it is sad, but it's true that we can't shake off our past. I don't say we have to forget it, but I think we are another generation now that can't be blamed for what our ancestors did.

the main reason why we can't is that others won't let us. everytime we germans do something that is in other countries normal (eg a language test for immigrants) all other nations are calling us hitler and nazis. everytime something happens involving foreigners (eg the fire accident in ludwigshafen) everybody is crying "nazi" and "hitler". everytime we won't or can't pay money or cutting back payments for something everybody is saying: you have to - you were also helped after ww2. everytime we won't participate in a war / peace mission, they are saying: you have to - it's your responsiblity. and they are pointing to our past...

I can't hear it anymore. it is numerous times that I have been called hitler or nazis in other countries. often it is because the normal people don't know it because their politicans are also calling us with these names. I think it is lack of information that causes it. often they don't learn anything else in school than connect germany to hitler. that there is so much other stuff is left out.

If the primates that we came from had known that someday politicians would come out of the gene pool, they'd stayed up in the trees and written evolution off as a bad idea.

yes, that was exactly what i wanted to write. sometimes it´s still getting on my nerves, but most of the time i think, ok, when u are so stupid that u have no other words for me than hitler or nazi, no matter..i know it better..

kölle alaaf!!!

Chavez stupid comments simply show why we can't shake it off. This sort of stereotyping is sooooooo convenient. If you don't like a german or todays Germany, just call it Nazi. That will do it.

In case of Chavez.... my wife and i were watching the news on tv and dropped our jaws when the video was shown. After exchanging a few looks we started to have a fit of laughter. Geeez, i knew that Chavez isn't the smartest... but that was really the most stupid thing he ever said.

I do whatever the voices in my head tell me to do......

But in my opinion, the best of all this nonsense is that it was an Austrian, who caused everything! So why don't they start hating Austria? Or maybe Italy? They had a Duce (leader), too, and their Duce was very close to Hitler and a Nazi.

Germans should not shake off the past but see themselves more relaxed. Germany is today shaken by politically correctness and "mind control". If you say as a woman I want to stay with my children at home you the officials they she must be a Nazi woman an the medias try to make people, especially women, look like idiots. People who are against abortion are religious fundamentalist (tell them the medias) or Nazis. Germany has a huge problem with respecting unborn children, family and everything which is not totally left wing or based on Immanuel Kant´s ideas.

He saw the face that he had painted, now darkened slightly with the thing we naively call wisdom. Quoted from the book "The Queen of the Damned" by Anne Rice.

Good question. It is sure one, I would like to have an answer for (a better one than “they are just stupid”) but I guess, you should not ask Germans for that one. Post it on General, I would be interested in what people come up with…although the people on MF are generally too reasonable to speak their real minds.
I could talk books to explain (as usual ) but before I put somebody to sleep: my best guess is that fear plays a big role in countries/people with low education.
I don’t say Germans are but look at the stereotypes out there: efficient, dutiful, precise..wouldnt that scare you either if all you could refer to was what happened in the time from 1933 to 1945?
With regard to Chavez, he is following his goals like every politician. He is saying what is popular. Who cares, in this bunch, if it annoys a few, as long as it promotes his stand with the many?
Crux of democracy but I cant see any alternative I would rather live with, do you?

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimbel in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

people can not change themselves character very easy...everybody feel smthk about ww2 is there and they loosed them piece is that war..and some events hit to those ideas to remember... unemployment society, immigrants, economical problems ....etc..This is not easy way of doing something..this is deep

Si vis pacem, para bellum(Vegetius)

I admit to have a problem to get your point. Were you defending non-Germans to have such prejudices because of the experiences of their grandparents in the 1940s or what?
If so, is that an excuse if their grandchildren still point their fingers at Germans calling them Nazis? It's 2008. Time to get over it and move on. I don't want my grandchildren still to be blamed for that. Times have changed and it's about time to notice it.

But as i have mentioned before. Keeping such prejudices alive is sooooooooooo convinient.

I do whatever the voices in my head tell me to do......

no you understand wrong I don't wanna blame any German about that and I didn't try that so actually Germany very sensitive about nationalism symbols ideas books about 40's & 30's idea hurricane..I think germany shold open those pages and no banned any swastica or diffrent else about 40's or people have to read easly mein kampf may after they can understand they are on which way.. nazism diffrent idea... example Russland 25 million russian dead in ww2 but now many skinhead ruski support this way? but themselves grandparents were enemy to nazism so? this is not only connection with germany maybe nazism born in germany but now this is in everywhere.. I prefer to call germans '' potatos '' with cowboy hat more useful than nazi

Si vis pacem, para bellum(Vegetius)

Like tknob3, I had a tough time with your first post Der Turke. English is my native tongue, so it is way too easy to be pedantic; but that is not the purpose of the forum. You get the benefit of doubt.

Your second post does not address the Nazi appellation of Germans. Instead you came up with a new moniker, “potatoes with cowboy hat”. This is akin to calling someone stupid instead of idiot. It is more useful than Nazi? You mean to say it is more fitting than Nazi? So are Germans still Nazis? Name calling, in this case stereotyping Germans, is a form of racism. In case you missed the point of this forum – IT IS ABOUT NAME CALLING!! You did not step into the manure pile you dove in head first.

When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion. Robert M. Pirsig Evolve!

don't spent time with details point is nazism..and u missed point ..nazism now universal dont u get that yet

Si vis pacem, para bellum(Vegetius)

Have you really understood the meaning of this topic? I really doubt that by now.

I do whatever the voices in my head tell me to do......

Don’t spend time on the details? What, the fact that you are making racial overtones with your name calling of Germans?

I missed the point? In case you never noticed I started this forum and know better than anyone what the point is! I suggest you learn about subject and predicate.

Your explanation that Nazism is worldwide now does not address the issue of why Germans keep being referred to as Nazis every time someone disagrees with them.

Since you use a Latin phrase in your signature, the proper term for these fallacious statements in English is Ad Hominem. The proper name for your retorts is Non Sequitur.

When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion. Robert M. Pirsig Evolve!

Well, it´s a big problem for us - but we have to live with this problem-
We did everything to shake of the past but it doesn´t work.
Here in this Forum are good arguments and examples for it. We can´t change the past / we are the new generation / we haven´t got anything to do with the past / more then 60 years ago.
Why can´t other people understand it?

I think there are enough other contries which have bad histories, too - why can´t they speak over them????
( USA and Hiroshima / Nagasaki and so on.... ) No, all the people talk about germany....

It´s hard when you write Mails with new penpals from all over the world and you speak with them over the countries. You asked them what they know about Germany- Answer: Germany and Hitler..... bad history
hmmm......well we have to live with the history....we can´t shake off the history

Wir wollen nicht die Verstaatlichung des Menschen, sondern die Vermenschlichung des Staates.

I am a Canadian and it really irritates me.

When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion. Robert M. Pirsig Evolve!

yes people can't change history..that's can be just exam for all of world's people not only for germans... but WHY people think also rascism About Germans?

because of exaggerated Hollywood products.. ww2 also material for movie industry specially nazi germany..too many exaggeration on films.. 4 million german soldier dead on this war but noone respect to them they were also murder? I think no they r just orderly.. hitler can be criminal person not all of them.. so everybody can see non rascist german thats a not suprise but movies making that diffrent ..so people think wrong

Si vis pacem, para bellum(Vegetius)

That is a very good point. Hollywood’s association of Nazis/Germans as evil has definitely added fuel to the fire. Well Done.

When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion. Robert M. Pirsig Evolve!