"If no, this article concerns you. It concerns you even if you've lived in Germany for decades and even if you speak the language fluently. It concerns you even if you earn a good wage and pay your taxes. It concerns you even if you have acquired a German passport even if you are well integrated. And even if you have blond hair and blue eyes."
"Yet there's an important, inconvenient truth that even those of us who tick the above boxes should never lose sight of: despite decades of allowing, sometimes actively encouraging immigration, Germans don't actually like it and you are an immigrant. In everyday life, it can be easy for those of us with decent spoken German and light skin to forget this."
People who were not born in Germany, including those who have lived there for decades, speak German fluently, hold German passports, and have light skin, remain immigrants in social and political terms. German society has allowed and often encouraged immigration while simultaneously harboring significant anti-immigrant sentiment. Everyday interactions can feel accepting, with courteous officials and political calls for skilled foreign workers, which can create a false sense of security. Despite integration, immigrants can be subject to exclusion, subtle prejudice, and political rhetoric that targets immigration. Integration does not erase immigrant status or vulnerability to shifts in public opinion and policy.
Read at www.thelocal.de
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]