Though we’ve been in Germany for just two days, something that genuinely surprised me is how Germans follow U.S. politics. Granted, the sample size has been quite biased, but hearing about how people in Germany watch the developments in the U.S. reminded me of the enormous foreign influence that U.S. politicians can wield. Though, I suppose it makes sense that Germans would pay such close attention to politicians like Trump when Germany’s far-right party, the AfD, is so closely taking notes from the American right.
In many other ways, too, Germans are far more well-versed to interact with Americans than the other way around: every German I’ve met so far understands English to some degree, even if they profess otherwise.
Yet for all the ways that Germany is accessible (and perhaps even familiar), there are also some things that feel quite distinct from the U.S. As we toured the Nuremberg museum today — replete with descriptions of the ways major Nazis were put on trial in 1945 — I thought of Susan Neiman’s Learning from the Germans. Neiman argues that while Germany as a country has had a reckoning with its past crimes, particularly in World War II, the U.S. has not had a similar reckoning with its own racist past. I found it especially interesting that our tour guide, Maik, described his work as public history — reckoning with the past is not just a job for historians in the archives, but it’s also a project for the wider public. I’m looking forward to learning how companies like Bayer also think about the role they played in war crimes and crimes against humanity. I wonder, too, to what extent this obligation can be found in German education, and whether that is something that will change in the coming years, especially in regions where the AfD is gaining power, as education is a power delegated to the states.
Another surprising thing about Germany: the closing of many stores on Sundays. As we walked to the subway station to visit the site of the Nuremberg Trials, the commercial streets were mostly quiet.
Also surprising was learning from Michael, a union representative and organizer who joined us for dinner, that the right to strike is constitutional (except for civil servants). Another thing which is quite different from what we’re familiar with in the United States is that unions in Germany are not dependent on citizenship. Yet despite the strength of the unions, some economic issues in Germany, like significant wealth inequality, are very reminiscent of the U.S.
Some less surprising things: the late-night culture, the number of smokers in Berlin, the bureaucracy, and the rain. I had several close calls with puddles on the Berlin sidewalks as I walked to and from The Festival of Lights, of which we luckily were able to catch the last day. Of course, this is but one of many events in Berlin; even when it’s cold and dark, the people here find reasons to gather on the streets.
