zoomar said:
Err, I think he means that modern Germany has been so thoroughly pacified by losing two world wars, aggressive ne-nazification, guilt, and self-recrimination that it never again wants to be perceived as a militaristic, or even vaguely nationalistic nation willing to act forcefully in it's own interests. It's almost like they're even afraid to fly their own flag over their own public buildings!
(...)I find it kind of sad that the nation of Friedrich the Great and Bismarck has been reduced to this level. We in the US, UK, France, and Russia can celebrate our great wars and military victories to our hearts content, but modern Germans are denied this - or maybe have also chosen to deny themselves this.
Time that someone from Germany posts in this thread, isn't it? Actually, we are in a peculiar situation. Due to the fact that the Nazis committed atrocities of a scale that has never been done before and after that, Germany appears to be stuck in some kind of public shame since WW2.
This is not all bad, because things like the Nazi state may never ever happen again. However, the problem is that public opinion in Germany usually associates anyone speaking of national symbols, Prussian heritage etc. with the Nazis. It is more accepted to express communist thoughts then to criticise Israel.
For example, we had a case last year in which a Member of the Bundestag (CDU) made a speech in which he said that during the Russian revolution, a large part of the Tscheka consisted of Jews, and that one could (he said could, not must) thus say that not only Germans committed evil deeds, but also jews did. That man was thrown out of his party (he still is in the Bundestag, but his career is ruined) and there was a huge public outcry. Furthermore, a high ranking officer in the Bundeswehr sent him a letter saying that he supported what had been said. This caused him to be retired immediately.
Yes, Germany is in a sorry state. But on the other hand, the US are as well. I personally think the inscription at the Statue of Liberty (give me your poor, homeless, etc., you know) should be removed immediately in view of the new "fortress America" that takes fingerprints of all travellers and that has already imprisoned innocents and violated human rights all over the world. Ah, one more word, I do understand the need to defend against terrorism. It is just the means that are questionable.
So the better statement is that the world is in a sorry state. But we live in it, and must make the best of it.