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15

The question if the ethni minorities are the opposite of the german culture is a diffucult one. There are many positive and negative aspects. In the following i am goining to comment on this question.

On one hand one can say that these ethnic minorities influenced the German culture by bringing in new food etc. For example, French people brought in `Croissants`. Therefore, people from ethnic minorities contribute a lot to the country and also, it’s culture. The main point is that we are all individuals in this country and we all “make” this country. Everyone is part of it.

All in all I do not think that the ethnic minorities are the opposite of the german culture but everyone has a different point of view.

8

In her article the British journalist Aufa Hirsch critizes the influence by other ethnic minorities with the line “The idea that the British ‘culture’ is somehow opposite to the presence of ethnic minorities is [...] nonsense”. But is this statement also a topic in Germany?

At first you can say, that other ethnic minorities have a big influence on Germany and its country. When you walk through cities or even your little village you see at least one restaurant guided by foreigners. We Germans love food from other cultures and I believe it also became a big part of german culture. In my opinion foreigners also influence the labour market by working for Germans or in Germany and integrate in to the German system. I also want to say, that every single person who lives in Germany contributes to the German culture no matter if you are completely German, born in Germany or a immigrant. But on the other hand, German culture is very, very different from other Cultures. We have our own traditions and I think we like to keep it simple. Turkish people for example have different traditions and like their occasions celebrated big. Ethnic minorities don’t stop celebrating their traditions just because they’re living in another country. They also start businesses in Germany based on their traditions for example shops where Turkish or Arabic brides buy their wedding dresses because they’re bigger and more traditional than our casual, German ones. German tradition and the traditions from the Turkish people distinguish a lot from another in front of religious believe. And these traditions don’t really “cross” because it just doesn’t match with our way to life.

All in all I wanna say, that I respect every culture and their traditions and I believe that other cultures influence Germany in a positive way, but that the cultures of the ethnic minorities don’t match with the German ones, where’s nothing wrong about.

22

Is German culture naturally against ethnic minorities or is the belief that Germany is a xenophobic country an outdated thought? That is a frequently asked question to a lot of people, in the following comment i am going to state my own thoughts on the topic.

When looking at Germany it is impossible to ignore their background regarding wold war two. Racism in Germany found its peak during the Nazi regime which led to the Holocaust one oft he biggest act of genocide ever committed. So to say that racism is a sensitive subject in Germany is a bit of an understatement. To add to that there has been a change in German politics with right-wing parties such as the AFD gaining more popularity among voters. Germans are known for being more conservative and valuing their own culture. On the other hand, there is not only a shift towards right-wing politics but also left extremism. So everyone that claims that Germany is turning into a right-wing country is simply ignoring half of the truth. Of course, a lot of Germans are conservative but that is not an accurate description for all Germans as especially the youth of Germany is very liberal and open-minded. Additionally, German culture is far away from being inherent 'German'. Our culture is influenced a lot by immigrants and globalization and it is going to change more in the future. Especially foreign cuisine brings in new additions to our lives every day.

In conclusion, one can say that our culture undergoes constant change and therefore it is not possible to claim that any culture is inherent against ethnic minorities.

10

In the following, I want to comment on the question if the German culture is the opposite of the ethnic minorities. First of all, I think there is a movement and development of seperated ethnic minorities into isolation from the German culture. One of the biggest problem is that the lack of language skills turn to a barrier of communication and exchange. Another aspect is that most people have prejudices of other countries and cultures, which is caused by judging people before really getting to know them. In conclusion to that some people are not open minded enough to welcome another culture in their environment, because they hold on to their conventional lifestyle, especially older people, who prefer staying in their comfort zone.

In contrast to that, the younger generation is more likely to get to know new things and to be open minded to new cultures, especially in the high-populated cities German people tend more to get in touch with ethnic minorities in comparison to the countryside. In context to that there is a development of a multicultural lifestyle, which is also supported by the globalization and its social benefits like ethnical attitude, tolerance and economic advantages. Furthermore, the culture and the history of Germany is and was influenced by other countries and their culture for example during the 2.world war lots of countries were concerned and included and nowadays the German politicians try to strengthen the boundaries to other countries. All in all, I come to the conclusion that it is important to keep up the awareness that the German culture is not the opposite of ethnic minorities because the complex of influences contribute to the recent culture in Germany, so far it is a mutual relationship.