Riots in France

Finn d'Abuzz wrote:

If you were British, or even French, you might be able to take comfort in the fact that your ancestors (in the aggregate) wielded a mighty influence on world affairs. But, alas, you are German. Individually, Germans have made incredible contributions to human society but when it comes to the Germans as a whole, the issue is less certain.
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Indeed, my ancestors made now contribution at all to world history.

Locally, one of my great-great .... granfathers was honorably mention (as Monsieur Hinteler) when getting back the city of Muenster out of the hands of some "enemies". And in science, a greatuncle found something - in early 20th century quite important - about the absorptions of vapours through charcoal ("Schmidt-Hinteler-effect").

But as you correctly said, this issue is less certain than that of the "Finn d'Abuzz's".

[The horrors of the Third Reich are not common to the human experience, and therefore it is a quite legitimate question to ask: "How did the German people allow these horrors?"

Germans, at least initially (i.e. Krystalnacht), are not able to assert that they were forced into behaviors they would normally shun because of the threat of a dictatorial power.
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Finn d'Abuzz wrote:

[The horrors of the Third Reich are not common to the human experience, and therefore it is a quite legitimate question to ask: "How did the German people allow these horrors?"

Germans, at least initially (i.e. Krystalnacht), are not able to assert that they were forced into behaviors they would normally shun because of the threat of a dictatorial power.
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Perhaps you should read a bit about the Third Punic War; the Goth invasions of the Roman Empire; the suppression of the Albagensian heresy in France; the treatment of cities that resisted them by the Monguls; the behavior of the Portuguese explorers in creating their South asian Empire; the French treatment of Hugenots; the English extermination of the Catholic clergy; the Spanish expulsion of the Jews and Moriscos; the extermination of the Eastern native Indians by the American pilgrim fathers (and later in a more organized fashion by our pioneers on the plains); the enslavement of hundreds of thousands of Africans by Arabs, Europeans (but interestingly, not Germans) and Americans; the Wars of independence and civil wars in Mexico and the Andean region of South America; the "Elimination of the Irreconcilables" by marxist Dictators in Russia, Chuna, and even absurd little Cuba. This is just an incomplete list of events that quickly come to mind. All were relatively, and some absolutely, as horrific and murderous as the Holocaust.

You are betraying a truly remarkable ignorance of history and a profound lack of understanding of human nature.

No, Francis, I am not bothered by foreigners knowing about our History, Geography or Sociology. I am, indeed, flattered. What you have apparently missed is the point that, while we indeed have some retarded persons in our house, it is not good manners for anyone to restrict their comments only to them.

It would also not be good manners on my part if I proceeded to point out History which would lead some posters to come to negative conclusions about the great country of France--Such as:

l. We spilt our blood twice in Europe in World War I and II, and in the process, helped to liberate France twice.

2. We poured Billions into Europe with the Marshall plan. It was, of course, not pure altruism but no one can deny it helped France to recover economically.

It would seem that good deeds never go unpunished.


All that I am asking is that commentators who do not live in our country and cannot possibly know the Zeitgeist here among its citizens, try to make some positive remarks once in a while. To limit all posts to negatives will surely class foreign critiques as nothing but common scolds.

I am delighted that you, Francis, are greatful. I do hope that the esteemed Walter Hinteler is greatful too.

And, I am sure, that there was never a Hinteler who was a member of the Nazi Party.

Even post-modernists find it difficult to refute that the Third Reich was truly evil, and the Third Reich would never have been possible without the aggregated approval of the German people.

The horrors of the Third Reich are not common to the human experience, and therefore it is a quite legitimate question to ask: "How did the German people allow these horrors?"

Germans, at least initially (i.e. Krystalnacht), are not able to assert that they were forced into behaviors they would normally shun because of the threat of a dictatorial power.

George: thanks for your comments, but "no", I actually wrote what I think.
(And after these couple of days here in a couple of various places in different states, I'm really pleased that only a very few of US citizens are so narrow-minded as some here on this thread.
That's what I expected.)

How many people did you meet, Mr. Hinteler? Are you sure when you say "Narrow minded" you don't really mean "people who don't agree with me"?


For all of our "narrow-mindedness" it is Germans who beg to be let into our great universities.

You are aware, I hope, Mr. Hinteler, that in any listing of top Universities of the world, the German Universities, which, of course, contain no "narrow-minded "students or teachers, shows that only five German Universities are listed. The first German University listed in the list of 100 is in 51st Place--the University of Munich, while nearly half of the 100 Universities are Universities in the USA( 46 to be precise).

Could it be that the charge of "narrow-mindedness" comes from a country
that can't hold a candle to the brilliance and productivity displayed inUS Universities.

It may well be that the German Universities suffer from the lack of a most important element. We, in the US do not have that problem.

We have a very large percentage of Professors who are Jewish.

I assure you they are fine teachers and have been instrumental in building our Universities so that they are the best in the world.

And, as far as I have been able to discern, none of them are "narrow- minded"
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source for University list


http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2005/ARWU2005_Top100.htm