Though I never had major problems with my German identity – and my sense of patriotism is frowned upon by many Germans – I am somewhat astounded at the unanimous and outstandingly positive feedback (and I don’t think it is based mainly on people’s politeness) I get about my country. Come to think of it, that is probably due to the fact that I’ve mostly travelled to Eastern European countries and visited our direct neighbors – geographical closeness and the not only positive history of intra-European relations, especially concerning Germany, make for a perhaps more differentiated and definitely less enthusiastic view of Germany. But facts pointed out to me in combination with my own physical distance do show me some things I have taken for granted, and maybe many Germans do. Being a free time historian born in the Federal Republic of Germany with relatives in the GDR and studying in the former GDR, I’ve never taken freedom for granted. But while probably most people around the world complain about some aspects of their home economy, government, ineffective infrastructure, bureaucracy and the like, some remarks make me think again. I am told that UK media hails the German system and economic policy as a prime example of a balanced economy including a considerable production sector and of good governance during the current crisis. Egyptians and Americans point out how beautifully clean Germany is. And while I don’t remember any whole hearted and generally shared expression of pride of German achievements in Germany (apart from soccer maybe, single strong-hold of post-war positive self image) I constantly get complimented on my country and its contributions to progress, especially when mentioning my brother’s or my subject of studies: Of course, German engineering is top of the world, you guys are really unbeaten in medical appliances, of course, you know. Medicine wouldn’t be the same without Germany! And you really got the best orthopedic surgeons in the world and generally surgery is top in Germany. Especially for Egyptians it seems very strange that awareness of the country’s strengths and contributions is not generally facilitated in Germany.
A new Egyptian friend puts it this way: ‘I’ve always been somehow proud to be Egyptian, I mean, we got a great cultural heritage and so on, but still I found it hard until the revolution. But anyway, everyone should be proud of their country, no matter how small and meaningless it is, you will at once be more respected by others, even if they don’t think much of your country. And as a German, honestly, there is so much to be proud of, so much you contributed to the world, you got to be proud, you must not let anyone take that away from you!’
Really uncommon way of thinking for Germans, as strange as it may seem. And an unusual experience to be addressed as ‘you Germans’, and 100% positively at that.
Another example of this, though only ironically enjoyable, is the reasoning of a taxi driver – I do understand that much Arabic by now: ‘Germany, good, we love Germany! We don’t love America, because America likes Israel!’ Ah, well… Back to familiar territory, I guess, only from a very different angle…
Ha, don't I know all about that... Most remarkable in this context was certainly a South African Jewish guy I met who was astonished by the fact that Germans came up to him during his travels and, upon hearing that he was Jewish, starting to apologize. He also found that Germans met him somewhat apprehensively, whereas he just basically told everyone how much he loved Berlin. I don't usually apologize, but I do understand where it's coming from, and it was strange to have to explain it, especially since he was just raving about how awesome Germany is. I loved hearing about that, but it made me reconnect this enthusiasm with the way patriotism is treated inside of Germany. It gave me the feeling that foreigners sometimes seem to love our country much more than we do ourselves.
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