Jul 9, 2009

New Poll: Half of East Germans Miss Communsim


How can you miss Communism? That is like saying you miss having terminal cancer.

According Spiegel Online, a new poll shows that half of former East Germans now pine for the good old days of Communism. Apparently, this view is especially strong among individuals who grew up after Communism, were heavily subsidized by West German largesse and get to enjoy luxurious sailing holidays along the Mediterranean.

Oh, that half.
"East German citizens had a nice life," says Birger [who was ten when the wall fell.] There is no fundamental difference between dictatorship and freedom."
Now that we are asking, I wonder how many Germans would admit to missing that other social experiment, the one with brutally efficient highways, well-ordered Olympic Games and freshly starched uniforms.

After all, dictatorship and freedom are the same thing.

5 comments:

akarlin said...

Your analysis is excessively materialistic.

Germans make the best commies and under East Germany they had a belief in their country and mission. They might live better now, but the fact that East German fertility rates are just about the lowest in Europe, the region is suffering extreme depopulation and are constantly being made fun of by the "Wessies" would explain the red-tinged nostalgia for their past.

Nata said...

East Germany is a sad, sad place. It looks nothing like West Germany or the rest of Western Europe. It reminds me of Poland or Ukraine, only cleaner. People are intolerant and suffer from some serious entitlement issues. Anyway, not surprising that they miss the good old days of being the showroom of the Eastern Block, with all the shiny objects, bells and whistles proudly on display. Now they are the backroom of big Germany where things rust and collect dust. No wonder they are so grumpy.

elmer said...

So now the sequel to the excellent movie "Goodbye, Lenin" is "Welcome back, Tavarysh"?

Pirates(and)Diplomats said...

Fantastic movie, elmer. Good name for a follow-up film.

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