For most of the 150 families that meet up at a lake on the outskirts of the eastern city of Leipzig, the twice-yearly gatherings aren't about capitalism or communism, East or West, but about enjoying a bit of nostalgia among friends with shared experiences.
Friday, October 02, 2020
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I'm guessing these people were among the few who lived the good and privileged life under the GDR, and not the toiling proles beneath them.
ReplyDeleteThis is called "Ostalgia", a nostalgia for the former East Germany. Just don't mention the rationing, the shortages of consumer goods (waiting period for a Trabant car: 18 years!), the constant surveillance of all aspects of life by the Stasi, the number of snitches and informers (est. 1 million out of a total population of 17 million), the rotten infrastructure, the oppression of the population by all state organs, travel bans, forced/unpaid labor days every month and so on. Apart from all that East Germany was a veritable workers paradise. No wonder that thousands risked their life trying to flee from this Socialist dream.
ReplyDelete"No wonder that thousands risked their life trying to flee from this Socialist dream."
DeleteSo full of the wonders of communism they just had to go out and spread the word.
The inward facing machine gun nests were just there to keep their exuberance in check and prevent the flood of dissillusioned capitalists from swamping the borders trying to get in.