7mo ago

Anon has a German girlfriend

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Met a guy at a German language meet-up who let me know that I was first person who didn't ask him any questions about / discuss WW2 or nazis.
He actually grew up in East Germany in the 80's— also not great, but no one he talked to even knew that Germany had once split. They only wanted to talk about WW2. It made him very uncomfortable.
We got to discuss a lot about American culture and people's weird obsessions and developed a close relationship. It was fun!
- If I had a dollar for every American mentioning Germans/WW2 when I told them I'm Dutch, I would be retired now.
  
  You'd rather they ask you about Anne Frank or the wooden shoes?
  
  as a northern european I'd ask how many dikes do you own
  edit: dikes is not a spelling mistake (i think)
- That's weird. Germans are used to that. In my experience it's especially brits that ask about it.
  Every German I know has the answer memorized: yeah, it was terrible but we are a different population now and we are making sure it won't happen again. Do you want a beer?
  
  Every German I know has the answer memorized: yeah, it was terrible but we are a different population now and we are making sure it won't happen again
  And yet the rise and rise of the AfD...
  
  We're in the US. I just don't think he was used to the amount of extended ignorance, sometimes purposeful.
- Americans don't know about the iron curtain? hm
  
  You mean the ability from C&C: Red Alert? What does that have to do with Germany? It's a Russian superweapon, and Einstein removed Hitler from that timeline.

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