Beyond a Unified Germany - Consumerism and Ecology

Jon Whitman - Week 14

     This week's reading and discussion focused closely on the reunification process of Germany in the aftermath of foreign occupation. More importantly, the devaluing process that East Germany was subjected to and how that undermined the very identities of East German citizens. Now, East German items have been commodified through the term Ostalgie, which is effectively profiting off the remnants of the once existing East German society, culture, norms, and commercial items. East Germans under the socialist system were used to much of the same things and, as a result, this market is doing very well for those who want to experience the familiarity of their homes and bring back some comfort to their origins. 

  Speaking of homes...

The Adaptable Heimat

Heimat: a term soon to be forgotten

     Upon first review of this video and its corresponding image, it would seem that it was made with the intention of the preservation of nature. However, after translating the blog post, it would appear that this is just a traditional telling of the term Heimat. But this alerted me to the distinct adaptability of Heimat and the reason why this word is so integral to German society. According to this video, what makes Germany a beautiful home for Norbert Bass are its lush forests, powerful mountains, stark snowscapes, animals and more. Heimat has become ecological, Germany is not only home because of its industrialized, Western, capitalistic, consumerist culture. Rather, can be seen as home because of what has existed for thousands of years. It is a result of this culture that the term Heimat, as the image denotes, is soon to be forgotten. Not literally of course, but in terms of the natural world a complete erasure of nature for the pursuit of capital gain is an increasingly looming threat. I find it both compelling and slightly comedic that the director of this composition chose a worn elderly man to portray Heimat, something I interpreted as a video of a dying landscape in need of help. 

Germans themselves might also be confused

The Growing Global Contemporary Ecologic Crisis

The dried Dreisam River | Click the here to access the article

     Many aspects of Germany are being impacted by climate change. The image to the right is just one of many examples of how rising global temperatures are starting to damage local wildlife populations and completely alter the way Germans and visitors experience the natural German world. 

     Climate change is a (hu)man-made issue that has been enacted and normalized in the everyday lives of all of Western civilization. The challenges of climate change stems from the life practices and comfort we as an urbanized society can, foreseeably, no longer live without. Germany is no exception to this. In the aftermath of the second world war, Germany's Western occupation experienced intense industrializing and, most importantly, Westernization. That is, a Western capitalistic culture. Capitalism has historically demonstrated its ability to consume cultures and completely alter the way those societies live. In this case, Germany has taken a tight hold of capitalism while still maintaining elements of socialism. Known as a socialist market economy, the German government combines the free market system with social policies for fair competition between the market and welfare state. However, despite not being entirely capitalistic (on paper that is) the German people still promote a distinctly Western form of identity, interested in consumption and capital gain. 

     In the same way the former East Germany is vanishing, so too is the natural world. Despite the environmental challenges Germany may be facing, the government and much of their people are in support of environmental efforts to preserve as much of the natural land as is possible. In 2002, regulations were drafted to decrease the urbanization of Germany by roughly 77%. However, this was met with backlash from companies and free market supporters who argue against land restrictions. Changes like these are important and help limit the dangers of urban sprawl (the unstoppable expansion of urban areas), but as the definition notes, although slowed down the expansion is still seemingly unstoppable. Instead, the focus needs to turn to measurable differences in daily practice, consumption, and knowledge of and contact with the natural world. Without those changes, Germany and the rest of the world is in danger of irreversibly destroying the natural landscape of the planet. 

Further Avenues to Explore

This blog post covers the topic very briefly, if wanting to learn more about the ecological crisis as it pertains to Germany, religion, and more, here are a few sources to get you started. 

Dying Insect Population

Lynn White's The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis

Avatar and Nature Spirituality

Germany: Environmental Issues, Policies, and Clean Technology