War in Ukraine, climate change, corona pandemic, rising inflation: Rarely before has the “German Angst” been as noticeable as it is these days. But we shouldn’t let it overwhelm us. I now wish for three things for our country.
If you drive through some streets in Frankfurt, you no longer recognize your city. Parts of the road are painted red, colored plastic pillars delimit sections, islands as high as the pavement and a multitude of street signs direct the traffic of bicycles and show cars their place. “You can see that the Germans are crazy,” I hear someone on the street, another says: “Apparently they still have too much money”.
For me, this action is one thing above all: an expression of German Angst. The dictum is used in English-speaking countries above all when international politicians accuse their German colleagues of hesitant, even anxious action. “By German Angst we mean a mixture of discouragement and hesitancy, coupled with fears for the future and an extreme need for security,” says journalist Sabine Bode. When facts are created, then often with so many airbags that “exaggerated” is just one of the adjectives that one finds for it abroad.
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Abroad there is sometimes the opinion that German Angst is the collective fear of the whole nation – and there are currently very tangible reasons for this: the Ukraine war, climate change, the corona pandemic, rising inflation and the associated fear of impoverishment, Loss of job, fear of not being able to buy certain groceries anymore and now this: fear of the cold.
So what do the streets that have been converted into cycle paths have to do with fear? It is thinking in terms of the problem, of the other person as an opponent, of confrontation and conflict, above all of not trusting the other to understand, to approach each other, to find solutions together. There were people who thought this was part of democracy. Recently, however, I have also heard politicians say that sometimes you can only expect parts of the truth from the citizens and sometimes you simply have to make decisions as a politician, for the good of the citizens sometimes against their will.
One cannot accuse Germans of not taking action on all issues. For example, there has been a large group of people in Germany for many months who have been dealing with the climate crisis, taking to the streets and taking part in Friday for Future demos. Many would not have thought that this is possible for such an abstract topic. It is mainly the younger ones who demonstrate, who see their future threatened, who stand up for their future, who discuss this topic in private circles and change their behavior.
Prof. Dr. Anabel Ternès heads the Berlin Institute for Sustainable Management and is the founder of several sustainable start-ups in the eHealth, digital education, alternative energies and mobility sectors, including HealthMedo, CoCarrier and GetYourWings. The futurologist is an author and keynote speaker.
However, the majority of German citizens remain cautious. Even when it comes to issues that directly affect them. When the news of saving electricity broke through the media, of the possibility that inflation, supply bottlenecks, but also gas bottlenecks could cause companies to go bankrupt, the reaction of the population was so minimal that neighboring countries took note with envy: That would have been led us to rebellion, some French women knew. But maybe the need for security, discouragement and hesitation are greater than anger?
And what about Iran? A lot of German women, at least, could currently feel addressed – and stand up – from politicians to teachers. But I hear and see little of public statements of solidarity, of clear statements and partisanship for these women, for a free Iran in which women can decide whether and how they want to wear a headscarf.
Maybe then insurance would be needed so that you are protected instead of being reported or shitstormed when you get up? It may be old traumata that make decisions and dares so difficult, that make simple solutions so far away that one or the other thinks of the pseudo-giant from the Augsburger Puppenkiste. I make my world how I like it, sings Pippi Longstocking. Sometimes it seems that many Germans have taken this view. Please just say one word and everything is saved, if you want to hear it from the mouths of the mute.
I wish for a few things for Germany:
I wish that we would have barrier-free, i.e. easily accessible and understandable places of knowledge for everyone that provide information on current topics free of charge and clearly.
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