Year of Germany: The Fall of the Berlin Wall

While my knowledge on German history is up to the standard, a few details on this important event in German history I was unaware of.  This event about the fall of the Berlin wall was thrown to remember the effect it had both regionally and globally on massive amounts of people.  The event was staged in a large enough open space so that it could be divided into two separate parts, to represent the two different sides of Germany.  There were smaller activities ranging from tasting different parts of German food, to a soccer ball and play brick knocking down the wall game.  One activity that seemed particularly poignant was the large roll of paper that was put up for people to graffiti, but only on the West side.  The East side of the wall was apparently completely graffiti free, perhaps showing an even bigger difference that the two sides had.

The fall of the wall represented more than just a barrier being demolished, but a unity between a people that had been too often pitted against each other.  East and West Germany, separated by the wall was an unfair dividing line between a country that, after the fall of the wall, could become the Germany we have come to know today.  This could be used as a metaphor for what we can only hope to see happening today.  The breaking down of barriers not for domination or for violence, but for the unity of a people which should all share some very human and basic values.  The border of the Berlin wall was unfair to the rights of the people of Germany, and the fall represented something great for their nation that we would all do well to remember.  There is a famous saying that goes somewhere along the lines of this, those who do not pay attention to history are doomed to repeat it.  I can only hope that walls like this continue to fall around the world, decades later, breaking down the barriers that separate people from unity and a better tomorrow.

Different stars of the 1980's were very involved in voicing their opinion about the separation of people in Germany by way of the Berlin wall.  Even stars that had no relation to Germany at all had a basic desire for the human rights of these people to be respected.  An event halfway around the world can now effect people everywhere, if that is not a great testament to how globalized this world was and is, I do not know what is.

Year of Germany: Remembering Kristallnacht

Recently I attended a service for remembering Kristallnacht at my small liberal arts college.  This year is the year of Germany, so many of the school sanctioned events focus around events and issues that have historically been a part of that country.  This remembering Kristallnacht event was something that all who attended benefited from, not just by gaining historical knowledge, but also to know more about a country far away from the one we live in.

Kristallnacht is roughly translated in German to "The Night of Broken Glass".  This historically monumental event in German history happened on the night of November 9, 1938.  Throughout the event which was led both by students and a pastor, the event-goers were educated about the terrible events that took place and how the events leading up to and following this event were important not just to Germany, but also to the whole world.  30,000 Jews were not just arrested, but put into concentration camps.  275 synagogues were burned, as well as 7,500 businesses being destroyed through various means.  As we were being told these facts, the students intermixed reading accounts written by firefighters that were on the scene during burnings, and other people who had witnessed or taken part in that night.  Not everyone in Germany agreed with the terrible crimes that their country was committing, but that didn't mean that they could openly disagree without fear of retribution.

While the event was short, is was tasteful, with a symbolic lighting of candles at the end in remembrance of those that lost freedom and at times life during that event.  While we lit the candles, I was reminded that human life is something that should be revered globally, uniting us all in a way which can never be broken.

This event was not just educational, but thought provoking.  In regards to what I've learned about the effects of globalization today, it's clear to see that historically we've been on the track to this point for a long time.  The events in Germany that night helped lead to a series of events that threw most of Europe into turmoil.  Countries thousands of miles away were forced to choose sides and eventually the United States threw their hat into the ring in the hopes of minimizing human loss in the terrible and never forgotten world war.  Kristallnacht may only be about one night, but it's after effects can be, and at times, will still be felt today.

Limited Viewpoints

When I was six or seven me and my family travelled to Mexico.  At the time, I had no idea how lucky I was compared to my classmates to have the opportunity to experience another culture.  As opposed to going to the typical tourist attractions, my parents decided to take us to local businesses such as the markets and shops geared towards locals and not visitors.  One of these places we visited was the local Mall.  While we were there we felt it appropriate to try the local cuisine.  We settled on a pizza place and ordered a pizza named the Americano.  What could go wrong with that?  Soon we have a pizza to split between the six of us.  The Americano is a pizza with thousand island dressing in the place of sauce, covered in three meats.  These meats were vienna sausages, bologna and mystery meat.  Needless to say we were surprised.  Is this what people in Mexico really thought we ate?  This issue goes for both sides, we base our ideas of other cultures of media we see, which often portrays exaggerated cliches, a slippery slope for understanding other cultures.

With the rise of the media worldwide, a variety of cultures have been allowed to share parts of what makes them unique with a worldwide audience.  In America, one can rent a movie made in India, allowing us a unique though often somewhat unrealistic glance into another people groups culture.  The issue that we may be having in America, is the general lack of interest in other people's cultures.

First we can define the word media.  The definition of media according to Intercultural Communication  refers to the modes, means, or channels through which messages are communicated (Sorrells 2012).  Media has effected us on a global scale on both very positive and very negative ways.  When talking about media, it is also important to understand the difference between media and popular culture.  While these terms are often used interchangeably (I am guilty) they are in fact different concepts.  Popular culture is defined as systems and artifacts that the general populous or broad masses within a society share or about which most people have some understanding (Brummet 1994).  These terms can be interrelated, as the media often helps to expand the reach of popular culture both regionally and worldwide.

 I don't mean to overgeneralize and say that NOBODY born and bred in the USA is ignorant to other cultural experiences, but rather that the culture in general is not apt to encourage other countries media to impinge on the ever growing American dominance.  Americans run the risk of becoming increasingly ignorant to other countries and cultural values and norms.  When the majority of the exposure Americans get to other cultures is through limited media aspects, often movies or books, we begin to perceive other cultures by cliches portrayed in mass produced fantasized stories.

I believe that extreme ethnocentrism, or the belief that our culture is the best, mixed with lack of exposure will ultimately lead to the next generation being sorely out of touch with other peoples cultures.  Globalization may have allowed us the opportunity to be exposed to other cultures, beliefs, and ideals, but ignorance to the benefit that the exposure could provide may lead to some troubling difficulties in the future.

Other countries import media from the US into their countries, while in the US considerably less importing of media is done, while plenty of export is.  Often, when we do import other countries media, we may not even know that we are doing it.  For instance, the incredibly popular sitcom in the US named "The Office" was actually originated, with different actors of course, in the United Kingdom.  While no copyrights were infringed in the transfer, people in the US often times don't know that the idea for the show did not originate on American soil.  Also, by liking and reproducing the idea, but Americanizing it, it lost in sort of cultural exposure value it may have had to US citizens.