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Why do immigrants prefer Western lands / Special East German values? / Ritual of acquaintance as a symbol of origin.
Many of those who intend to move to Germany, for example as late settlers or Jewish immigrants, would not like to end up in the eastern states of Germany, that is, in the territory of the former GDR. They say that the attitude towards foreigners there is worse than in the west of the country, and the standard of living is somewhat lower. Do potential settlers and immigrants know that there is still an invisible wall of alienation between many East and West Germans? They are distinguished not only by their level and lifestyle, but also by their mentality. So the migrant from Eastern Europe It may be that in the West you will feel out of place, find yourself isolated and lonely.
Where are the girls more beautiful?
East German country house
“Connoisseurs have long known that girls in the east are more beautiful, and men are better kissers. That the people here think faster, and in general everything is better here than in the west,” sang the popular East German singer Kai Niemann. Of course, the song is not popular in the West of Germany, while radio stations in the East of Germany play it often. But is this fact a manifestation of East German identity? Or is it rather an attempt to convince ourselves of the existence of some special East German values?
Apart from the sense of self-superiority that is quite clearly read between the lines of this song, its lyrics are full of common prejudices about the so-called “Ossies” and “Wessies”, into which the inhabitants of a united Germany are still divided. “Ossies”, that is, residents of the former GDR, are lazy, afraid of difficulties, they are too emotional and are used to living on command. This is how the “Wessi”, that is, the West Germans, see them. At the same time, in the east of Germany it is believed that residents of the west of Germany do not know how to show their feelings, are arrogant, prone to exaggeration, and that they are only interested in money.
In such a situation, is it worth surprising at the misunderstandings that constantly arise between East and West Germans? Here are just some examples:
A West German consultant is perceived as arrogant and arrogant if he is not prepared to discuss problems at work personal life.
A seminar participant from East Germany is surprised that her Western colleagues, when criticizing the seminar, express the same reproaches, instead of limiting themselves to points that have not yet been mentioned and are important for everyone.
An East German engineer who wants to get a job at a Western company says almost nothing about his abilities. And only at the very end of the conversation with a potential employer it turns out that he understands in detail the important computer programs.
Employees from eastern Germany are often unsure whether criticism from a Western boss concerns their work or is directed at them personally.
A young woman from West Germany feels uncomfortable because an Eastern colleague constantly touches her arm while talking.
All together against each other
Book cover
For example, there are various dating rituals. In the West, it is customary to first indicate your status to the interlocutor, since this the most important criterion, on the basis of which a decision is generally made whether to continue the conversation. In the east, acquaintance begins on a personal level. Initial information about yourself does not contain data about social status. First, personal compatibility is clarified, after which the interlocutors move on to questions of status. This means that both Eastern and Western cultures attach importance to communication. great value both aspects, but different sequence. Rapprochement, distance, conflict are present in both cases, but in different ways.
Olaf Georg Klein was born in East Berlin in 1955, studied at the faculties of evangelical theology, psychology and philosophy. Today he is the author of numerous publications and a consulting psychologist. After the reunification of Germany, the topic of relations between East and West plays an increasingly important role in his consulting activities. important role.
Differences in cultural heritage
At one time, Olaf Klein spent 6 months in the USA, where he was struck by the unusual relations between the Americans and the British. Differences in cultural heritage are a source of misunderstanding and mutual hostility, despite the fact that both nations speak the same language. A similar phenomenon is observed today between the east and west of Germany.
“As an East German, I notice in my interactions with West Germans the constant presence of competition under the motto: “Everyone is together against each other!” People are constantly on the alert, constantly waiting for some kind of catch,” he notes.
Negotiations, flirting, discussion or private conversation... When an "Ossie" comes into contact with a "Wessy", both often have an unpleasant aftertaste from this communication. Feeling like something is wrong. There is a widespread belief that common language implies uniform rules of communication. But is this true?
“Everyone knows that the east is the sunrise, and the west is the sunset. The wind from the east is fresher than from the west. Even Martin Luther was an Ossie! And in general, everything is better in the east than in the west,” this is how Kai Niemann sang .
In the east and in the west time goes by differently
Klein is convinced that the difference in income levels between the east and west of Germany plays rather a secondary role. The reason for the misunderstanding is different cultures communication. Therefore, for successful communication it is necessary to take into account these differences. And the decisive role is played not by the content, but by the forms of communication. In addition, we must not forget about facial expressions and gestures that accompany words.
How long should you look into the eyes of your interlocutor? Is it possible to spontaneously touch his hand? At what pace should the conversation take place? “It’s typical for the Wessies that they immediately take the bull by the horns. I don’t want to say that we East Germans are slower to think. We just approach everything more calmly, weigh every word. This is probably left over from the old days “when you had to keep your ears open all the time and think about who was listening to you and to whom he would report what you said,” the psychologist notes.
East and West Germans approach such things differently important aspects like friendship or time. These differences have developed under the influence of historical factors. After the end of World War II, the development of the western part of today's Germany was oriented towards America, while the culture of communication in the east of Germany was formed under the influence of Eastern European traditions.
Advantages and Disadvantages
But there is no need to rush to conclusions here, emphasizes Olaf Georg Klein: “Each of these cultures has advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, it would be completely pointless to say that one of them is better and the other worse. For example, the Eastern European culture of communication highly values \u200b\u200bcompromise , while Western culture tends to make decisions that benefit the majority Therefore, in case of disagreement in the east. for a long time they try to find a compromise that suits everyone, while in the West the discussion ends as soon as it becomes clear that a solution that suits the majority has been found."
According to the writer, oriental culture avoids communication open conflicts. That is, the discussion for a long time has been limited to a range of issues on which the parties do not have serious disagreements. Then the transition to the conflict is made, its essence is formulated, after which the discussion again returns to the previously achieved consensus.
This kind of discussion, which constantly emphasizes general views on the problem, does not lead to escalation of the conflict. Western culture communication tends to provoke conflict as a way to clarify different points of view. Similar difference views often leads both sides to mutual irritation and accusations of unprofessionalism.
Understanding all these differences is essential for successful dialogue between East and West. It is necessary to listen sensitively to the reaction of the interlocutor, to control not only words, but facial expressions and gestures.
“You are different, and that’s excellent!”, - writes Olaf Georg Klein in his book and believes that we should strive not to change each other, but to take into account differences in communication cultures.
Context
Where are you, unity?
"The people are us!" With this slogan, hundreds of thousands of Germans went out to demonstrate against the communist regime in the GDR in the fall of 1989. But quite quickly the slogan changed and began to sound: “We are one people.”
Even 22 years after German reunification, significant differences still exist between the eastern and western parts of the unified country. “Ossi” (as the population of the former GDR is called here) and “Wessi” (residents of the western part) in many ways perceive each other as strangers and make up tall tales about each other. True, there is a theme that unites them.
On the occasion of the anniversary of German unity, celebrated on October 3, the German tabloid Bild published the results of a survey. Surprisingly, those who grew up in East Germany are often more open to the West than West Germans are to the East, journalists from Bild begin their article. The survey, which was conducted from September 28 to October 1, 2012, involved 1,005 citizens of East and West Germany.
One in five West Germans (21 percent) have never been to East Germany. Of those living in East Germany, only 9 percent have never been to the West. 67 percent of West Germans could marry someone from the former GDR. Against - 17 percent. Among the East Germans surveyed, 78 percent could enter into such marriages, 11 percent refused. Three-quarters of all Germans (74 percent) see the reason for the “difference in mentality” between the population of the old and new (i.e., former GDR) federal states, highlighting certain qualities inherent in the “Ossies” and “Wessies.”
36 percent of all respondents consider “money-oriented” to be a typical West German quality, while 17 percent consider it a typical quality of East Germans. “Rudity,” judging by the survey, is more typical of West Germans, at least 23 percent of respondents think so, and only 17 percent called this behavior typical of residents of the eastern regions.
But East Germans are most often called (37 percent of all respondents) always grumbling and “dissatisfied.” And only 17 percent are sure that this character trait is inherent in their Western neighbors. What can I say! “Dependence on superiors,” according to 29 percent of respondents, is more characteristic of residents of the former GDR than of Germans in the Western lands (12 percent). And further, in full accordance with the cliché: “envy” is an indispensable quality of an “Aussie”. 30 percent of respondents are confident in this, and only 13 percent think that West Germans also have it.
As for the problems of modern politics, there seems to be practically no disagreement on this issue between East and West Germans. 64 percent of respondents, both in the East and in the West, are indifferent to Federal President Joachim Gauck and Chancellor Angela Merkel. Let us remember that both of them who reached the highest government positions as politicians came from East Germany. Nearly a third of those surveyed were "Ossies" (36 percent) and almost as many "Wessies" (37 percent) believe that the ex-GDR security service Stasi "still continues to exert influence on society." An almost equal number of East and West Germans surveyed also hold the opposite point of view. For some reason, Bild did not provide exact data on this matter.
In the very first comment, one of the bloggers rhetorically asks: “What about the difference in mentality between the inhabitants of Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria?” The irony is quite appropriate, since there is also a difference between Bavaria, which lies to the south, and the northern lands of Schleswig-Holstein. The Bavarians even have their own special dialect German language- Bairisch, which is the farthest from literary German (the so-called Standarddeutsch or Hochdeutsch). There are other differences in lifestyle, dislike for the “militarized” Prussians (Prussia has traditionally supplied men to the German officer corps), etc. It seems, however, that the difference according to the “north-south” principle is due to historical reasons- less striking than between the west and east of the country. In neighboring Italy there is a striking contrast between the industrial North and the agricultural South, while in Germany the division occurred along a different geographical parameter.
“I’ve never heard such nonsense,” the anonymous blogger is indignant. “Every “Wessy” wants to know everything about the East Germans, but has not the slightest idea about them.” Another visitor under the nickname Siegfried Bauer comments: “A large international guidebook persistently warns against visiting the GDR. That, in fact, says it all.”
Crowded demonstrations passed by the Soviet garrison and people walking with candles in their hands chanted: “Gorbi! Gorbi!” Love for the Soviet leader, who a little later “gave” his trusted allies to his new Western friends for a great life, was soon replaced by a different mood. In the fall of 1989, in Dresden, Berlin and Leipzig, the slogan Wir sind ein Volk (“We are the people”), inspired by the Soviet “perestroika,” was heard for the first time, from which Wir sind das Volk (“We are one people”) was quickly born. Both parts of Germany rushed towards unification. Each side had its own reasons. “The focus on money” mentioned in the last survey did indeed turn out to be an effective incentive for the “Wessy”. On the territory of the former GDR, they quickly created the “Guardianship Office” - Treuhand, which instantly turned into the world's largest entrepreneur, controlling more than nine thousand former state-owned enterprises, approximately two million hectares of land and two million hectares of forest land.
National or, as they said then, “people’s” property was disappearing before our eyes at bargain market prices, turning the “Ossies” into second-class Germans. The East Germans, no less than their greedy brethren, sought the reunification of the two halves of Germany. The author of these lines, living in German Democratic Republic, asked with interest the East Germans who had visited West Germany: “Tell me in one word, what struck you most abroad?”
