The German Federal Election -- a first overview

[Esquire Bertissimmo]

There is a good faith debate to be had about the benefits and drawbacks of national guilt. Canada is mired in such a conversation over its genocide of Indigenous groups.

But what ought to be off the table is a Hocke style "180 degree change" that would excuse or ignore historical crimes and valorize those who died in earnest support of Nazism. Japan has also occasionally struggled to avoid the pendulum swinging too far re: it's WW2 era atrocities. I don't care if an average German in 2025 feels personal responsibility for the Holocaust (in fact, I'd prefer they didn't), but I'd be extremely concerned if they were nonplussed about it or eager to celebrate that era of their history.

[CaptainFritz28]

Agreed. I don't think one should have to have a sense of national or personal guilt, or that that even has to be a part of one's thinking, to see evil that has been done historically, by anyone, and decry it as evil.

[Klaus klauts]

Well, I personally think that we do have a larger responsibility to remember these crimes than other people, because it is much easier for us, since all the historic artifacts are located in or around Germany, and it is easy for Germans to understand historic artifacts, since many of them are in German (language barrier). The fact that the Federal Republic of Germany is the legal successor of the German Reich also adds up to this fact. And at least until a few years ago it was possible (though not easy) to talk to people who witnessed those crimes first hand.

The only real change I would wish for, is that people should realize is that this evil is not uniquely German. I mean: the fact that there are now Nazis everywhere should be prove enough, should it not? But this very misunderstanding (by not all but many people) often leads to very dumb and dangerous decision-making