here

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.

18

The question that is touched upon is whether the German culture is opposite to the presence of ethnic minorities. In order to answer this question reasonably, many aspects need to be contemplated.

On one hand ethnic minorities are groups of people with different national and cultural traditions in comparison to the ones of the main population. Therefore, one may conclude that the presence of ethnic minorities is indeed opposite to the German culture, since ethnic minorities have different cultural and national backgrounds including traditions that may seem to not have any relation to the German culture. However, while it is true that people belonging to ethnic minorities may often be accustomed to a few different cultural traditions, one must also consider the influence that ethnic minorities have on the German culture. It is important to keep in mind that culture is defined by the ideas, traditions and the social bearing of a population. Upon reflection, this proves that cultures can be changed and influenced. Moreover, there are so many things, that ethnic minorities have already brought to this country, that now feel like a part of Germany and its culture to many people. These things include food, music and more. An example of a food that is not originally from Germany, but that is still very popular in Germany, is donair. Whereas, donair is not a German food, it has had an impact on the German culture, which becomes evident as there is even a German song about this food (“Ich bin ein Döner” by Tim Toupet). Whilst, this is a rather minor example, it does show that ethnic minorities have had an impact on the German culture. Consequently, it would be contradictory to proclaim their presence as opposite to the German culture.

In conclusion, it can be said that the presence of ethnic minorities is not in any way opposite to the German culture as ethnic minorities themselves have contributed and continue to contribute a lot to this country and its culture.

4

In the following I will comment on the question “Is the British culture opposite to the present of ethnic minorities?“. But does it also fit to the German culture.

On the one hand you can say that the ethnic minorities influence Germany in a negative way because they keep their own culture here and maybe do not adjust to the german culture. But on the other hand other cultures are good for Germany because diversity is something very important. If the German people can learn something about their culture and they learn something about the Germans it is good for everyone. We benefit from many things of them, like for example many different dishes and celebrations. The people should be more open minded for their culture because they can really profit from it. Everyone who lives in this country is part of it and “makes“ this country a diverse and good place to live. Other cultures belong to it like the German cultures because ethnic minorities make a country diverse and nice.

All in all I think that ethnic minorities belong to this country and everyone should accept them and their culture.

1

By looking at the statement wether ethnic minorities are a part of the British culture or not, you can name a lot of varying arguments for each of the positions.

First, one can say that the ethnic minorities are part of the culture because they influence it mostly in a good way, for example when it comes to food or music. Moreover the ethnic minorities are connected with the others through school or work and they try to intigrate themself even though that it can be hard sometimes. The most important point is that it is positive to be connected with each other, so that we can learn and both have a benefit from the relationship. On the other side , one can say that a lot of the people from ethnic minorities or the ones with a migration background, have a different lifestyle for example when it comes to the religion. Furthermore political opinion can be different, especially when we look at the role of the woman, their worth and how they should be treated.

To come to a conclusion, I would say that the ethnic minorities are part of the society and should be more integrated even when there are conflicts between the cultures. In that case both sides should work on a solution.

23

In the following I want to comment on the question if the German culture is the opposite of ethnic minorities.

Firstly, my view is that the ethnic minorities are isolated in the German culture. I observed that one proplem is the lack of language skills, because they turn to a barrier of communication and exchange. I have to add that only minorities speak the language of east countries from Europe for example you do not learn this languages in school, which shows that there is no opportunity to communicate with neighborhood countries. Another point is that a lot of people prejudice other countries and their cultures. It is caused by people, who prejudice other people without to know them well. The last aspect is that some people are not open minded especially older people, who do not accept other people in their environment, because they want to keep their traditions and a conventional lifestyle to stay in their comfort zone.

In contrast to the first part, I personally think that younger people are more open minded and like to get to know different cultures and traditions. Especially people who live in the city. They tend more to get in touch with the ethnic minorities compare to people, who live on the country side. The next aspect is that there is a development to a multi-cultural lifestyle, which is supported by the globalization and social benefits like ethical attitude, tolerance and economic advantages. Moreover, the culture and the history of Germany is influenced by other countries and culture for example the second world war, where lots of people were concerned and included. Nowadays, the German politicians try to improve the boundaries with other countries.

All in all, I come to the conclusion that German culture is not the opposite of ethnic minorities and only humanitarianism can help to accept this. And there are a lot of influences, which make the recent Germany. A good relationship is the solution that everyone benifits from.

2

In the following I will comment to Afua Hirsch's statement "The idea that British" culture" is somehow opposite to the presence of ethnic minorities is [...] nonsense" (ll. 74-76).

Many of the British population have concerns about the influence of other ethnic groups. They are afraid of losing their own culture by living together.

On the one hand, I think it is true, that culture transforms in the presence of immigrants. Partially they contribute their own traditions to our lifestyle, in that process, it could happen that pieces of our own culture will be replaced. Furthermore, people feel threatened by other cultures, especially by religions, for example wearing headscarves by teachers is a highly controversial topic. The concern exists that children could be negatively influenced by foreign religions.

On the other hand I have to mention that culture changes constantly, for example after the Second World War, the Allies influenced the society in the different zones in other ways. Today there are still differences, but that is not worse. On the contrary, it is even positive. Additionally, everyone benefits from a multicultural lifestyle. Without it, we would not have that broad spectrum of music and food. Often it is already so far integrated in our every day life, that we could not imagine a life without, for example pizza. Moreover, I have to clarify that we are only that well developed, because of the interchange with other nations. It enables to a spread of information and ideas, like democracy. Nevertheless, we should not forget that every culture was build and shaped by each other.

All in all it leads to me that Britain would not be Britain, without other ethnic groups aswell as Germany would not be Germany.