All true. I have German friends, and we’ve talked about this candidly, when the wine has been flowing and people cut a little more loose.

Germans are schooled from kindergarten to develop layers of understanding of WW2, and their responsibility. You cannot separate this from the German psyche. The guilt and introspection is deep and real.

Except there comes a finite point when people are tired of feeling shame, and responsibility for actions they are generations apart from committing. There comes a point when penance becomes a pivot, and the pendulum swings back into the other direction. It’s happening now- it’s been happening for the last 20 years.

How long will it take? The majority of Germans still stop at crosswalks on empty roads because it is seen as a debasement of their social fabric to ignore “laws” that are for the collective good, and they still have Merkel and accept immigration. So it’s not coming any time soon. But it is coming.

However you also cannot push people down and collectively shame them and force them to live with guilt and restitution indefinitely. There always comes a breaking point. And that breaking point is far more dangerous and destructive. And I say this as a Jewish, conservative woman.

I think that Germans should be taught pride in their country along with history. It is not an either/or proposition. You can do both. Collective guilt and impotent shame is why they accept ludicrous and profoundly damaging immigration policies today which are destabilising all of Europe.

All true. I have German friends, and we’ve talked about this candidly, when the wine has been flowing and people cut a little more loose.

Germans are schooled from kindergarten to develop layers of understanding of WW2, and their responsibility. You cannot separate this from the German psyche. The guilt and introspection is deep and real.

Except there comes a finite point when people are tired of feeling shame, and responsibility for actions they are generations apart from committing. There comes a point when penance becomes a pivot, and the pendulum swings back into the other direction. It’s happening now- it’s been happening for the last 20 years.

How long will it take? The majority of Germans still stop at crosswalks on empty roads because it is seen as a debasement of their social fabric to ignore “laws” that are for the collective good, and they still have Merkel and accept immigration. So it’s not coming any time soon. But it is coming.

However you also cannot push people down and collectively shame them and force them to live with guilt and restitution indefinitely. There always comes a breaking point. And that breaking point is far more dangerous and destructive. And I say this as a Jewish, conservative woman.