population to match. Those young people had their parents as mentors.

[Botnst]

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs. That's a good idea only if I get to decide the value of everybody's ability and the depth of everybody's need. For example, I need bigger house and some servants and several cars for touring and some for scooting around town and some to match my shoes.

[PaulC]

Maybe Carleton will let you bunk in with him.

[Mistress]

Originally Posted by PaulC

Maybe Carleton will let you bunk in with him.

The Hughes No-tell Motel...

[Dee8go]

Originally Posted by raymr

Keep in mind these people have been shaped by a communist regime where almost every other person was a stasi informant. The idea of self-sufficiency is alien to them as well. It will take a generation or two to shake out that mindset.

I was going to say that earlier. It's not easy to just make that switch overnight.

[Skippy]

It's only been 18 years-be patient. I grew up in the South where there are STILL people who haven't figured out that the Civil War is over.

[LaRondo]

One little aspect.

Housing in Berlin Mitte, which was formerly located in East Berlin, was about 30 to 50 Eastmark for a large size, multi bedroom flat, before The Wall fell.

After The Wall, those properties' rates rapidly changed into 3000 to 5000 Deutsche Mark (West).

We are talking about large size flats, Berlin Mitte, 4,5,6, and more bedrooms designed on large and generous square meters.

How would that make someone feel, subjectively, esp. when realizing, his or her income was still the same, numerically, just the currency had changed.

In addition it needs to be understood, they all voted in support for the West government, back then in office, on the promise to have West standard within 6 months following the elelction.

Think about it.

[LaRondo]