Comments by "Holger P." (@holger_p) on "" video.

@runningfromabear8354 It's a bit like todays Germans talk to the Amish. It's kind of a window into history, a copy of 1860 or so. Of course history took different paths, depending on the point they separated. But I think they still have a right to claim to have a german heritage.
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@runningfromabear8354 Yes, and among Americans it's completly OK. Just if foreigners, real Scots, are involved, they should get more precise or explicit. It's OK to claim heritage, but to use the words "I am" for this, is strange for some people. "I'm of scottish heritage" is completly fine. It's like if doctors talk to each other , they use different language, than with patients ;-) No, words have not one specific precise meaning, meaning depends on context. Words change meaning over time and regional. British ENglish and American English is sometimes considered two languages. One say truck, the other lorry. One write color, the other colour. And it's a mutual process to understand each other. It's not "one is right, and the other has to agree".
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@jessicaely2521 There is no swiss cheese in Switzerland. The term itself exists in America only ;-) No idea what they sell by this term.
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@lisad.9957 That's correct, and the other way around. But if they define their language in a way "german" means "German-American" then everything is fine ;-) The other people are called "German, from Germany". A more complicated expression, but since it's less often topic while talking, it's OK to take the longer form for the rare need. Americans are allowed to define the meaning of their language. They also always say "Berlin, Germany" to not get mixed with "Berlin , New Hempshire". Just "Berlin" is probably meaningless without context - to Americans.
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I would say, they consider themselfes as the default, what you are "if not specified otherwise".
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But if you move abroad, would you allow your grandchilds call themselve germans, just because of their descent, not knowing anything else about Germany. I think you would. You would be proud on it.
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This strong connection is rare.
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@pottingsoil The term Anglo-American I only know from the Allied forces in World War II.
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@monikadeinbeck4760 The expression German-American fullfills your requests, doesn't it ? You don't want them to switch from boiled potatoes to french fries, or things like that, they are allowed to eat like your grandma. So why should they make a secret about their heritage. It's too often a topic among Americans, you are right, but if you have a huge group of people, you look for a smaller group to belong to. Maybe heritage does unite people somehow. (Same as beeing born in the same city is) Recently a black women told me, in a room with mainly white people, she feels immediatly familiar with another black person in the room, cause she knows , they have some (experiences) in common.
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@runningfromabear8354 Due to missing transport, there never was much migration, or once every 1000 years, you have a big shift. Vikings (Normans) arrived to Britain around year 500, French around your 1000. Period . No immigration until 1935, some refugees from World War II. It is all very recent, air-planes are available just since 60 years, that's not even 3 generations. Single individuals travelling and staying is nothing to experience migration. They will always integrate fast. But if the come in larger groups, they bring their communities, traditions, they might found their own village at a new place. America and Australia is a big exception, cause it was (almost) empty place to fill. Completly different from integrating new people into an existing society. I am European, and I tell you I saw the first black person personally in 1995. Before, there was one singer from Kuba on TV, and of course you got movies. But there was no movement. And if you pronounce European history, you might have heared of an Iron Curtain ? Not passable by people.
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@runningfromabear8354 Before 1990 nobody ran, cause there was a wall, or an ircon curtain. No freedom to travel. I'm born in East Germany, and as I told you I haven't seen any non german before 1995. Only travel destination was Prague and Moscow, nobody moved their, was just to visit. And in Generations before, some left to Argentine or Brasil, but nobody came into the cities or villages. It was homogenous population. Jewes killd around 1940 you know, was even more homogenous after. It just changed in the last 30 years. And in Poland it hasn't changed at all. People left Germany always, they left, left, left, in each war, in the big depression, in 1860 towards America, the Amish left, but Germany was never a destination. It changed around 1960 with hired workforce from Italy and Turkey. That's the begin of Immigration history in Germany. It's very recent, just 3 generations ago. But a story of "there always was immigration " is simply nonsense. I think your logic is "I've seen something in one country, so it must be the same in any other country" ? Or is it "I have met an immigrant in London, so I can claim this as immigration to all of Europe" ?
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@MarcLeonbacher-lb2oe Not by purpose, 3rd generation (grandchilds of immigrants) didn't found their grandparents language that useful. Why you should speak 2 languages, if you get along with one ?
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@runningfromabear8354 No, nations without immigration don't have a understanding for this. It's more Ethnic vs. Citizenship. Or you can call it "cultural background". And if you immigrate, it's more expected to say goodbuy to your heritage, unless you are asked for your biography. But maybe it's the American habit of small talk, to permanently tell things, nobody asked for. A word might be used in different languages, like nationality, but it might differ in nuances in each language. Official terms is country with citizens. I'm starting to get unsure, what a nation is. Is it a synonym for country ? I think so.
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@runningfromabear8354 europe hadn't for long time. In WWII nobody came, people only left. UK and france had first wave 1960 due to decoloniazation of Pakistan and algeria. For germany and sweden it startet in the 90ies from jugoslavia, in 2015 from syria. Poland has almost no Immigration up to today. Heritage and nationality is inseparable. It's the same for every person in the country . That's the biggest point against Migration. IT's the dehomogenization of population. Something completly unknown.
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@t.a.k.palfrey3882 I explicitly named the phase of decolonialization. For India it's around 1950. In 1700 there must have been a few hundred people, nothing you can call a movement.
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@MarcLeonbacher-lb2oe It's an economic necessity. In older days, mainly agriculture based economies, long distance interaction was not necessary, but since invention of railway and cars, people traveled and mixed. The different groups traded products. NYC is called a melting pot for this reason. It has no advantage to keep up old culture, so why should they do it ? It's only nostalgia. And you see the success of USA, the melting and assimilation lead to a better result than Europe with 30 languages. Migrants to US are the risk taking people of Europe, while the risk averse staid in Europe.
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@YaaLFH as long as you don't say anything different, I have no other chance then no what I know. Lowest Immigration rate in europe, lowest rate of Muslims. Ok, maybe you think about ukrainians? That's just slawic neighbors on temporary shelter. Germans have been thrown out of the country to have a clean polish society in 1945. We were talking about Migration in the last 500 years. Cause poland didn't always exist, they are very aware of not beeing occupied again. Same as hungary.
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It's more a matter of quantity, but you do. Edward Tellers wikpedia page, starts this way. Due to the Austria-Hungary bundle, some of them rather defined themselfes as Austrian.
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This sounds a bit xenophobic, if you don't allow immigrants with citizenship, to call themselves American. Unless .. I'm not sure in which direction you see the cultural appropriation. Behaving like your grandma or grandgrandma is definitly no kind of appropriation. And behaving like your neighbors ? Should also be no problem to join in.
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It's kind of expectable immigrants didn't gave up their habits or food, when coming to US, and as more of them arrive in the same spot, as longer traditions are kept, cause you need a community for most habits. Additionally, people who don't have a history search for one. Since the 19th centure in US is rather skipped, with the slavery and genocide, it's not really something to be proud of, you rather take the imported history.
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@runningfromabear8354 But sending people out, is not IMMIGRATION. It's Emigration. It's Leaving. What's so difficult to understand on this ? From some countries people left, to others they went. So there are countries left not familiar with immigration - this was your claim. And countries behind the iron curtain/eastern europe, is the best place for homogenous populations TODAY. What people migrated to Hungary or Poland in the last 300 years? Just let me know. Portuguese ? Or Chinese ? In Germany it started just 1990 with the war in Jugoslawia. Nobody went to Germany due to any war before, not WWI, oder WWII. Why you always come up with "european history" but you don't seem to know anything about it. You come up with your anonymous "people alsways move from everywhere to everywhere", which is Nonsense. People escaped from Europe due to repression and wars, they didn't go there (before 1960). Turks in Vienna 1683 might have been the last attempt - not successfull. I have no idea why and what you talk about Americans. You claimed "every country in the world". I have no idea what nationality you are, maybe Indonesian or whatever with 100 different tribes anway.
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@MarcLeonbacher-lb2oe Yes and Chopin moved from Warsaw to Paris. You are right, I give up. Coming back to the original question, this was just about, are they allowed to call themselve Swabians or Germans, without any prefix, like Danube- or Roman- or Banat- ? Only if they not got assimilated. But in USA assimilation rate is close to 100%. They loose the culture of their grandfathers. All they have is the knowledge to have a certain descent. I'm sure 50 generations back I derive from the old greek, I don't feel greek at all ;-) All of us are of African descent for sure, just 500.000 years ago.
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@MarcLeonbacher-lb2oe Und kennst Du heute noch de Maizieres die sich als Hugenotten, oder Schimanskis die sich als Polen sehen ? Wir reden da von etwa 50.000 Personen bei etwa 30 Millionen Einwohnern. Die haben gar nicht die Macht etwas zu verändern. Friesen und Sorben sind die einzige Minderheit in Deutschland und die sind nichtmal eingewandert.
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@OneTrueScotsman in the long run, yes. But people only remember only 2-3 generations back. And in the nation building process in 18th century, building of modern states, people got their identities. Who was in france 1789 is considered french, and who wasn't isn't. Germany came late with 1871. Before Germany didn't exist. It's younger than Canaria. In the last 200 years of capitalism, people only moved to find jobs. Coal mines where the biggest reason for that. But for Personal experience, especially on farmland, beeing the 7th Generation on the same plot is very normal. If you have germans in russia or romania, that's movements from 17th century. All movements after around 1850 was towards Amerika only, in parts towards argentine/ Uruguay , but mostly USA.
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I think the number of people is simply too small. They didn't form communities in much places. So the heritage is lost fast.
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I would rather see a point of failed integration in Italy, if you don't call yourself an Italian. It sounds like , you haven't finally arrived, still loyal with another country and so on.
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@AndrewMFAult Right, just their self-labeling is confusing people. And as born 1970 you are 5th generation and have 16 grandparents who migrated in 1870. It's very unlikely they are all from the same heritage. So actually it's an arbirtrary pick, which heritage they pronounce. And than is the simple difference between "I'm German(-American", to "I'm of German descent or heritage". One is false, One is true.
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To invest time in such things, is a signal of a settled life, decent wealth. You don't need to hunt for food anymore, and want to spend your time useful somehow. Yes, in threat situation you look for friends, hence - without a threat you don't need to. If at all there is this black/white/asian division in US, still trying to become homogenous. The irish/scottish heritage, is yet another level.
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@AndrewMFAult Especially without phone and internet, what does strong connection mean ? You write letters ? And since the main emigration wave was 1850-1880, it has been the migrants itself keeping contact to their parents or siblings. Usually 3rd generation is loosing interest in contacts. You have no personal relation to the people there any more. You know there is an 4th degree cousin, which you never saw, that's like a nobody.
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If the main thing is American, the other thing comes first. Like "a red car". the attribute in front of the subject. It might reverse in other languages, like "le voiture rouge" in french.
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Sure, if you want to. A conflict is raised only if a "real" Neanderthaler claims copyright on the term. This is very unlikely.
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There is nothing like a doubling population within 20-30 years in Europe. So the simliarities are on a low low level. Germany gained 4% in population within 30 years.
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@tudormiller887 It's not a product, it's a category. You won't find anything labeled "swiss cheese" or "Muesli" in a shelf. You find appenzeller, and emmentaler, or gruyere and so on. But it's like talking about italian cars, not caring if you have little Fiat 500 or Ferrari in mind. I see sometimes Americans putting "Swiss cheese" in a recipe, I would have no idea what type of cheese this is.
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@tudormiller887 No idea, what they do. I hear more people talking about cheese, than they talk about the Osbournes.
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@Joe-ez3gt there where ? In france its pommes frites. Americans gives it own names. Britain says Chips. Origin is not so important for them. They even call the netherlander the dutch, although this term means ' german '.
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 @Joe-ez3gt no that's not true, it's almost default, but more specific, Emmentaler, champaign, stilton, Frankfurter, Wiener Schnitzel, ragout Bolognese, prosciutto di Parma,...
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 @ultimatewafflegaming1018 ok, but the latter ones are more Marketing inventions from the last decades. That are not historic names. Hamburger also have no relation to Hamburg.
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@ultimatewafflegaming1018 definitly not. Completly unknown, brought to germany by McDonald's in the 70ies. Never seen before. Beef is much too expensive, not for the common man, and germans put bread and eggs in their meatballs. The burger bun is a french brioche. The habit of Holding the meat with bread and eating without sitting down, might be the only german thing.
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@ultimatewafflegaming1018 diversity is artificially created for Marketing reasons, to impose to have something new or unique, without beeing very innovative. A cook, beeing creative, inventing a new dish, does not need to name it. A food chain has to.
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So what's the difference from ancestry to identity, if you claim there is one. Identity you can willingly change maybe, but if you don't you take your anchestry instead.
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The countries in Africa did not exist, they are all defined by colonists, mainly after the slavery era. So you had to pick from maybe 2000 ethnic groups in Africa. And this knowledge got lost, cause the groups (the slaves) were all mixed from different origins. To maintain a culture you need a group of same people.
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No, you can't. That's more "having a relation to a topic". Like you like horror movies, and science-fiction movies, it's not mutual exclusive. But it's not your identity. If at all, the exact combination of both makes your identity. To me it sounds like having two personalities - Jekyll and Hide or so - this is not healthy ;-)
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@Belgarion2601 I just missed any argument, why you could have multiple identities. Having knowledge, like studying a culture in university is really not enough for identity. And with 8 grand grand parents, you can have 8 identities ? To me it's one new mixed identity. You claim, there is no mixing.
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@Belgarion2601 You don't stick to identities, but change to terms like nationality or person definition. For me, it's one person definition per person. That's what I call identity. Nationality can hold different concepts, like citizenship or ethnicity. Mostly it's also only one per person.
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So in the same sense , there are no "Americans" ? The topic is not ethnicity, it's identity. And with 300 years heritage, it's really enough to say "I'm from here" - not from somewhere else. Otherwise we all have to say, we derive from Lucy in the great african rift. Or from the phoenicians. It's completly arbritrary to fix your identity by "where lived my grandman in the year 1500".
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