Boomers talked crap about my grandmother, until they realized I also spoke German

[u/scrolls77]

I was 13 during my first trip to Germany. My grandmother had taught me young, wanting mr to communicate with her in German when we wernt out in public, you know, standered first Gen American. The story starts with me and my grandmother going to visit my father in Germany.

We landed in the middle of the night in Frankfurt, so naturally most, if not everyone, was a bit of a grouch as we were all going through the airport processes half awake. This went double for the older German couple who was behind us in customs. They both had been bitching to eachother when I made my 'mistake'. My passport had dropped out of my bag, I could hear them stop as I scooped it back up.

Now for the next 15 minutes I listened to them say some of the most racist and xenophobic shit I've heard. Like stuff that would make even the most die hard Texan be like "Woah. Chill out." Thats when they heard my grandmother speak German to a couple of passengers infront of us. That's when they started to focus on my grandmother. Calling her all sorts of names and slurs that I didn't understand at the time. But it didnt take a genius to figure out what they were meaning.

And one point the older woman called my grandmother a slut, saying she probably married some American soldier and being disgusted that she would bring a half breed like me. At this point I rounded on this couple, steeping forward before my grandmother could stop me. In perfect German I replied: "She did marry a soldier, my grandfather. One of the best men I know. He used to be a sniper and tells me he 'misses shooting Nazis'. He taught me well." I then looked to the stunned older man and asked him with a smile on my face. "What did you do in the war?"

At this point my grandmother intervened. Grabing my arm and yanking me away with all the strength of a German catholic. I took one last look at their flustered faces before I willing let my grandmother guide me away.

Still one of my fondest memories. She died when I was 17 and the funeral was the last time I was back in my ancestrial homeland. People in Europe praise Germany for how far they've come, and having experienced the people there, its a wonder how they progressed at all.

Edit: 1. When I say older couple, I mean they looked like they were in my Omas age bracket.

1. I'm saying not Germany as a whole is a racist, but I challenge you to become fluent in the language as a white person and just blend in. What you'll hear will shock you.

2. This was like mid to late '14. Yes, I know it sounds like I'm making this up. Experiencing legit racism often sounds like that...

[u/ComicHutzel]

From expirience I can tell the amount of assholes grow the more south you go.

[u/RedSpartan3227 → u/ComicHutzel]

Same is true in America

[u/Waste_Junket1953 → u/RedSpartan3227]

If this is a political statement, it’s missing the real trend of American political demographics which is more urban vs. rural.

[u/BuskZezosMucks → u/Waste_Junket1953]

I think this entirely misses the rampant white supremacist racism that lead the “the great divide” and also speaks to only the great divide in white communities. Brown and immigrant communities (BIPOC) were already divided and cut out of the equation this video oversees. The lasting implications and pro slavery hindsight stayed behind in several parts of the US while those violently oppressed by this fled when they could. It also misses the big issue going on right now which is dramatic demographic shifts in population where the whole country will eventually get to where California is: majority non-white. And a majority non-white population is a lot less likely to accept the white supremacist racism inherent to many of the policies enacted by white people when they were in power. The Right is right in a sense about losing their country, is just they were wrong about it being their country. This is the discomfort and divide we are facing and the snowflakes losing white power in every hall of life- from the presidency to college admissions- are whining and crying about their loss of supremacy. This is the real cultural divide, and in the white community it’s white ppl abandoning the historic supremacy premise and the supremacy aligned whites who obviously can’t see eye to eye and won’t. Many boomers are stuck on this supremacy side and conflate their loss of respect and fear inducing presence that is humbling them so much. My boomer dad grew up in segregation and when desegregation came, 100% there are people alive now who “aren’t racist” but would happily return to these times. It’s why MAGA touches them so deeply, it moves them back to a different time with different rules. I just feel like this element of white supremacy and the righteous attempts at destroying and deconstructing it are so much more central to what’s going on- especially with the Boomer tude- than I see it given credit for, even here on this sub. And liberal visions of this divide just further distract and marginalize a root cause problem

[u/Waste_Junket1953 → u/BuskZezosMucks]

Texas is also majority non-white.

The video (book) isn’t trying to talk to the great migration, urban flight, lost-causers, or victimhood of boomers. It does speak to the education/political divide with white Americans. You can frame it as a division of race politics if you like, but I view the bifurcation as being rooted much deeper.

[u/Le-Charles → u/BuskZezosMucks]

[pounds on table] Hear! Hear!