Mercy of the Late Birth- German Ideology\ German Slang

Hallo!

So in my totalitarian class, we discussed a popular German ideology that is used to help understand Nazism and its aftermath.

It is called the mercy of the late birth, or 'die Gnade der späten Geburt' in German.


A vast majority of the class was talking about how they couldn't understand how Germans were so indifferent to what was going on. (My Professor even acknowledges that Germans were indifferent). They were talking about how if they were in that situtation they would resist the Nazis.

To which my Professor responds with ' You should first cast a mirror to yourself and see how ugly you are inside.' 'We Germans have a saying 'die Gnade der späten Geburt.' Meaning we have the mercy of the late birth. We did not have to live through what they did. It is easy to say we would never do it, that we would never kill innocent people or become Nazis-Because we were not born then.

He says that the majority of Germans were indifferent, as long as they were not being affected then who cared. Remember the Nazis were VOTED into power, they didn't steal it. There was not much fear amoung Germans for going against the Nazis. They did not want to Spill perfect Aryan blood. They had a sense of freedom, but they chose to not act. It is easy for us to judge them, but would we have acted differently?

It was just a good thing to hear, because I have never heard of that term before.

On another note, in my German class we recieved a list of slang which I thought I would post here, because German slang is so interesting.


1. A German doesn't cut school or work...he 'makes blue'. (Blau machen).

2. A German doesn't beat someone up...'he mixes someone up.' (Jemanden aufmischen)

3. It's not all Greek to a German...'He understands only train Station.' (Nur Bahnhof verstehen)(Blog Name)

4. A German doesn't turn you down if you ask for a date...'he will give you a basket:' (Einen Korb geben)

5. A German doesn't make fun of you... 'he pulls you through the cacao.' (Jemanden durch den Kakao ziehen)

6. A German doesn't have a skeleton in the closet...' He has dirt on the stick'.(Dreck am Stecken haben.)

7. A German woman does not have a nice rack...'she has a lot of Wood in front of her shack.'( Ordentlich Holz vor der Hütte haben).

8. A German is not just slow on the uptake...'He has a plank in front of his head.' (Ein Brett vorm Kopf haben).

9. A German doesn't bite the dust...'He bites the grass'.( Ins Gras beißen).

10. Alternatively he 'Hands in the spoon'. (Den Löffel abgeben).

11. A German doesn't get on your nerves...'he gets on your cookie'. ( Auf den Keks gehen).

12. A German doesn't commit a blunder...'He steps in a bowl of grease'. (Ins Fettnäpfchen treten).

13. A German doesn't have a sharp tounge...'He has hair on his teeth.' (Haare auf den Zähnen haben).

14. A German husband is not henpecked...'He is a slipper hero'. (Pantoffelheld.)

15. A German doesn't overcome his weaker self...'He overcomes his inner pig-dog'. (Den inneren Schweinehund überwinden).

16. A German doesn't make a mountain out of a mole hill...'He makes an elephant out of a mosquito'. ( Aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen).

17.  A German doesn'T have to chose between the devil and the deep blue sea(A rock and a hard place)...'he has to chose between pestilence and cholera.' (Die Wahl zwischen Pest und Cholera haben)

18. A German is not told to go jump in a lake...'He is told to go where the pepper grows'. (Geh doch dahin, wo der Pfeffer wächst.)

19. A German is not friggen blind...'He has tomatoes on his eyes' (Tomaten auf den Augen haben).






Tschüss!!