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  More Readers Weigh In: How Xenophobic Is Germany?

More Readers Weigh In How Xenophobic Is Germany?

Part 8: 'Are They Allowing Foreigners to Vote Now?'

Dear SPIEGEL ONLINE,

As a native (Caucasian) German, my feedback may seem slightly out of place here, yet by reading some of the readers' comments I couldn't help posting a comment myself.

Having lived abroad for 15 years (UK and France), I agree that as a German you do indeed face racism, albeit of a different nature. Even though I was born long after the war, not to mention the fact that I'm gay, it has happened to me more than once that I was called "Nazi," on several occasions even being held responsible for the atrocities of the Holocaust.

This has led me to the conclusion that the only people in the world who it is OK to be prejudiced against without being called a racist are the Germans, because we have such a terrible record when it comes to tolerance. However, it is exactly this terrible record which must instill in us, the Germans, a sense of responsibility and awareness when it comes to embracing other cultures, languages, and people. And I do not see this happening.

It must be said that Germany cannot be compared with the US, which has an entirely different history in terms of immigration/migration. Nor with the UK and France, where immigration is strongly linked to their former colonies and again, their colonial history is entirely different from Germany.

And yet, immigration has always been part of Germany's history, in one way or another -- be it the Huguenots in the 17th century or Russian Jews after the pogroms in Russia in the 19th century -- only that a lot of Germans aren't aware of it. I blame the politicians and the media in Germany for doing so little to promote immigration and integration, to show how society can benefit from immigration -- where are, for instance, the Turkish TV presenters?

For all the hype about German film, where are those that deal with topics such as immigration, not to mention those that feature actors that are not called Müller? In order for the non-Müllers to lose their "exoticism" and become an integral part of German society, they need to be visible in the media. Unless that happens, they will continue to be the exotic "other."

-- Martin Sauter
United Kingdom

Dear SPIEGEL ONLINE,

I'm an American living in Germany and was in the Homburg university hospital for surgery when a young stabbing victim arrived late one night along with about 15 family members. The family refused to leave the room until almost 2 o'clock in the morning because the nurses couldn't get them to leave. I was there when the "victim" reported to the police he was innocent and didn't know what happened. I was there when his fellow gang members showed up and started making plans to hit back against very specific individuals. None of the victims or assailants were German.

I asked for a new room away from the thugs, but instead I was given my release within the hour. I had to heal at home because the staff was concerned about causing an incident with the foreign thugs. The kindergartens are ripped up, fences are torn down, we have crime in towns where until now crime was just a case of teen pranks. Xenophobia is the irrational fear of foreigners, but Germans have real reasons to be concerned.

If they stand up for what's right, they're called Nazis and racist. If they don't, people like me have to suffer for it. Enough. If you're a guest in another country, you abide by the rules or get out. If you don't like it, the door is always open. I have the same choices and I'm staying and will be a good neighbor to my German hosts, even if I don't always get things my way. I'm sick of all the German-bashing and couldn't blame them if they throw all of us out to start over.

-- Gary Smitherman
Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany

Dear SPIEGEL ONLINE,

I am a naturalized German with roots in Asia. As a matter of fact, I find your forum giving opportunity for the foreigners to air the experiences a very brilliant idea.

I have lived in Germany for 30 years now and when confronted with the question of whether I feel accepted or integrated, I am at a loss, or at least not definitely sure what to answer. I have a political science degree from one German university in the north and run an Asian restaurant in a small town, also in the north, for a living.

I would say I have German friends who I could count on and feel completely at home among my circle. Looking at my social intercourse with the people around me, I like to believe that I am fully integrated. But once I leave my home surroundings, I am often confronted with latent intolerance.

About three months ago, I flew back from one Asian capital after my holiday and had to queue at the gate for passport control. While I was queuing in the line for EU passport holders, a kind-looking German told me helpfully that I might be in the wrong line -- he must have presumed, from my Asian appearance, that I couldn't be German or European. I just smiled and nodded that it was all right. Then, when it was my turn, I showed my passport to the immigration officer, who looked at it in surprise and said: "He even has a German passport". It was really irksome for me to hear such a comment from a law enforcer, but I kept my silence.

A few years back, I was lining up to vote in a communal election and overheard a comment which went something like this: "Are they allowing foreigners to vote now?"

I wouldn't say that these episodes are bad or negative, but it does prove that multicultural awareness is still not widely appreciated yet, and that the powers-that-be, political parties and civil society need to do more on various levels for the integration of foreigners to be successful.

-- Name withheld

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