Proud to Be a Kraut

July 3, 2006 — -- World Cup fever and the brilliant performance of the German national team have gripped the entire nation, especially Germany's youth.

It is as if the World Cup is changing the country -- or the mood of the country -- bringing lightheartedness and passion out in the open, making Germans appear less German.

Wherever you go these days, it's simply impossible to turn your head without seeing the black, red and gold flag in all sizes, flying out of windows, shops and cars.

It was something unheard of until a couple of weeks ago in a country known for its pathological fear of patriotism.

Sixty years after World War II, national pride is still looked at suspiciously in Germany and flying the flag is still pretty much a faux pas.

Has the World Cup changed all of that? Are the Germans ready to stop worrying and are they going to love the flag, the national symbol? Is there a new nationalism to worry about?

Mandy Kulartz, 28, dressed in a black, red and gold T-shirt, said, "This is no longer the old Germany that everybody is suspicious of because of the Nazi past. If the Americans, the British and the Italians fly their flags and show their colors, why shouldn't we Germans do the same thing?"

"It's time we show the world that we're no longer the bad guys, indeed, that we have nothing to do with the Nazi past. We're all aware of the Holocaust and the horrendous German past, but not even my parents were born then, and I think we should be allowed to show how much we like our country. What's better to do that than showing the flag?" Kulartz said.

Her 30-year-old boyfriend, Sebastian, joined in, "There's absolutely nothing wrong with us showing a healthy patriotism. Besides, this is party time! We're young, and we want to have some fun. This is what it's all about."

"There's no reason that we should not identify with our country, and we should show the world that we like our country. In fact, it's about time to overcome the taboo to openly say, 'I love Germany. Yeah, I love my country,'" he said.

Still, for more than six decades Germans have shied away from the black, red and gold tricolor.

Sure, you find it on the corners of the Parliament building in Berlin. Elsewhere it's not considered a "German" thing.

There are no national flags outside of corporate buildings, and there are no flags planted on front lawns -- Long Island-style!

Germans, in general, find it difficult to publicly express a love or even a mild affinity for their country.

The World Cup and the cultural celebrations it has sparked seem to have given the Germans an opportunity to poke fun at themselves.

They're dressing up in national costumes, and the national black, red and gold flag has become the ultimate party accessory.

Germany's national colors haven't been restricted to the flag, though. You can find them on hats, caps and scarves, bikinis and T-shirts, and just about anything else you need for a soccer party.

Journalist Reane Oppl, 55, has bought two small flags to dress up her car. "There's such a positive mood, I think it's contagious. It's so much fun, and it's all about Lebensfreude [high spirits]. This is the first time that I'm enjoying watching soccer. I never cared much about it, but now I find it exciting, and it certainly has to do with the positive atmosphere everywhere."

Her husband, Wolfgang, a German Air Force pilot and a devoted soccer fan, agreed.

"The current renaissance of the German symbol is something I've been hoping for to happen for many years. It reflects a healthy national pride in what our country stands for and it's got nothing to do with nationalism or the shadows of the country's ugly past, something that left-wing alarmists have been pulling out of their sleeves for many years. This is truly exciting, and I hope that it will last beyond the World Cup euphoria and become a natural German feeling," he said.

Rudi Freystadt, 82, is chairing the seniors club in the small town of Wesseling near Cologne. He said he and his fellow retirees watched "this healthy development, which has nothing to do with a new nationalism but a lot to do with postwar Germans expressing a positive feeling toward their country. This country has made huge strides away from its difficult history, and there's nothing wrong with feeling proud to be part of that."

Other seniors agree.

"I like what I see. I'm not worried at all," said Christa Hoyer, 64. "This is all about fun and enjoying a good time. For me and my friends this has nothing to do with politics, and certainly nothing to do with the fatal German history. It's all about Germany being a 'normal' country. The Germans are showing the rest of the world there will never be any kind of return to a troublesome past," she said.

As if to put the icing on the cake, tennis star Boris Becker told German TV the other day, "I was always a little ashamed of being German in the past, but now it's cool to be German."