Germans as Victims

Washington Post ^ | October 15, 2003 | Anne Applebaum

[ellery]

-snip- It was also hard not to notice how much the chatter about books in Germany reveals nowadays about the mood in Germany. As in the United States, many of the books that have recently found their way to the top of German bestseller lists concern Sept. 11, 2001. Unlike those in the United States, many of them also argue that the Bush administration was responsible for Sept. 11. One book, by a former German government minister, argues that the planes that hit the World Trade Center may have been secretly steered from the ground. Another -- translated from the French and titled "The Appalling Lie" -- says that the Pentagon was never hit by a plane at all but was instead deliberately blown up with a bomb. Germany's establishment press has studiously debunked these theories, to little avail: Recently, an opinion poll showed that one in five Germans believe them.

But if German bestseller lists reveal a German reassessment of the United States, they have also in recent years revealed an even more vigorous German reassessment of Germany. Not one but two books have become popular through their descriptions of the Allied bombing of Dresden in 1945, which resulted in fires that caused tens of thousands of deaths. One of the authors used the word "crematoria" to describe the burning buildings, described the Allied bomber pilots as the equivalents of Nazi police units that murdered Jews and concluded by wondering whether Winston Churchill, who ordered the bombings, ought to have been condemned as a war criminal. -snip-

[ellery]

"According to another opinion poll, more than a third of the Germans now think of themselves as "victims" of the Second World War -- just like the Jews."

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[Malesherbes]

The current generation of Germans is living in "Scharaffenland" - their version of Cloud Coo Coo Land. The prosperity they enjoy (or have enjoyed) is in large part a gift of the security bestowed by the best friend they have had since 1945 - The United States. Now they have a new best friend, Chirac's France. Germany is a country that has produced a great culture and many geniuses, but politically they remain idiots. Idioten!

[geedee]

Germans are to victims what . . . . . . is to integrity.

[SAJ]

Amazing! From ''Ein Reich, ein Volk, ein Fuhrer'' to ''Meine Rechte, mein Feiertag, mein Arbeiterverband, meine Pension, meine Blindheit der Zukunft'' in only TWO generations!

Gotta love those Germans...who'da thunk they'd evolve into PASSIVE socialists, after all their history?

[claudiustg]

Here is some other liturature from these "victims" of WWII:

http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/ww2era.htm#Antisem

[tictoc]

For a contrasting perspective from a German:

hans ze beeman

I won't lie to you. The "hans ze beemans" are currently few and far between. But it is not out of the question that more and more Germans will join him in the future.

[OESY]

"According to another opinion poll, more than a third of the Germans now think of themselves as "victims" of the Second World War -- just like the Jews."

This is a simplistic and errant reading of the poll. Are you reacting to a virtual monopoly of victimhood being challenged? Can nothing bad ever happen to a non-Jew? I condemn your not so subtle bigotry.

[SAJ]

Very interesting blog. Definitely a minority viewpoint in Deutscheland, I agree.

Thanks for linking it.

[ellery]

I merely quoted the article with no additional commentary -- hence the "" marks. Care to retract your groundless accusation?

[ellery]

Thank you for the link -- what a great blog.