Kultur 11

I liked the fact that this set of articles had a more serious tone than the others, because of its subject matter. It was very interesting to hear how there was a significant minority of Berliners that still feel strongly in favor of the DDR. I particularly liked the anecdote from the man who felt he was more free in the DDR because he could question his bosses, unlike now in capitalist Germany. It gives a good perspective on how East German citizens enjoyed some advantages despite their authoritarian government. In contrast to the articles about feelings of longing and the nostalgia for the DDR, in my brief visit to Berlin I found it very hard to distinguish where it had been divided at all. If the white line on the ground hadn't been there the two sides would have flowed together seamlessly. As time goes on and the generations that experienced the DDR and the wall pass on the feelings and nostalgia for the socialist republic will probably fade away like the differences between the two sides of Berlin today.

I knew a little bit about the North/South differences, but the article about it was still enjoyable to read. I don't doubt that there are many stereotypes that have come about from the differences of the two regions.

I also just noticed, on my last blog post, that my avatar is still Karl Marx from a polisci activity last semester, oops.