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I hate these question­s about immigrat­ion. I am German

1.118 Words / ~2½ pages sternsternsternsternstern_0.25 Author Lena 1. in Aug. 2011
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Sociology

University, School

Friedrich-Gymnasium Wien

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2011

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"I hate these questions about immigration. I am German."

 

 

 

She has got brown hair, dark eyes and a colored skin. She calls herself "a

modern German girl" and this is probably how it should be in the century of multiculturalism.

But the truth is sometimes different. "It is a great shame that we still do not really know how to handle immigration problems.", says the 17-year-old Liane, whose father is from Taiwan. "When I was young I was teased badly by the others because of my exotic outward appearance. Although I was not even able to speak a word in that language and I did not know anything about that country I was "the foreign girl"."

That society is still under the influence of stereotypes and prejudices is not new but nevertheless surprising. "My classmates were shocked when I told them that I am Muslim. They even said to me that I do not act like one." Roxana's father is from Iran. Her family lives in a peaceful part of Berlin where, in contrast to other parts, not many "immigrants are seen".

"I remember a scenario in my kindergarten when I was 3 or 4 years old. On that day we wanted to talk about people who come from other countries. When I was asked where my father was born I repeated "Germany". My parents had never told me that he is from Iran so I did not know that. But then my educator informed me and I remember that my whole world collapsed. I even started crying because I was so sure that he is German and I could not understand why these people did not accept that. At home my mum explained that my teacher was right . I think this was the first time in my life when I realized that there are differences between "my Germans" and the "real Germans"."

This story is not unique, it is part of nearly every  person’s life who was born in Germany and whose parents are from abroad. Their childhood is probably the reason for  that. They grew   up in Germany with a second language, foreign traditions and exotic food for example but also with outlandish-looking parents. All these things are part of their daily life and appear to be normal.

 

"I am German because I live in this country and I am going to have my career right here.", says Rana, a 16-year-old girl. "When I visit my relatives in Turkey I feel like a tourist although I was born there." Years ago people would have said that she lost contact with her roots but today she is considered to be integrated. Integration is of course an advantage and is important for working and living together. But the integration in society as a foreigner is not as easy as the government points out over and over again. Nicola, an 18-year-old boy from Brazil, knows that quiet well: "Of course I want to integrate myself but sometimes people are just not willing to accept that. In Germany they say I am the Brazilian and in Brazil I am the German."

 

Nicola represents another thing which is connected to immigration or being foreign - a "strange" name. "Well, I do not have any problems with my name but it causes mistakes sometimes. Letters with "To Miss W." or a request for Miss W. at a doctor's surgery are part of my everyday life.  Of course there are people who make fun of it but a "Friedrich" - a boy with a  German name - might have his  difficulties, too." 

The fact that people who have a foreign name have their difficulties is neither new nor surprising. "Even when I tell the people that my name is Kian they go on calling me Killian.  It annoys me but I have learned to ignore it."

 

Jinsheng was born in China in 1993. Two years later he immigrated with his family to Germany. But this move did not only mean that he had to learn a new language; he was also forced to pronounce his name in another way.

"My name is probably impossible to pronounce for Germans so my parents decided to Germanize it. But people still have their difficulties. It entertains me when they try to read it the right way. When they fail they are definitely more embarrassed then I am."

 

Especially people like him personify the modern times. His answer to the question what nationality he would give himself was: "I do not understand your question. If you can tell how it feels to be German or Chinese I will give you an answer."

This flexibility seems to be a good solution in such a conflict but is rare.

On the one hand children of immigrants feel forced to choose one nationality. The society in which they live is responsible for that. A "normal" inhabitant has one nationality. The conclusion that people draw from that is that somebody with two nationalities is not normal or rather foreign.

The decision they have to make in respect of this problem  causes troubles sometimes: some decide to adopt the German lifestyle but there are some who decide to live in Germany with their traditions and culture, too, - they do not integrate themselves in the society.      "Kids from other countries speak their language among themselves; there are residential areas that are not really part of Germany anymore but the most disgusting thing is that people deride others because they live as Germans in Germany.", says Liane.

 

 

On the other hand there are students who point out that they have never been in such a conflict. "I was born here, I speak only this language and I have never been to Iran. It is only my look that makes the people believe that I do not come from here.", says Roxana.

 

"Brazil may be my origin but Germany is my home.", says Nicola.

This statement defines in some kind of way multiculturalism- people with different origins have one home.

This means that the people have to respect and tolerate each other. "I think in Germany there is some kind of "false tolerance". Some Germans say that they tolerate immigrants but they do not see any problems in the society. You just have to go to some parts of Berlin and you can be absolutely sure: They do not tolerate the immigrants- they ignore them.", points Jinsheng out. "Tolerance is important but too much of it makes the people believe that they can do what they want.", says Liane.

 

In the end an immigrant has the right to choose his nationality. But he has to remember that he lives in a German society and that he must observe the law. 

To integrate yourself is as important as to tolerate people with other origins. It is shaming that the society  has still problems with discrimination because of prejudices and stereotypes. The solutions regarding this difficulty being presented by the government are probably not long-lasting. It is rather the decision of oneself to change something by tolerating or not.

 

 

 

 


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