[HPFGU-OTChatter] Central Texas Germans

[Amanda]

Dinah said: Weiwrste have nothing to do with German culture. At
least not in my book. Goethe, Schiller, Thomas Mann is
German culture. Bach is German culture.

Amanda responds: Semantic difficulties. "Culture" as Penny and I are using
the term (I think; Penny, correct me if I'm wrong) is the totality of a
people--up to and including their ethnic foods, dress, dances, and the jokes
they tell on themselves. It is not just literature or music. It's what makes
an ethnic identity, and I really believe most Germans (most anybody) would
identify themselves by things like food or dress more than by Great Works.

Dinah: Polka and Wurst are sad mirrors of how other nations perceive us -
even if their ancestors did come from here. Besides, those things are only
customary in the very southern part of Germany. the river Main (on which our
village lies) is called the "Weiwurst Aequator" - go farther North and you
won't find those things. Even here they aren't that usual.

Amanda: Probably because Germany itself has only been an entity for a
relatively short time; previously it was various different states, who
presumably all had slightly different cultures. You see different variants
in different regions of most countries, even one like Poland which has been
dealing with the world as a country for hundreds of years.

Dinah, about Texas German festivals: Well, I'm pretty sure they look a bit
like what they look like here. Actually I've seen some on TV and heard
enough detailed desciption to have a rather good impression of what they
look like.

Amanda: I beg to differ. I *live* here and had an impression based on TV and
detailed descriptions, which, after actually attending a few, turned out to
not be a good impression of them.

Dinah: I'm just really touchy about the subject because my parent's are from
Czech heritage (my Dad was one of those that had to leave their home after
WWII was over) and while a certain amount of cliches surely apply I don't
like the fact that it seems to be reduced to that.

Amanda: Well, I'm sorry it is over there. But we aren't talking about
anything having been reduced over here. There is a certain amount of looking
back at the source, surely, but every bit as much celebration of a very
active and existing culture. With cliches thrown in, yes, but that is not
the sum total.

Dinah: And "beer hall" songs, if you don't necessarily take the Oktoberfest
but more rural festivals of a similar kind, are not strictly speaking
cheesy. Some have a long standing tradition. It's just that
> 1. the halls are filled with people who are mostly 65 and up

Amanda: Not over here.

> 2. it degenerates more and more to "how much beer can
> you drink in one evening and still remember the
> lyrics" (that's if there are younger ones)

Amanda: Well, yeah, so? That's fun, and getting drunk is an integral part of
just about any culture.....Germanic cultures of all stripes had a strong
river of ale and mead flowing through them. Here is a point where Germanic,
Texan, and Mexican cultures have all neatly converged; hell, at some point
it doesn't even matter if you *can* remember the words.....

Dinah: It's a bit like all those "Western Clubs" that exists here. Germans
dressing up in Cowboy boots and complete regalia including chaps and hats
and mixing it in weid combination with Native American jewelery and being
sure they are doing something typically American. Or saying "Go to
McDonald's, experience American culture". Okay, that last example was a
stretch, but that's how many people think.

Amanda: It's nothing like that. Apples to oranges. Germans dressing up as
cowboys is just that, dress-up, for no better reason than they want to.
Unless there is a displaced population of cowboys in Germany, this is not a
relevant comparison.

While I admit that nobody wears lederhosen on an everyday basis in small
town Texas, and you do see some German folk costumes during the festivals,
still--they're wearing them because they are a root of the Texas/German
cultural heritage. These people haven't simply dressed up in a way that they
think is cool, that has nothing to do with them, they've dressed to reflect
their heritage. And to sell beer, to be sure, but the point is, there is a
relevant association there.

Dinah: I'm not comfortable with the thought of being reduced to that. I
didn't mean to bash your festivals, it's just that many people get a
pictures stuck in their heads that is completely untrue.

Amanda: Like you have.

Dinah: I really don't like that.

Amanda: Me either.