"Do you want to take a few more bananas with you?" And "Are you sure that it is not dangerous in dark Germany?" When I moved from southern Germany to Erfurt - that is, deep in the east of Germany - in 2015, my environment was almost more positive Worry about me than before my trip to Latin America. Granted, the sayings may not have been taken 100 percent seriously. But still remarkable for the fact that I just wanted to go to another city. And for the fact that there hasn't been a wall separating Germany into east and west for 25 years. Why do so many people still think in terms of East and West?
I just did a little research on this. The reality of the united Federal Republic still does not seem to have arrived in many minds. According to a survey by the Wahlen research group in 2019, 95 percent of East Germans visited the West at least once after the fall of the Wall, but every fifth West German said they had never traveled to the East. However, even a trip obviously does not always protect against undifferentiated views. Because even if the vast majority of East Germans have already been to the West, many of them have prejudices. Conceited, wealthy students from the west would drive up rents in the east is one of them. The young "Wessis" are also considered arrogant and greedy for money. They are said to have understood nothing of the harsh reality of life in the East.
"Study in the Schmalledivien"
There are also prejudices in the West - just different.
And public institutions, among other things, have contributed to the hardening of the fronts in the past.
For example, the Ministry of Education wanted to get involved in the colorful pot of clichés.
From 2008 to 2015 there was the image campaign “Studying in the Far East”, which was intended to attract West German high school graduates to East German universities.
Two young, East Asian-looking men traveled to Greifswald or Stendal and then advertised the low rents or good support at 44 universities in videos on social networks.
In addition, there was a poster campaign that was intended to attract people to Schmalkalden in Thuringia with slogans such as “Study in the Schmalledivien”.
The idea behind it: Due to demographic change and the emigration of young East Germans, the universities there expected significantly fewer students during this time, while many West German federal states assumed increasing numbers. Sure, it was all meant to be funny and ironic. But it is unclear whether equating Thuringia or Saxony-Anhalt with Asian states fulfilled the actual purpose. In any case, the campaign has since been discontinued. Perhaps because the lecture halls in East Germany have long been as full as in the West. But maybe also because the whole action tended to build up rather than reduce prejudices.