1) I would have been just as mortified, disgusted, shocked and very angry if I had experienced this. I would have wanted to challenge them about their behavior (shake them and shout at them, more like) but I probably would have thought better of it, though I’m not sure whether that’s because that would have made things worse or because I would have been afraid of them (depending on age, state and nuber of them)

2) I have to correct you on the issue of not enough history being taught. In fact, from the ages of 10-18, we have learned about nothing but the Holocaust in history. Ok, ancient Egypt and WW2. We were taught about the horrors and saw all the pictures and films that made me vomit and feel sick, guilty, unworthy to live and very very dirty. And I was not the only one, all my friends and many other classmates felt the same. It was as inconceivable that any human being could think of and willingly execute such artrocities when I was 10 as it is now. It has haunted me all my life and I felt like that until I was 25 and moved to Britain, 7 years ago.

3) Here I’ve been called a Nazi whenever I told anybody where I’m from, the headmaster of the school I’m now working in actually came up to me on my first day, did the typical salute and said “I am the Fuehrer”. Not a single day has passed without the words Nazi or Hitler being mentioned on the news, in the paper, on TV, in any comedy programme or Sitcom or in every day conversation, often referring to current events. Frankly, I’m not sure what good this is going to achieve if people keep seeing Germans and Austrians as nothing Nazis even 60 years later, are they hoping it will become a self fulfilling prophecy?

4) I’ve leaned to live with it, and most importantly I have learned not to feel guilty. There is no excuse for what happened, but I didn’t do it, neither did my parents nor my grandparents (luckily I know they refused to join the party but my grandad had to pay the price).

5) I’ve realised this was not a “German” phenomenon” and that even a great number of British, American, French, etc people and even high up politicians sympathised with the Nazi “ideology” and their horrendous deeds, many even congratulated Hitler.

6) I know Austria and Germany will never forgive themselves for what happened. If you read Austrian literature and newspapers or watch “Kabarettisten” or cultrual programmes, you know these artrocities will never be forgotten, and we still beat ourselves up about it (as I did for a very long time). And they must never be forgotten, so the Austrian school curriculum ensures that in history, German, English and other subjects we are constantly reminded about this time and the suffering it caused.

7) Despite all that, there will always be complete idiots who think the holocaust was a good thing. Not necessarily with Jewish people (though that still exists too) but with people of a different religion, race, sexual orientation, a disability, or just a different hair colour. This was always there and, unfortunately, I’m afraid it will always be there, it’s part of human nature. Not simply part of the German or Austrian nature. I see it all around me here in the UK, people want to eradicate Christians, Muslims, Polish people, Asian people, Caucasian people, Black people, men, women, Scots, English,… Ethnic cleansing, eradication of Natives, slavery, concentration camps, torture, etc., none of this was an invention of the Nazis. Nowadays, we still haven’t learned from the past and there are right wing extremists in politics in all countries, including the most “liberal” ones and those putting themselves on the moral high ground. And most of them are on the increase, especially with the credit crunch and lots of job losses (giving jobs to the starving and jobless masses in Germany and Austria was Hitler’s best selling point). I keep hearing “British jobs for British people”, “The Poles should all be shot or at least deported”, “Hitler had the right idea”, etc. here in the UK, in fact I have encountered racism and exreme right wing views here on a scale that is far beyond what I have seen in Austria (though obviously it exists there too), plus illegal wars, turning a blind eye to torture, etc. Yet I still think that overall, they are both good countries.

A huge amount of teenagers, especially boys, want to shock and scare people. Vandalism and going out in gangs, shouting demented things like the boys you met, are very high on that list. It doesn’t necessarily mean they believe this, but it sure is effective in the shocking and scaring department. Just think of stupid prince Harry who went to a party in full Nazi outfit.

9) Whether they believe it or not, there are always, and in EVERY country, going to be people like this. This doesn’t bear thinking about, but it’s true. Luckily most of us are sensible and educated enough not to join them, but we mustn’t close our eyes but be aware of it. We mustn’t become complacent and believe these ideas don’t exist any more.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is: no matter where you go, you won’t find a country (and that includes Norway, sorry) where you couldn’t encounter a group of boys like this. If you choose to condemn Austria for this and the racism you find there, you have to do the same in every other country. I can understand that it must seem more shocking in Austria or Germany, but frankly, if anything like the holocaust is going to happen again (and I can think of several countries that are damn near to it), I doubt it would happen in either of these countries.

Everything that is not available at a glance on the Internet is not interesting and most of them are simply too lazy to read.

But reading is awonderful thing. It makes you use your brain and your imagination.

It’s not let’s call it pre-digested and presented in menacingly pictures on a computer-screen.

I don’t remember a time when I was bored. I always found a book or some time to use my fantasy, my imagination.

When I ask todays teenagers what they want to do, most of the time they want to play computer or console games and when they don’t they are bored.

I feel sorry for them because I think my world is much brighter and much more colorful than theirs.

And I know what it means to be responsible. For myself and for others, for now and the future.

From my own confrontation with the past I can remember that history lessons were prioritised and made real with the use of quality documentaries, biographies, pictures and meetings with war veterans and holocaust survivors. That I also had the odd teacher who themselves were survivors of the death camps and could sport the dreaded ‘inmate number’ tattooed on their lower arm added to the immediacy, of course, and probably accounts for why I, in particular, react as I do.

But I really feel that there is something missing in these kids’ education. And also that they completely miss the ‘empathy-gene’: the part that makes them understand, possibly even feel, another person’s situation. It’s the whole thing of walking a mile in another man’s shoes.

How to amend this… prioritise history lessons. I know, schools are trying to prioritise just about everything. We live in an insanely demanding world where just about everything is of equal importance. But somehow I feel that even though I may not have been as thinly spread in my education as these kids, I have a far better footing than them, that I somehow seem to have learned a lot more with a less packed programme. Perhaps my iPod and computer hadn’t taken over my life and I actually had time to read a little..?

The district you live in has the highest percentage of foreign inhabitants in Vienna and I don’t wonder you can hear things like these there.

I doubt you’ll hear this in districts where the Austrians don’t feel like a minority (and in fact are). These teenagres are truly not what you and most of your friends are: European. They are narrow minded Austrians and they will probably never get what your generation got.

Experiences told by those who experienced it. Let’s call it “first hand history”. What they get is “second hand” and more than 50 years in the past. That’s nearly 2 generations and they have no connection to it.

Your grandparents really felt what war means and they had no video games where the killed resurrected by pushing a button. They saw death and desaster, hunger and starvation.

Todays youth has no direct connection to this. It is the duty of your generation, to tell them how horrible a war is and that it is nothing that is on a screen and can be turned off once you don’t like it.

Our grandparents could not forget and our parents as well and your generation is the first who decided not to forget – for their own sake.

This generation, these teenagers only have a chance not to forget when they know about it. But schools are busy teaching the language and the basics for life so there is no time for this important historic information to be passed on.

It’s a pitty and it should not be this way but I have no idea how to pass the memories of a whole generation on to another one.

Or here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-410376/What-really-feels-like-wear-burqa.html

Or here: http://www.q-news.com/media-DailyMail-Burka.htm

Or here: http://relijournal.com/islam/the-burqa-facts-issues/

Or here: http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/024098.php

You see, you’re not the only one thinking about this rather ugly piece of cloth (as we see it). And it depends who you ask but you will surely get a variety of answers within the wide range between “I wear it because of religious reasons” and “I feel imprisoned because I have to wear it”.

As you might know, the Quran does not even mention the burqa. The Quran never really tells you what to do (and neither does the bible). The Quran mainly means (and some Quran school might hate me for writing this) a quide to a healthy and longer life written at a time when hygiene was not a main thing and little was known about illnesses and cures. The Quran itself is a guide to a good living in a society that started growing together.

Quran-schools started interpreting what was written down and so there are several constructions of the “rules”. It depends in which Arab country you are and you will see rather western style as well as traditional Arabic style.

I’ve been to Kuwait several times before it was invaded by the Iraq and I can’t say that women had equal rights but they were treated respectful and never had to wear a burqa.

I know what you want. You want total freedom and equality for men and women all over the world. You grew up in a society where it is (nearly) this way (in fact is a shame that it is not this way). But many countries are still stuck in the mediaeval times (some were bombed back to it due to a crazy president’s decision). These countries struggle with their adaptation to the modern world and the only stable thing they have in a constantly faster changing world is their religion and what was left from their tradition.

Once they are ready to change these they will do, but as long as they can live with their tradition and religion AND benefit from the modern world’s “goodies”, they will remain as they are. I saw men and women driving modern cars but still going back to live in a nomad’s tent in their holidays.

One does not always has to adapt to everything (as far as I know you still do not use the native language of the country you live in), so let the ones who want to adapt find their own way out of the burqa and into western style clothing. Let these systems change from within. You can’t change them from the outside (as a former president had to learn).

Women are not weak and when they ask for their rights loud enough they will be heared. Not necessarily the very moment they speak, but they will be heared. It took these people centuries to build up their society and you can’t expect that they can completely change it within less than 50 years.

Have fun being owned but don’t get used to it too much, ;o)

Wuff!

L