Germany:
I have never officially been to Germany, but last winter I had a connection flight through
Frankfurt last December. The experience itself was interesting. My mother-in-law often
comes to the U.S. from India, and she likes to use Lufthansa Airlines, but every time she
comes she complains about how bad security is. I never paid much attention; she often
comes on September 11, so I often contributed her complaints to heightened security
due to the significant of the day she flies.
However, this my view changed after going through there myself. There were no long
lines in Frankfurt’s security. I was able to get through quickly, but it was a different story
for my husband, who is Indian. We got through the first check point with no problems.
They had to check a few extra things on Arvind’s visa since he was not from the EU
or U.S. We got through the checkpoint and began to hurry through the airport. Ten
other men were near us hurrying at the same speed. They were dressed similarly to my
husband with similar builds. The only difference was they were white and my husband is
a dark Indian man.
Out of nowhere we hear: “You”, a security guard says point to Arvind go over there and
get checked. I laughed, but my Husband was pissed. He went and got a good pat down.
Where the security guard signed off his ticket.
At the gate one of the airline attendance tried pulling Arvind aside for further
questioning. They assumed he didn’t speak English so they were going to get someone
who spoke his language. By the end of our time at this airport Arvind had two signatures
on his ticket compared to my zero signatures.
I do not mean to suggest that all people from Germany are xenophobic. Arvind and I
have plenty of friends living the U.S. from Germany, none of them have ever treated
Arvind poorly. I have friends from other races that have done foreign exchange
programs in Germany, and I have never heard them complain about there treatment.
Movies:
German’s generally do not like to be referred to as xenophobic, the holocaust has left
many people ashamed of there own past and there treatment of others. One place
where this can be seen is in the documentary, “Hitler’s Children”. The movie tells the
stories of the children and grandchildren of some of the highest ranking officers in he
Nazi regime. All that were interviewed are highly troubled with what their own family
had done. Though they personally are innocent of any crimes perpetrated against
holocaust victims, they lead lives riddled with guilt.
Books:
There is no shortage of literature about Germany. I did not want to only focus on the
Holocaust. So I chose to read up on the Berlin Wall. The end of World War II lead right
into the Cold War. One of the countries that were highly effected by this was Germany.
The book, Year that Changed the World: The Untold Story Behind the Fall of the Berlin
Wall, shows what lead to the end of the Cold War and how it effected many of the
countries around the world. The book not only talks about the end of the cold war, but
also discusses the difference between East and West Germany prior to the time that
Berlin wall was taken down.
Work Cited:
MYear that Changed the World: The Untold Story Behind the Fall of the Berlin
Wall
"Hitler's Children".
I have never officially been to Germany, but last winter I had a connection flight through
Frankfurt last December. The experience itself was interesting. My mother-in-law often
comes to the U.S. from India, and she likes to use Lufthansa Airlines, but every time she
comes she complains about how bad security is. I never paid much attention; she often
comes on September 11, so I often contributed her complaints to heightened security
due to the significant of the day she flies.
However, this my view changed after going through there myself. There were no long
lines in Frankfurt’s security. I was able to get through quickly, but it was a different story
for my husband, who is Indian. We got through the first check point with no problems.
They had to check a few extra things on Arvind’s visa since he was not from the EU
or U.S. We got through the checkpoint and began to hurry through the airport. Ten
other men were near us hurrying at the same speed. They were dressed similarly to my
husband with similar builds. The only difference was they were white and my husband is
a dark Indian man.
Out of nowhere we hear: “You”, a security guard says point to Arvind go over there and
get checked. I laughed, but my Husband was pissed. He went and got a good pat down.
Where the security guard signed off his ticket.
At the gate one of the airline attendance tried pulling Arvind aside for further
questioning. They assumed he didn’t speak English so they were going to get someone
who spoke his language. By the end of our time at this airport Arvind had two signatures
on his ticket compared to my zero signatures.
I do not mean to suggest that all people from Germany are xenophobic. Arvind and I
have plenty of friends living the U.S. from Germany, none of them have ever treated
Arvind poorly. I have friends from other races that have done foreign exchange
programs in Germany, and I have never heard them complain about there treatment.
Movies:
German’s generally do not like to be referred to as xenophobic, the holocaust has left
many people ashamed of there own past and there treatment of others. One place
where this can be seen is in the documentary, “Hitler’s Children”. The movie tells the
stories of the children and grandchildren of some of the highest ranking officers in he
Nazi regime. All that were interviewed are highly troubled with what their own family
had done. Though they personally are innocent of any crimes perpetrated against
holocaust victims, they lead lives riddled with guilt.
Books:
There is no shortage of literature about Germany. I did not want to only focus on the
Holocaust. So I chose to read up on the Berlin Wall. The end of World War II lead right
into the Cold War. One of the countries that were highly effected by this was Germany.
The book, Year that Changed the World: The Untold Story Behind the Fall of the Berlin
Wall, shows what lead to the end of the Cold War and how it effected many of the
countries around the world. The book not only talks about the end of the cold war, but
also discusses the difference between East and West Germany prior to the time that
Berlin wall was taken down.
Work Cited:
MYear that Changed the World: The Untold Story Behind the Fall of the Berlin
Wall
"Hitler's Children".
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