Generally, I agree with you. But I have had a lot of business dealings with Germans over the past ten years. The combination of intramural arrogance and intermural herd mentality there is quite amazing and strikes me as the same lethal combination that lead to the Holocaust. Of course, the expressed belief structure has changed. But the underlying culture has not.
The Greens there make our environmentalists here look like tolerant, open-minded folks. A political lurch to the Greens in Germany could easily, in my opinion, lead to another nazi type regime (Hitler was elected with just over 30% of the vote--not an unachievable number for the Greens). Oh, the style would be different but the substance, as it affects the rest of the world, would be very similar.
Of all countries, I firmly believe that a permanent sense of guilt and need to apologize by the Germants is healthy for the rest of the world. The longer it keeps them demilitarized, the better for the rest of us.
Having lived in Germany for almost 10 years now...I cannot agree more with the intramural arrogance and herd mentality. Its taught in school and kids become used to the whole concept. Everyone fits into a certain postion in life by the time they are 9 years old and its almost impossible to move up or out. University education may be totally free....but its down a certain path and most of the educational elite (professors) have no modern background. The technology side of universities is dismal and always behind the times. And business instructors are lost in the current environment. The most amazing thing is that no one can go out and creat a company out of thin air (a Bill Gates type) and expect to be allowed to run it. You don't become a German CEO unless you have a minimum of a MBA and all of your tickets punched.
As for the political sector...the Greens have made several significant mistakes in the last four years...but the media has barely acknowledged those errors...so they are getting a free ride out in the public. The Greens influence does not shrink...thats for sure. With the political system in place...it would be simple to have a Green Hitler in place within 20 years. ((Its the movie Mel Brooks has been waiting to make...lol))