Burden of History

"Migrants make Germany dumb". German central banker Thilo Sarrazin has been in the news for some time now for the inflammable comment he made about the migrants (read Muslim migrants) in Germany. He has given voice to the thought and feeling shared by a large number of German natives though not many have the courage to admit their own misgivings towards the immigrants in Germany.

In the past one year that I have lived in Germany, I have found the Caucasian Germans to be a very warm, welcoming and helpful populace. I have had the opportunity to interact with a fair share of them, including my home owner. She has seen 67 German winters and drives down every month in her 25 year old Mercedes from the beautiful village of Saulheim on the outskirts of Mainz for a spot of shopping and to hand over our rent receipt. Like most Germans she is pleased to see my progress in learning the German language. Germans are fiercely protective of their language and culture and expect all foreigners to at least make an attempt to learn the same if they are living in Germany. Hence she is always keen to converse in German with me and assess my grasp on her mother tongue. After giving me her approval, she often laments about the Turks and other Muslim immigrants who in her opinion have plagued her country. Now, I have always found her to be grounded and humane. Yet her rants against the immigrants is just a reflection of the disgruntlement the older generation of Germans have for the Muslim immigrants.

However, owing to their forefathers unimaginable acts of horror against the Jews and other minorities in the past, today they have little courage to speak up against the changing demographics of the German society. The current generation is trying hard to compensate for the injustice the Third Reich meted out to the minorities by taking a very lenient stand towards immigrants. Today, when one looks around one might see more immigrants than the indigenous population. The high birth rate amongst the immigrants coupled with the low number of births in the local German household translates to an ever increasing strain on the German social system. Most immigrants live off the state and contribute very little to the host country. Germany pays social benefits including free health care to immigrants. The state also pays them a generous amount of money per child for their food, clothing and shelter. A immigrant household of two parents and five kids paw off enough money off the state to not only be able to lead a luxurious lifestyle but send some dole back to their relatives in their native country.

After the WW II, Germany as a country has upheld the humane values of it's continent. Europe has always given shelter to the down-trodden and the persecuted. But perhaps the time has come for Germany to forgive itself and take measures to protect and maintain it's identity. While immigrants should always be welcomed, what will prove beneficial will be a point based system for immigrants based on education, background and lifestyle. As a country, it will have to balance the number of skilled and unskilled labour it brings onto it's shores to maintain it's superiority in the field of engineering, scientific research and social development.

Sehr geehrter Deutschland - Viel Glück ( Dear Germany - Good Luck)