It does not surprise me at all that many East Germans feel as much like second-class citizens now as they did before. I never understood replacing most GDR elites with people from the West. It made sense for politically sensitive positions, but in business, academia, science and culture it went beyond the necessary for my taste. In 2018, Germans from the former East remain underrepresented in leadership positions across the board. [...]
It is clear to me: Those who still reject a political camp because of its historical roots lack democratic maturity. This is how psychological walls are cemented in a country where the concrete Wall fell 28 years, two months and 27 days ago. The point we have now reached, at which the length of time it existed is equal to the time it has not existed, is a new chance to tear down the last of the walls in the mind. [...]
Fortunately, stories like this are normal for the generation of my younger relatives, to which my own children also belong. Many older people could follow this example, even if it can be, in part, understandably difficult. For political leaders, I wish that the last of the Cold War warriors would finally recognize the signs of the times and live up to their responsibilities. And then, the last walls can really fall.
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