This blog summarizes conversations with my wife Kristine, who contributed many ideas and her inspiration to write this up.
“The iniquities of the fathers are visited upon the sons and daughters —
unto the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 20:5)
The German word “Vergangenheitsbewältigung” describes the “process of coming to terms with one’s past”. The process of understanding history, facing the role of one’s ancestors in this history, and recognizing how my own identity is being weighted down by it – maybe through wealth that our ancestors gained, maybe their guilt, their lack of acting responsibly. In her fantastic booklet “Belonging: A German reckons with history and home”, Nora Krug shares how she attempts to “confront the hidden truths of her family’s wartime past in Nazi Germany and to comprehend the forces that have shaped her life, her generation, and history”. Being German myself, Nora brought back hundreds of little memories of my own life that shaped my identity as a German, a citizen, a human being, a father: The pain of knowing about my forefather’s sins.
In Canada Day, I heard the story how Canadians have a right to celebrate themselves, celebrate their country’s diversity, and have a right to be happy. In his address, Trudeau used nuance, and focused on the right to look towards a better future for this country – something that smartly avoids the Country’s burden of the past. Yet, as a German, I feel eerily frightened by such “right-based” approach – an approach that avoids the inconvenience of looking at one’s past.
North America’s genocide decimated the population of Native Americans from estimated 112 million in 1492 to a few million, within 100 years. Much of this collapse can be blamed on virus infections. Diseases circulated partly without colonial intention, but were also augmented with explicit intent. Contaminated blankets, infected foods, and other strategies were used to kill the native population. Those who survived the series of 10 deadly epidemics in 50 years, were soon “concentrated” in reservations, and later “re-educated” and “civilized” in residential schools. In the 70s and 80s, while Canada was rebranding itself as the “nice friendly people who are different than the Americans and love national parks”, residential schools continued to exterminate the native languages and culture, traumatize children with sexual abuse. While progressive Canadians waved happy flags and felt like the “nice guys” on the world stage, the cultural genocide continued at home. The Gordon Residential School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan, closed as late as 1996! Land robbery continues until today, with Western companies raping native land with mining, clearcut forestry, and large dam projects. The Canadian genocide is not yet over: it continues under our very eyes and we can see it – if we dare look up.
After the German Nazi regime collapsed in 1945, Americans imposed a denacification process on the German survivors of WWII. Every German was interviewed and classified into four classes: Major Offenders, Offenders, Followers, and Exonerated Persons. The American courts identified 0.6% as exonerated dissidents to the Nazi regime. 1.4% were classified as major offenders and offenders. Dozens of major offenders – the inner circle – were executed. 95% of the population were classified as “followers” – people who did not drive the Nazi genocide, but also did nothing to avoid it. They simply turned away, ignored what happened, and took no interest in what happened to those who were deported. They simply went along their way, furthered their career, and partied on. One of the core lessons from this process: The Nazi regime, which may have orchestrated the most horrible deeds in modern history, was not driven by an evil population – but by a population that could not care less. Everyone pointed at other people in the hierarchy, denying personal decision power. Even Adolf Eichmann, the planner of the holocaust who designed concentration camps and laid out the deportation process, claims that he just followed orders – and demonstrated how he interpreted each order with the least suffering for Jews. He pleaded “not guilty” on all accounts – a trial that every highschool student should watch to understand the true architecture of evil: narrow perspectives and wilful ignorance.
Vergangenheitsbewältigung is painful. It hurts; it robs one’s illusion of innocence. It matures a child, it wrenches one’s guts and heart. If German students rebel against their teachers, if they question authorities – that is the purpose of our schooling system, or at least it was when I grew up. The word “Follower” (Mitläufer) still expresses deep disrespect for a puppet, a marionette that does not assume agency but hides behind rules and superiors, smiles along, laughs at bad jokes just to fit in. Until today, Germans are ambiguous about their own country, their flag, their national anthem. This is unimaginable to most other countries, who either were on the receiving end of genocide and colonization, or are still unwilling to face their skeletons in the closet.
Lately, we Germans are finding new pride – because we have gone through the process of facing the worse of our past. Angela Merkel was a leader who mostly listened to majority opinions, pragmatically doing what kept her re-elected. But she stood up one time, and did something that will reserve her a spot in history: When Syrian refugees were looking for safety from war, she opened all boarders. “We can do this” was her brief explanation to the German people, and “It is my historic responsibility as a Christian, as a German, as your chancellor”. About 1.5 Million refugees entered Germany that year, or one refugee for every 50 Germans. For perspective, this would mean 650,000 Syrians enter Canada within only one year. “We can do this”, Merkel defended her decision and was never apologetic to conservative critiques. For me, this still marks a turning point in “being German” – I now feel pride again, not about the flag or some branding that we are “technologically advanced” or “efficient, skilled workers”. None of that. I am proud because we faced the worse daemons of our past, and a solid majority of Germans have learned from it, is willing to take responsibility. This pride gives me a deep sense of liberation from the prison of our past, it gives me true freedom, rejuvenation, rebirth.
When I talk about the curse of “followers” in the Canadian context, even with my most progressive Canadian friends, the immediate response is apologetic: “They don’t want to feel the pain”. “The Americans are worse”. “We have a right to be happy about our Nation, at least today”. I could not disagree more. Being happy about a nation is something that needs to be earned, an outcome of a process of self reflection and living up to one’s responsibility. Every Canadian who lived in the 1970s and 1980s, when “We are the nice guys” branding shaped our modern Canadian identity, somehow knew about the “Indians” incarcerated in residential schools. And did not ask. Today, Canadians know how the majority of our prison population continues to be native, how most suicide victims are natives, how most murders are committed against natives. The genocide is continuing, like it or not. Canadians are not “the nice guys” … we are people who smile while our feet are shuffling dust to hide the skeletons of our past. By turning away from this past, by ignoring the skeletons, Canadians are doomed to patriotic shallowness – a void sense that uproots us from our own history, from ourselves. Shallowness leaves a void that opens up space for lies, gurus, populism, and a continuation of a genocide that traps our morale. We are doomed to shallow flag waving, while the full depth of our human existence remains foreclosed. We cannot feel free.
The Canadian flag and identity has been muddled by our inaction to face our past. Yes, we are not alone – the British empire is mostly in denial how its riches are built on 500 years of colonialism and genocides. The Spanish are in the same boat, as are so many other European nations. Until today, most British wealth is generated in financial markets, which take no responsibility for how these transactions impact people elsewhere. The Americans are certainly worse than Canadians, ai? Much of America is succumbing to a culture of denialism, wilfully oblivious toward facts or reality. Globally, elites of all colors dominate former colonies. Elites that built their riches on historic injustice. But pointing at these facts is apologetic, has nothing to do with ourselves, with each one’s responsibility to look into the mirror, grow beyond the blindness of denial, open our eyes and become fully humane. We cannot be “free” without this ability to look at our own past, work through it, take responsibility. And until we do this, we remain trapped – honking for freedom, in our own prison, blaming this or that for our sense of entrapment. While we yawn for “freedom”, we need liberation from our own past that holds us captive, imprisoned in our own wilful ignorance.
“Being happy about being Canadian” is certainly not a right, it is a privilege that we can earn. It requires from us nothing less than to seek a new identity. An identity that embraces and accepts our devastating treatment of this land, its people and its creatures. An identity that learns from it, lives up to the past by taking responsibility (instead of ownership). There’s so much that we can win from facing an inconvenient truth, by working through the pains of our history – we can regain our freedom, our self respect, our pride in our community, the sense of being truly liberated humans. Free. Until then, we can honk on for freedom or direct the beautification budgets of our municipality to paint colorful crossings. Yet, we know that a genocide has happened under our very eyes, while we chose to look away or deny. Much more comfortably than under the Nazis…
There is no reconciliation without facing the pain of this heritance, the entrapment. Until we have gone through this exercise of healing, for me, the Canadian flag remains orange, needing to remind us that “Every child matters”.
“We have nothing to lose except our fear
It is our future, our country
Give me your love, give me your hand”
Der Traum ist ausArtist: Ton Steine Scherben Album: Keine Macht fuer Niemand (1972) Ich hab geträumt, der Winter wär’ vorbei Es gab keine Angst und nichts zu verlieren Der Traum ist aus Ich hab geträumt, der Krieg wär vorbei Alle Türen waren offen, die Gefängnisse leer Der Traum ist aus Gibt es ein Land auf der Erde, wo der Traum Wirklichkeit ist? Der Traum ist aus, zu dieser Zeit Der Traum ist aus |
The Dream is OverArtist: Clay, Rocks, and Cullets Album: No power for nobody (1972) I dreamt, the winter was over There was no fear and nothing to lose The dream is over I dreamt, the war was over All of the doors were open, the prisons empty The dream is over Is there a country on the earth, where the dream is a reality? The dream is over at this time The dream is over. |
Thorsten, lets put it out there right a way: I am your mother-in-law(from hell?) german born as you and on this place and today I want to thank you for this article from the bottom of my heart. I love you son! more is not to say.