The Perpetuation of Racist Ideology in Germany
I happened to be looking at travel destinations and became enamored with the beautiful gothic architecture of Germany. I asked my mom what she thought about me studying abroad there and got an answer I didn’t expect: “What about the rampant racism?”
I did not, in fact, know about the racism in Germany. It was something I had never heard about in my studies at school or in the media so I decided I wanted to learn more about it. It is a big issue that the country faces and the statistics were quite alarming to read. It was found that “more than 60% of Black people and Muslims have experienced discrimination” according to the National Discrimination and Racism Monitor. However, this has become a widespread issue across all demographics. The German Center for Integration and Migration Research found that surveys conducted indicated the presence of racial prejudice from German natives, non-immigrants, immigrants, and racial minorities. This reveals the inherent problem with the system: a lack of proper education, awareness, and legislation. It is easy to say this is a surface level topic, however this kind of large dissemination of hostility and bias comes from a more complex issue of history and generational prejudice which has failed to be properly disproved. Thus, it is necessary to eliminate the stereotypes which perpetuate hate. This is most crucial for younger generations to understand and implement; it is a cycle which needs to be broken.
"Never again is now!" (left) and "Colorful diversity instead of stupid simplicity" (right) taken from NBC news
A prime example of the harm that comes from such racism is the study conducted by Tanja Gangarova, Melike Yildiz, and Lina Kabangu. It is a study in which the correlation between medical treatment and racial identity was analyzed in order to understand the negative impact on minority groups on a larger scale. The study, titled “Racism in German healthcare: uncovering the construction and silencing of the “other "", found that the type of treatment varied significantly based on the racial profile of the subject. A Muslim patient, Taslima, was disregarded and denied treatment due to stereotypes surrounding Muslim; many of Muslim women in the study had similar experiences, especially when going to OB-GYNs and gynecologists. The results of this study (linked below for further reading) illuminate how crucial it is to have proper education surrounding inherent biases and eliminating them in workplace environments especially.
It is important to note that every country experiences some form of racism and this is no way a complete overview of the topic or a criticism of German people or society as a whole. This is, however, an issue to such an extreme extent where there should be a plan for solutions. Racism has serious impacts on opportunities and mental health especially so it is a topic that should be addressed with a high level of seriousness.
Study mentioned: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11747329/#sec10