Berlin still having trouble remembering stuff
The natives are generally obsessed with something called Vergangenheitsbewältigung (getting a grip on the past) and, I must say, I see it as being one of their finest qualities. That they are not very good at it is another matter. I mean, who is? And when it comes to a past like theirs? Jeez. Talk about having a shitty job…
And putting a slight twist on normal Verganangenheitsbewältigung, the Berliners have now come up with this new variation of it. I guess you could call it short-term-Vergangenheitsbewältiung-memory-loss or, if you prefer, call it schizophrenia instead. They seem to now have this problem with remembering good-old Checkpoint Charlie . You know, how do we remember it properly and all that blah, blah.
You remember, don’t you? It wasn’t all that long ago. That famous American sector passage gate-thingy in the Friedrichstr., that synonym for separation and/or freedom? I guess the natives are worried about consensus again (another obsession) and don’t know what to do about an old symbol that used to mean something and now doesn’t really anymore and doesn’t seem to pass in die Landschaft (fit into the landscape). It’s also a convenient political bludgeon to use against the evil lefties and/or righties or Wessis and/or Ossies take your pick they’re both (see schizophrenia) and, well, what the hell are we going to do with the damned thing?
I think they ought to market the name and open up a hot dog chain like Nathan’s in New York and create Mc-jobs with it (only we would call them Checkpoint-jobs or Doggie-jobs or something) and then, after awhile, go international. And then go global (is that the same thing?).
And personally I prefer the Krautdog. Hermann would love that chili and cheese number, I'm sure. We could sell Nachos, too.
Zwei Kräuterhunden zum Mitnehmen, bitte!
Deutsche Kommentare? Na gut, wenn es sein muss.
I can understand that attitude towards Nazi war crimes (it has been 60-odd years after all), but people think the same way about the RAF (if they remember that bunch at all) and their supporters who have become stars of German politics (Otto Schily, Joschka Fischer) and about East Germany and the SED (or as they call themselves now: PDS or Die Linkspartei). Socialism is so politically correct in Germany that the remains of the next most vicious thing to the Nazi party in Germany's history (the SED) is considered to be a legitimate alternative to West Germany's democratic parties. (Comment this)