this post was submitted on 13 Jul 2024
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[–] SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz 95 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Met a guy at a German language meet-up who let me know that I was first person who didn't ask him any questions about / discuss WW2 or nazis.

He actually grew up in East Germany in the 80's— also not great, but no one he talked to even knew that Germany had once split. They only wanted to talk about WW2. It made him very uncomfortable.

We got to discuss a lot about American culture and people's weird obsessions and developed a close relationship. It was fun!

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 42 points 4 months ago (2 children)

If I had a dollar for every American mentioning Germans/WW2 when I told them I'm Dutch, I would be retired now.

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

You'd rather they ask you about Anne Frank or the wooden shoes?

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 11 points 4 months ago

I'd rather they ask dumb questions about the correct, yeah.

[–] pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

as a northern european I'd ask how many dikes do you own

edit: dikes is not a spelling mistake (i think)

[–] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 9 points 4 months ago (1 children)

"dyke" is British English and "dike" is American English for a levee or flood bank. I don't own any of those because they belong to the government.

Both spellings are also slang for butch lesbians, and owning those has been illegal for about 160 years now.

[–] bobotron@sh.itjust.works 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

How about windmills, you must own a couple of those

[–] Doxin@pawb.social 1 points 4 months ago

My dad owned part of one of the first wind turbines in the country, does that count?

[–] Tja@programming.dev 11 points 4 months ago (2 children)

That's weird. Germans are used to that. In my experience it's especially brits that ask about it.

Every German I know has the answer memorized: yeah, it was terrible but we are a different population now and we are making sure it won't happen again. Do you want a beer?

[–] hanrahan@slrpnk.net 6 points 4 months ago

Every German I know has the answer memorized: yeah, it was terrible but we are a different population now and we are making sure it won't happen again

And yet the rise and rise of the AfD...

[–] SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz 5 points 4 months ago

We're in the US. I just don't think he was used to the amount of extended ignorance, sometimes purposeful.

[–] FiskFisk33@startrek.website 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Americans don't know about the iron curtain? hm

[–] tzrlk@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago

You mean the ability from C&C: Red Alert? What does that have to do with Germany? It's a Russian superweapon, and Einstein removed Hitler from that timeline.