Anti-German Vitriol Sloshes Onto Americans

I wanted to share an anecdote that happened Saturday when I took my 5-year-old and his grandmother to Disneyland. My family is of German descent and, although I was raised in Pasadena, I typically speak to my mother and my son in German. My 65-year-old mother and I were standing in line waiting for one of the rides. As we were talking, a fairly average-looking guy and his female partner verbally attacked us after they heard us speak German. Before we could tell the guy that we were American citizens, a number of epithets flew our way and we were encouraged to return to Germany to join our fascist leader, Gerhard Schroeder.

Having someone scream at you at the “Happiest Place on Earth” was certainly a shock. But what was truly remarkable about the scene was how completely average this person was. Yet, without provocation, he felt compelled to scream at my mother -- who’s lived in America for 35 years -- to go back to Germany. One has a sense that, although the Bush administration’s psychological campaign of “shock and awe” may not be going as predicted in Iraq, it’s had a significant impact on the American public.

Mark Cassell

Cleveland Heights, Ohio