Next, I was shocked at how "fresh" the fallout from WWII is
Yes,it is fresh because in Europe there were mostly losers from this war and they want to know why they lost.
Where is this coming from? The grandparents? The young adults of today?". It seemed to me that it (unresolved anger, fear and frustration between Poland and
It is coming by itself,by the circumstances.When a Pole goes through some situations and certain behaviours,he starts to wonder why things are like this,what led to them.
Then I wondered, if I were a 20 something in Germany today, how would I react to all the restrictions, imposed guilt, overwhelming pressure to be so politically correct all the time? I have to say (as a very free Ammie of course) I'd be fed up! I had nothing to do with what that generation did! Why do I have to tip toe around on eggshells? To hell with this!
They say the same and cause even more anger to the other people who suffered from german actions.
This is MY life and I will live it my way. (Of course this would get me in a LOT of trouble in Germany).
You would have no trouble.Germany starts to use again the national emblems as a way to inspire people for higher productivity.
So what would happen? How would I rebel? How could I be an individual and have a voice, when conformity is demanded? I think I would burst at the seams. There is too much independent rebel in me.....I would probably do something counter to the culture just to be heard, even if I didn't really agree with the cause! I think I would have a kind of anger in me, looking for a way out.
In Germany you simply would not say anything because in this country the authorities are respected.If you rebel like this,you become a danger for the general well being.Amis in this aspect seem to Germans paranoid.
Does that make sense? Is that any different than a generation of young people struggling to assert themselves by letting their hair grow and following the Beatles? (another generation, I know...but you get the idea?
In fact it is some generation when people try to cut all their hair to make good skinheads.
My bottom line is this: I would rather see people speaking freely and "getting it out of their system" than keeping it bottled up (a pressure cooker eventually blows). I see that what comes out is a bit ugly sometimes, especially when one side does not try to see the other side's view OR tries to trump each other out of ego. *sighs*
It is Europe,you do not understand.What is free expression for somebody,it is fascism for somebody else.Many prefer control.
I can put myself into Polish shoes as well. There is a lot of pain, agony, and suffering there. But acting out the victim role is just as dangerous as boiling in the pressure cooker. It keeps you chained up to the past and prolongs the misery. It would eat me alive to try to live like THAT! How could I ever fight my way out of that kind of fog to do or be anything? I think I would feel depressed and "stuck".
I think in USA there are many minorities who play the victim role very efficiently.I have heard about affirmative action in favour of blacks,measures in favour of Hispanics etc.
My fave line from the "behind the scenes footage" of The Pianist from Roman Polanski (paraphrased): "This film shows that there is good and bad in all people. There were bad Germans and good Poles, but there were also good Germans and bad Poles".
Have you read Rokosovsky's orders to the red army?''Comrades you should realize that there are no good Germans.The only good German is the dead German.Kill,kill,glorious soldiers of the red army.Do not respect the pride of german women.Make them remember you with terror for the next hundred years''.
