Kultur 5

It is very interesting that the lingering feelings to un-unite German and to re-erect the wall exist. Germany was only divided for a short portion of its history, yet stereotypes not only were developed but continue to exist along the country's division. It is interesting hearing the accounts of those that were young at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It seems like this generation may kick off a cultural shift that would put any divisions between the East and West to rest.

For every generation, there is the sentiment among many that the past was better than the present. For this reason, it is not surprising that this "Ostalgie" is present among certain generations of Germans. It is difficult to embrace such radical changes to a way of life, and to expect universal acceptance of these changes is overlooking key societal traits.

There tend to be many cultural lines drawn between the Northern United States and the Southern United States, so the cultural differences between that of Germany's North and South are not all that surprising. And the reason's seem eerily similar compared to the U.S. Religion is a very dividing factor between North U.S. and South U.S., as are food and dialect. But every large country has such regional differences.