A Discussion of Patriotism

I like to bring up WWII when talking about stereotypes with my students because while they love to discuss American stereotypes they get quite annoyed about German ones mainly because the first one they hear is that “Germany is full of Hilter-loving people” or something similarly unpleasant. While I cannot argue that there are some people in Germany who still believe in Hitler’s ideas, their voice is a drop in the pond compared to those believe in more progressive and diverse ideas.

I feel safe in saying that 99% of the students that I talk to about this are bothered by the notion that they are still in support of such abhorrent ideas. They are rather insulted by the ignorance that they encounter by others who ask them about this. *Precisely what the Germans love, those stereotypes.

While we, in Oregon, usually spend most of our school years learning about the End of the Oregon Trail, Lewis & Clark, and the Louisiana Purchase (aka: so much about the west and about Oregon that it seems almost a little overblown that I feel like an unofficial expert on the topic) German students learn about the atrocities that took place because of Hitler and how to ensure that such a thing never ever ever (ever) be allowed to happen in Germany again. The unfortunate point to this lesson is that while it will likely never happen in Germany or Europe again, that won’t stop it from happening elsewhere in the world.

When researching this topic on the internet, I came across a blog written in 2004 by another American, who at the time was living in Germany with her partner who was in the marines.  In this post (I know it’s a little old, but) the author brings up an interesting observation. Here, the author is attempting to explain the German lack of patriotism:

“It’s not a lack, per se…it is more a fear to express pride, as if one would be reprimanded and branded as being a neo-Nazi, if you dared to suggest German superiority in anything other than soccer, and even then, the German soccer fans would never start chanting: “Deutschland, Deutschland” like the American fans chant U-S-A.  (CalivalleyGirl)”

One of the comments on the blog explain that they see German patriotism when Germany is playing football or another sport, so they have patriotism but, they seem only somewhat comfortable to show it during these sporting events. During the most recent World Cup (2010), which took place in South Africa people came out of the woodwork, it seemed, to support Germany. Public viewing locations were set up all over in the public squares in the city and every bar you went into was playing the live coverage. People walked around during the matches with their faces painted with the German flag and they were either holding the German flag or wearing it in some other way.

During the World Cup in 2010, Der Spiegel wrote a series on “World Cup Patriotism” one article written July 29th, 2010 stated that in Berlin, people were divided. Some people were showing their support for the German football team by displaying flags while others felt it was a disgraceful showing of nationalism flying the flag and thus were tearing them down all over the city.

“Left-wing activists have called on sympathizers to destroy the German flags which can be seen everywhere, arguing that they are a symbol of German nationalism. There has been a rash of thefts of small flags attached to car windows. Some of those who decorated their vehicles with flags say they now only display the flags when they are actually driving their cars.  (Der Spiegel)”

This particular article introduces us to a German shop owner who decided to spend 500 € on a flag measuring 22 meters tall and 5 meters wide (72 feet by 16 feet). This flag though, has been removed by protestors twice in an attempt to deter the shop owner. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately) the shop owner could not be deterred and continued to spend 1,500 € overall on German flags. The shop owner described people coming into his shop during the day to berate him for his show of national pride. One such example cited in the article left the shop owner with the only option of calling the police. “She wanted to know how Bassal [the shop owner] could hang the German flag up in a country with such a history, and said she wanted to round-up another group to tear the flag down again.”

Der Spiegel argues here that while so many Germans are aghast at the showing of the flag, immigrants in Germany are proud to show their support for the flag and the country that they call home. “Safter Cinar, the spokesperson for the Turkish Federation in Berlin, told the Berlin-based daily Berliner Morgenpost. The fact that the immigrant population is so proud of their German flags, and the German football team, is a good sign of integration, he said.” The fact that nearly half of the players on the German football team are immigrants only further supports this idea of integration and makes it easier for immigrants to identify with their new home country. This however doesn’t mean that these immigrants take their new flag and nationalism over the country and patriotism they grew up knowing, which is proved by seeing the German flag flying next to the Turkish flag or any other flag of the world. “Cinar explains that the one doesn’t cancel the other out.”