There were two following me everywhere at a distance that were blatantly obvious and meant to keep me focused away from the others. It was a comedy most days. They sloppily tossed my room everyday (they thought they were smooth but not) and bugged my purse - not very inventive, but hey they did try. I knew I was safe at all times (hey the Russians were our allies in East Berlin) but I did worry about the older gentleman I met who took a calculated risk talking to me and letting me take his picture (to give to his wife in the West). He did a good job of putting on a show at bragging about his completely rusted trabant (he was the only one on his street with a car) and his coal furnace in his apartment which didn't have any coal but amazingly coal was delivered for the first time in 3 months while we talking (that little bug in my purse came in handy). I don't know if they turned around and took it away when I left or not, I hope not. I don't know if he even was able to keep living in that apartment afterwards. I was amazed at the long lines at the stores only to find absolutely nothing worth buying when I got to the front of the line and once again, amazingly, someone would come and stock the shelves when I was at the front of the line. Whenever a foreigner is around everyone follows them to get in line directly behind them. Not out of curiosity - most won't risk talking - but to get in line for the goods that will magically appear on the shelves. Ah, the old days :o)






>>I have photos (well my mom has them in storage) of me in East Berlin and even standing in front of Check Point Charlie with the guard in the tower pointing his weapon at me. My favorite photo was of a man I met who got stuck on the wrong side of the wall when they closed everything off. His wife was in West Berlin and he asked me to take his picture and give it to his wife in the West so she could se what he now looked like. I did that. They both showed me their letters and everyone of them were blacked out in many places. I always wondered about the day when the wall came down. I'm sure he was immediately walking across. I hope he lived to see the day (he was rather elderly in the mid 80s when I met him).
>
>When you were in the East did you spot evidence of Stasi surveillance or were they just blatant about it, assigning you a 'guide' ?
>
>I think the creepiest feeling I ever had was the first time I realized my hotel room had been tossed while I was out.
>
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>>
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>>>Good for you. I would have like to have seen it too, but the cold war was in full swing at the time.
>>>
>>>
>>>>East Berlin was when I was there as well. I won Division NCO though so I won a week in East Berlin as a reward. I went on flag orders. Then I stayed for a couple of weeks in West Berlin. Rode the train all the way with a group of Dutch soldiers :o) Let me tell you, they drank more than any American soldier I knew! :o)
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>>>>
>>>>>Wow, when I was there a visit to Berlin vas verboten!
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Back in the 80s Berlin was anything but Germany. That's West and each of the different sectors of the East :o)
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Have you been to Berlin? I haven't in years, but in the mid 80s I was absolutely astounded at what was popular in tv, dress and music... :o)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Never been to Germany. Just seemed it would be too much like Cleveland.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>( When Clemenceau was demanding extremely harsh terms at the Versailles conference after WWI Wilson or somebody asked 'But Msr. Clemenceau - have you ever *been* to Germany?' 'No, Msr, but twice in my lifetime les Boches have been to France' )
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>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>Only occasionally I have watched (and will watch) the Dutch version. The decision making process is not interesting at all, of course. But it can be interesting to watch some of the behaviors. The Dutch host has another style than the American one and the audience is not (or less) 'childish' and 'greedy'.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>In the Netherlands it is almost impossible to gather the type of audience that I saw in that show. It must be an American thing, notwithstanding the probable fact that not all Americans are like that.
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>So, my question to you is: Do you continue to criticize me for watching this type of tv, or are you going to reflect on my perception that some or many (you tell me) Americans are childish.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>Obviously I was wrong. You really are that stupid.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>This is like saying :
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>"Ah, yes, we have a Dutch version of the Jerry Springer show as well, but when *our* Lesbian midget cannibals fight with the transvestite Nazi satan worshippers the audience conducts itself with *so* much more class than the nasty American audiences who really don't see the nuance and post-modern irony the way we do."
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>If you really don't get it, then I think we have indeed settled on a definition for 'twit'.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Mike Yearwood has asked for a ban because I used the word 'stupid'. Don't worry, I'm not like Mike. I don't even bother much you use the word 'twit'. It's all in the game I guess. And both words pass the checker, obviously.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>But what bothers me is that you don't get the picture. All I wanted was a chat about the behavior of that audience. I provoked, in order to get some attention. The behavior of that audience was astonishing to me. It is impossible (so far) to have such an audience in my country. What is it in your country that it actually is possible and happening???
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Pity you don't want to chat about that issue.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>I'm obviously not a defender of Deal or No Deal - or the audience - either in the studio or at home. I do know that some of the worst of our culture seems to be embraced wholeheartedly in Europe. And brace yourself, we have some stuff showing on TV here that makes Deal or no Deal look like Masterpiece Theater.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>I accepted a long time ago that there has always been a huge market for entertainment that requires nothing of audience other than some kind of lizard brain reaction to themes of greed, adrenaline, fear, lust, melancholy or whatever. As I said in another message we all respond to this stuff on some level and have our weaknesses when it comes to low-brow culture. Some people are very good at making money from appealing to that.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>The French like Jerry Lewis and MacDonalds. Europeans who had the good sense to embrace jazz when a lot of Americans didn't get it yet have now taken to hip hop and gangsta culture seems to have caught on everywhere. I would prefer none of that existed - at home or abroad - but I think it says more about the size and diversity of our culture. I know a lot of our worst movies - some that don't even play in theaters her and go straight to DVD are big hits abroad and in fact the producers depend on foreign revenues to pay for them.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>'Game shows' and 'reality shows' have always been very cheap to produce and pretty reliably generate a lot of money. I would personally rather stick needles in my eyes than watch most of it. ( but I have my favorites as well )
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Do we have a lot of low class idiots? Hey, it's a *big* country so there are probably more American idiots than Dutch idiots. ( "We're Number ONE!" )
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>You don't think they could get that kind of Dutch audience becuase no one who knows how has bothered to try. But I assure you, if the Dutch market were large enough that anyone cared to do it, it would not be hard to find enough people to fill a studio audience or a contestant list for pretty much anything. I bet it wasn't hard to find grunge or punk or hiphop clubs in Amsterdam over the years.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>Now go pick on the French for a while. I think they invented mimes and should certainly be punished for that <s>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>And the Germans do geriatric scatological porn and think David Hasselhoff is a genius, the Japanese are truly 'childish' in their popular cultural tastes and the Brits gave us Benny Hill and Sid Vicious.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>And I apologize for hip hop.