#it's a tough argument to make. because democracy DID fail them. theyre right about that. this just cant be the solution

[crplpunkklavier]

Can you share some of the reasons why people in East German want the ddr back? I’ve got an outsiders view, but it seems like most media considers Germany one of the most influential and successful nations in the EU. Is this not translating down to the populace?

the outside view the world seems to have on germany will never not be mindblowing to me. i am safer here than i would be in many other countries, inside and outside the EU, im not going to refute that. but this place sucks.

this is a pretty big topic that i don't feel qualified to really answer in a single ask. it's complex; the short answer is that germany has been doing a piss poor job at handling numerous current topics, such as modernization of infrastructure and the handling of refugees. especially that last part needs clarification, though. the country is split on whether we should be taking in more people or less, and while i personally always, always, always endorse letting people cross whatever border they need or want to cross, even i can see that it can often seem senseless to "let" people come here when no adjustments are made to grant refugees a proper life here. local communities get overwhelmed with the influx of people from different cultural and language backgrounds, this sort of stress breeds aggression, and then that aggression is directed toward the refugees instead of the system that refused to build them a welcoming home.

this is true for the entire country, but the former east is still largely poorer than the west, and so they feel that sort of crisis the deepest. the reunification happened around the time i was born, so there is still a great deal of people alive today who remember the time before. and to many of them, the rigidity of an authoritarian system seemed to have given them a better, more stable life than they have now under democracy.

we were under merkel rule for much too long, who as a political figure was known in germany for her passion for doing absolutely nothing. we only broke out of that after our last election, and the new government is still kind of stumbling around picking up the pieces.

for as long as i can remember, fascism has been getting worse in all of germany with each passing election. the numbers rightwing parties are making in polls and actual elections are currently at an all-time post-third reich high. its a scary time to be here.

as for influential and successful in the EU, i always like to bring up that germany has some of the slowest internet connections on the continent, and due to its position smack in the middle of europe has also been blocking cross-european train travel, because all of our tracks, stations, and trains, are so old and poorly constructed that other country's trains cannot pass through here.

we arent doing well. we could be doing worse! but we arent doing well, because our people are unhappy, and when people get unhappy, they try to find the easiest way out. for many in the east (AND west, but again due to the east's history and the west's poor handling of it, it's stronger there), that means blaming immigrants and returning to authoritarianism.