sMalte Spitz: Germans Loved Obama. Now We Don’t Trust Him. – NYTimes.com.
In Germany, whenever the government begins to infringe on individual freedom, society stands up. Given our history, we Germans are not willing to trade in our liberty for potentially better security. Germans have experienced firsthand what happens when the government knows too much about someone. In the past 80 years, Germans have felt the betrayal of neighbors who informed for the Gestapo and the fear that best friends might be potential informants for the Stasi. Homes were tapped. Millions were monitored.
Although these two dictatorships, Nazi and Communist, are gone and we now live in a unified and stable democracy, we have not forgotten what happens when secret police or intelligence agencies disregard privacy. It is an integral part of our history and gives young and old alike a critical perspective on state surveillance systems.
Nothing from this story makes me optimistic that American’s will react like the Germans are to the NSA/PRISM snooping.
Malte Spitz is a member of the German Green Party’s executive committee and a candidate for the Bundestag in the September national election.
